As we discussed this week, the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles won. I didn’t find the game to be controversial, nor was it a one-sided blowout. Even though I wasn’t rooting for the Pats, I had to admit that for the most part, they did a good job and they have nothing to be ashamed about. For a while there, I thought they were going to pull another epic upset like they did at the 2017 Super Bowl.
Anyway, following the Super Bowl, USA Today published a curious piece about Gisele Bundchen and how she and her kids were waiting to embrace Tom Brady after he left the field. I would imagine that USA Today managed to scoop everyone because it’s possible that Gisele and the kids happened to be waiting for Brady somewhat close to the media area behind-the-scenes. I don’t really know HOW it happened, all I know is that USA Today scooped every other outlet by quoting Gisele. Gisele apparently told her weeping children that Eagles “haven’t won in a million years” and that the Eagles won “just this time. Daddy won five times. They never won before. Their whole life, they never won a Super Bowl. You have to let someone else win sometimes… Sometimes you have to let other people win…We have to share. Sharing is caring.”
People obviously parsed the sh-t out of Gisele’s words. Patriots fans and Gisele fans argued that English isn’t her first language, or that she was just trying to put the loss in terms her children would understand. I get those arguments. But I also believe she thinks this way: if the other team won, Daddy “let” them win. I mean, just think of all of the different ways a parent can explain a loss – in sports – to their children. Think of the teachable moment! So… Gisele heard the complaints and criticism, and she’s clarifying:
Just to be clear. No one “let” anyone win. People win because of their own merit. Tired of people twisting my words to create drama that doesn’t exist!
— Gisele Bündchen (@giseleofficial) February 7, 2018
I’m glad she clarified, truly. I hope she clarified for her kids too – Daddy didn’t “let” the other team win. The other team won because that’s the game. Sometimes the other team is better. Sometimes the other athlete wants it more. Sometimes it’s just not your day even though you really want it. Those are important lessons for kids to learn too, in this current “give everybody a participation trophy” sports culture.
Meanwhile, People Magazine had an interesting story about Tom and Gisele – she encouraged him to retire last year, when he was on top after the Super Bowl win. She still wants him to retire, but he wants to play for at least one more season and Gisele is apparently begrudgingly supporting his decision. Even though she keeps telling people that her husband gets loads of concussions.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and WENN.
I really want to like her but I just can’t. Something about her just keeps throwing me off. My parents are both from another country and don’t speak English nearly as well as she does and so I cry BS with her ESL bull crap or mincing her words. She said what she said. Own it.
Is there a recording of her saying it or just a paper writing what they “think” she said?
Has she actually said it and there’s proof or was this all made up, even twisted?
Yeah poor English speakers would never use the term “merit”. If this was the first time for her I would give her a pass but we all know this isnt her first rodeo with the words she chooses. She should also know that there is an EAGLE eye on her. PUN INTENDED. especially after big games like this.
She doesn’t think her husband let them win and you know it. Come on, she was talking to her children.
+1 LL
And yes theoretically she should have made it a “teaching moment” and said the perfect thing but THIS IS NOT A BIGGIE
I understand English isn’t her first language BUT how long as she been in the US maybe that’s just how she thinks.
ummmmm…..this is a very problematic statement.
I don’t see anything problematic with that statement, and I say this as a non-native speaker who has been relentlessly criticised for my accent throughout my years in UK, to the point of having suffered xenophobic attacks post-referendum.
The construction with ‘let’ is quite easy to understand (my native language is also a ‘Latin-derived’ language, like Gisele’s).
I don’t buy her excuse.
According to the interweb, she has been living in the US since about 1997, so about 21 years. While English isn’t her first language, she’s married to an American and I doubt she and Tom speak another language besides English at home. Saying English isn’t her first language doesn’t passes the ho ho test. (I too had to learn English as a second language).
they speak both languages at home or at least Gisel does.
the statement reminds me of how some say Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek “understand English isn’t her first language BUT how long as she been in the US?”
its just a worrisome statement
I don’t see it as problematic unless you want to see it that way. I took ‘how she thinks’ as does she think in her native language or in English? My ex-husband was fluent in Spanish, but a native English speaker, and even he admitted that since he still processed his thoughts in English he would sometimes say something slightly off in Spanish and have to clarify. I don’t think she meant “How long has she been in the US, her English should be better” because *that’s* problematic. And it’s well-established that Gisele is fluent in English, but the mental side of it I can imagine could always cause slight issues like this. Anyway, I’m glad she clarified. I like her ok, she can grate but I still kind of like her.
“to let sb do sth” isn’t exactly a complicated phrase prone to be confused with other phrasings.
Happy to provide translations:
Spanish: permitir a alguien hacer algo
Portugese: autorizar alg. a fazer a.c. , permitir que alg. faça a.c.
She might have been stressed out when she said it. I could see a native English speaker screwing up words when stressed too.
That’s exactly how she thinks, I believe. Back when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the NY Giants, she threw a fit on the field afterwards, pretty much yelling “my husband can’t do every***thing”. Basically blaming the loss on the rest of the team.
This is not a fair representation of the situation then. She and other wives and kids were pressed and harassed without security, it was out of control and bats.it scary. There were even official complaints.
That isn’t even REMOTELY close to what happened and it is well documented because the NFL changed security measures afterwards. It is easy to look up what really went down or make it up because you don’t like the woman.
And good for her! A mother can say anything she wants to her children without strangers nitpicking
Whatever…they’re still smug and annoying.
People really are creating drama over nothing.
Yeah, she tried to console her children who were upset to see their dad lose. Of all the things to get worked up over, her choice of words is a bit OTT. There are plenty of other reasons to not like her, if you chose not to, but this is dumb.
ITA. IMO in case she actually said those things, she was just a mother trying to alleviate the pain of the children the best way she could. Whose hero athlete father’s team had lost. Their children are young ffs. There will be other moments in their lives to explain to them the difference between winning and losing and everything in between. Not right in the aftermath of the Super Bowl. In public. While being eavesdropped by “journalists”.
Yes, this is ridiculous!
Hear, hear! I don’t care one way or the other about her or Tom Brady but when you’re consoling your kids you sometimes say stuff that sounds off. I didn’t read it as her implying the Patriots “let” the Eagles win. She was helping her kids through a tough moment when they were upset by explaining the best she could. I’m glad no one parses my words when I’m consoling my crying kids because I bet I sound like a jacka$$ without meaning to. Criticize a written statement, sure, but when someone is talking off the cuff to their upset kids, I don’t see what the big deal is. Haters gonna hate, I guess.
I didn’t have any issues with her wording… I’d say that, too. “Ya gotta let other people win sometimes” doesn’t mean you personally are allowing them to win/throwing the game. It just means that everyone should get their turn in the spotlight.
I don’t blame her for wanting him to leave while he was on top…plus, you know, for the health reasons.
*sigh* Even if what she said about giving other’s a chance to win is true. Her daughter was upset and she said the first thing that came to mind to console her. It might not have been the best but honestly she’s not trying to console US. lol. She’s better than me, I’d have told ya’ll to mind your business.
Eh. I didn’t see the big deal in her remarks in the first place. She said that that her kids had to be okay with another team winning. Which is true.
+1 That’s not actually what she said, but it is obviously what she meant. I don’t like her, but didn’t think it was fair to drag her for this.
I never really understood the hype about her beauty. Not that she is unattractive but i didn’t get the whole supermodel thing. But that picture of her in the silver dress is fire. Other than that I think she and her husband are fairly self important people that can’t help but rub the general population the wrong way.
Yeah beautiful people tend to do that
Patriots fans are paying attention to a lot of other things that have nothing to do with Gisele. Gronk’s house was robbed! Gronk might leave football for acting because Dwayne The Rock Johnson told him to do so. Gronk has a roommate who’s a barrista? Bye Bye Matt, good luck in Detroit! Bye bye, Josh! Wait, welcome back, Josh! What is going on with Josh and BelichicK and the Krafts? Is Bill retiring? Is Josh the replacement? And, most importantly, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH MALCOLM BUTLER AND WHY DIDN’T BELICHICK PLAY HIM; HE COULD HAVE HELPED!
Saw that Butler issued a statement about rumors about team discipline.
It seems odd that there is nothing that had gone on the week before to be blindsided like that?
There are definitely far more interesting stories about the Pats not named Tom, and the Eagles players. I want to know more about all of these!
Haha, so true lightpurple! So much drama around here these days! I’m so looking forward to the drowsy, warm days of the Red Sox! Hopefully no drama there!
In regards to Gisele, I actually (gasp!) like her. I remember reading about someone posting on Gawker yonks ago that they rode an elevator with her and as much as they wanted to hate her, they couldn’t because she seemed so sweet and nice. I don’t get the hate for her, she’s just a model for heaven’s sake!
Truck Day has come and gone; pitchers & catchers next week! Go Sox! Go Bruins! And really looking forward to Pierce’s number retirement ceremony Sunday. It will be interesting to see who shows up. Former teammates & other Celtics legends, of course, but Pierce made a real effort during his many years here to reach out to the other sports teams and made quite a few friends on the Bruins, Sox & Patriots. And oh yes, go BU, win that Beanpot!
Gisele is well known for being a self centered diva. I saw the video of her on Jimmy Fallon’s pup quiz (which she lost but said the pups were happier with her anyway lol) and even surrounded by golden retriever puppies she was pretty bitchy about getting her way and made the whole thing about her. It was cute in the video but I realized she must be like that all the time.
LMAO your entire reasoning is SO dumb and just an example of why women will never win.
Controversial opinion alert: I think Giselle is overrated in the looks department. I don’t think she’s Supermodel gorgeous. But maybe that’s her attitude showing? She just seems snooty.
No, I agree!
Agreed. I just figured that she had a good body because it couldn’t be about the face.
It is her body and walk. She has the right build for modeling, and she is photogenic and charismatic. She is also a great businesswoman. Half of the push from working model to the next level is professionalism and having good relationships with people. She worked a lot of markets, another smart move and didn’t rely on just the major markets for success.
She may not have a traditional face but that works in her favor for fashion. She isn’t a commercial model.
I try to defend models like Gisele (real ones not Nepograms) usually because the word “model” is very loaded especially with women. I talked around here for a long time for a reason. Not shame but I know immediately it would cause some people to project negative feelings or assumptions about me. Or get defensive or try to be snide or feel misplaced anger. Or blame me for the industry or look for faults. I am accustomed to it and even understand the reasons behind it.
But I have stuck around here long enough that I figured whatever as long as I am careful about specifics it is fine. Maybe in a small way, I can stop a girl from making a choice not to go to college or warn parents or to dispel some myths.
Gisele likes to perpetuate the negatives and this unreal image of physical superiority when all her career comes down to is genetics giving her the right body type for one type of career.
So far her personality is lacking, so her success is not impressive to me.
Honestly wondering if/why she didn’t have a win or lose conversation with her children before the big game.I don’t feel anything for Giselle and Tom one way or another,but I do believe they are so accustomed to being the best all the time that they don’t lose graciously-if that makes sense.Their kids are small so she spoke to them the best way she saw fit, I’m just thinking a talk at home about daddy not winning the game is possible,but we’ll still cheer for him .Oh well,much ado over nothing I suppose .
Her big cry baby of a husband didn’t handle losing well, but I thought she consoled the children just fine.
Yeah, I’m not into criticizing anybody’s parenting style. If she messed up and used the wrong word, so be it. I am far from a perfect parent. All you can do is admit when you make a mistake and use it as a teaching moment.
As for Tom, we should be talking about him, not his wife. He was a sore loser and his actions have far more impact on kids that look up to him, including his own. Why is his wife getting all this flack and he is getting a pass on his poor sportsmanship?
YAAASS to Tracking and Juls. The Pats’ coach fought through the crowd to find the Eagles’ coach and congratulate him. Gisele made a point to congratulate every Eagles player that she encountered in person and then again on Instagram. You would think that their children would learn good sportsmanship (preferably by example) from their athlete father. Instead the burden of teaching those particular lessons falls on Gisele, who was never a professional athlete. I mean, what’s wrong with *that* picture?!
I said the same thing. Just let them know that its okay to lose to or at least tell them winning and losing isn’t that big. Its what we take from the sport and do our best.
“I do believe they are so accustomed to being the best all the time that they don’t lose graciously-if that makes sense”
this is kind of the point I made a couple of days ago. he’s SO used to winning that he doesn’t even consider before the game that he might NOT win. entitlement. he’s so caught up in his disbelief of not winning that he doesn’t think about who DID win and how he should react. it’s all about HIM and HIS feelings.
it’s easy to be a gracious winner but being gracious (or not) when you lose shows your true sportsmanship. and he does NOT practice good sportsmanship.
I think Giselle’s time with Leo really gave her a leg up. She’s a body model, in my opinion, so the beauty of her face is not as important. She’s streamlined, walks well and wears clothes well. How tall is she? She looks about 6 feet tall. In a way, she reminds me of Stephanie Seymour, who was also more known for her body than her face. It would be fun to hear more of the speech of the ultra-rich, but I don’t think they’d like that very much. You’ll hear nothing from them or hear it through their lawyers or p.r. people. Lastly, I find it obnoxious that Tom always has his hand on Giselle’s ass. This has been long-noted by many people .
Absolutely, she has a killer body and in fashion school they talked abut her being the only model with the right proportions. It was never about her looks in the fashion world she has the perfect body ratio for height, hip placement and bust. Her looks are okay but shes not ugly shes just not prettier than most supermodels. You are 100% right in everything you wrote.
People are upset with what she said because she is just so full of herself and it rubs people the wrong way. However, I notice she never denied saying those words. She just said people are twisting them to create drama. In other words she says that people are MISINTERPRETING her actual words.
Did people really twist her words though or was she just careless with what she said and now she’s angry that people actually called her out on her privilege?
I don’t know if I see her as a supermodel necessarily, but many years back when we visited Brazil, she was EVERYWHERE!!! They seemed so proud that she made it big that she was pretty much in every billboard on every street. I got tired of looking at her. I didn’t realize she would be everywhere. So obviously she did something right. She also became big at a time when competition was less IMO. She was also in VC at a time when the brand was big. It could just be that she is professional, easy to work with, and has a personality. I don’t mind her. But while watching Australia’s Next Top Model I have come across working models in Australia (eg. Annalise Schubert). I am a bit over these supermodels who are always on social media, pimping up their lives or kids, I liked them better when they were just working.
You mean that her career took off after she started dating Leo? Thats the truth there. It lterally was like what Amber Rose was to the fashion world when she first started dating Kanye. Louis, Givenchy and Gucci signed her.
I don’t doubt that she wasn’t successful before Leo, but he skyrocketed her career to new levels. She wouldn’t be as in demand, if she never dated leo.
That’s NOT the truth. She was very successful before him. She would be in demand even without him.
I didnt know of her before Leo other than VS. That’s about it. Either you are Gisele or just plain annoying. Lastly I forgot to mention Leo and Gisele went to a lot of the Patriots games. Tom Brady was Leo’s favorite player of all time. He was the one who showed her american football. I think out of spite she went after Brady. That is very true.
I happen to agree with you.
There wasn’t less competition. The look changed, and so did the industry. There was/is still a lot of money to be made but only by some with a sharp drop to the next tier.
Finally someone with great sense.
I truly miss the supermodel era though. Now it is all nepotism, which sucks because the true supermodels never get the same opportunity. Such a shame.
I think she’s a jerk and can always be counted on to say DUMB shit. However, I think people need to stop acting like her opinion on football matters. She’s clueless. Remember when she tried to give advice about beauty products and called sunscreen “poison”? She’s an overly confident idiot who doesn’t think before she speaks.
As far as I know, some (If not most) commercial sunscreens can be toxic depending on their composition. She is not really wrong, is she?
Gisele is that you?
the VERY SLIGHT “danger” that exists from using sunscreen is FAR outweighed by the protection from skin cancer it offers.
or, you know…you can just drink lots of water…Tommy Boy Brady says that keeps him from getting sunburned.
@dreamofdream: If you stick around for a while ( and not only have your meltdowns in every Gisele’s thread), you will be able to recognize old time commenters.
@Miss M, she pulled that same routine yesterday with me as well and you’re right. We don’t tend to see her elsewhere here.
Im only saying what the rest of the people are saying. Tell that to the billions of people who use suncreen. Arrogance is her only language so have plenty of seats you pissants.
So USAToday was eavesdropping? Shady af. I thought at first she had leaked this, which really irritated me. But if that’s just something she was saying off the top of her head to a crying kid, and she didn’t leak it, total pass. I hate to think of people picking apart everything I say to my 10-year-old when I’m stressed or in a hurry and get questions like, “Why are some people racist?” or whatever crosses his mind lol. It turns into a hurried, probably not completely right, answer coupled with, “We’ll talk more about this later.”
Nobody twists her words. She always sounds condescending and smug because she is.
agreed!
Why does Giselle need to carry the sportsmanship torch for Brady? Has he said a single word?
She’s not great with words, or being gracious, but where’s Tom?
Also, love that final outfit. The blouse especially.
Tom is eating air to stay young and fit for next year. Part of his new and improved plan.
Gisele is the creator of the brand, so she recognized it was time for damage control.
the only crap that should be coming out of the brady’s mouth is fresh burps of kale and quinoa.
She really looks a lot like Kesha to me in that last pic
Courtney Cox Vibes! Giselle is not aging well or the fillers really messed up everythign that was AU SO NATURAL…
Does anyone else get Courtney Cox Vibes from this photo? with black hair she would look identical. For those of you who say their was a language barrier, “Just to be clear. No one “let” anyone win. People win because of their own merit. Tired of people twisting my words to create drama that doesn’t exist!” this sentence uses was written clearly and concisely with no errors at all. The term “merit” was used for someone who doesnt have a huge English vocabulary makes me wonder, Gisele you meant everything you said! Nice try Gizface.
The only thing I see in this picture is a 5 year old toddler with their mom.
Annoying.
I’m glad she cleared it up. I think in her own way she understands what that sounded like, and she was fielding two crying children after her husband lost the Superbowl. I still think if she really didn’t mean to say it the way she did, she wouldn’t have phrased it like she did, even if it was in the heat of the moment. The attitudes we default to when we are under pressure is often an indication of our thought process so if she cared to, she should work on that.
Not surprised she wants her husband to retire. Listen, Tom Brady is objectively the greatest quarterback. But nobody is bulletproof. Not even him. There’s a certain desperation in the way he’s insistent on continuing his career. It’s reminiscent of the old trope where women try to hold on to their youth and beauty, long after they’ve gotten older, because that was what defined them. He seems to have built his whole sense of self on his football career, and I don’t know, that doesn’t seem very good to me. That, plus his ego, the fact that it’s not the Patriots but the Tom Brady show, the way he pressed Kraft to trade Garropolo….if he isn’t Tom Brady, the New England Patriot’s QB, their shining star, the face of their team, then what is he? And I’m guessing that Tom Brady doesn’t want to find out, which is why he doesn’t want to retire.
From the beginning I had understood her phrase as meaning that they had to let go of the other team being the winners. Let them be the winners as in accepting it gracefully. Exactly as she did when she congratulated the players. This tangible act proved that her words didn’t mean what haters want to believe. I don’t understand why she is being ripped to shreds for consoling her children. Such judgement. It’s a mother in the heat of the moment with inconsolable children who saw their dad look completely defeated. It’s a bit unfair.
Who cares what she said, it sounds fine. The scarier thing is how soulless Tom Brady and his deranged, robotic quest for winning above else is going to come back to haunt him. He’s 40 years old – how long has he been continually violently hit? Since he was a child or in his teens? He’s going to be in a wheelchair in 10 years. You don’t need more than 4 Super Bowl titles.
Used to like her when she was modeling and not running her mouth and demonstrating how ignorant and rude she is. BTW that pic of them is so awkward. 😂