Tom Brady statue to be revealed Friday: Here’s a look at some of the worst sports statues ever

On Friday, August 8, the New England Patriots will reveal a 12-foot bronze statue of Tom Brady, who was their quarterback for 20 years. Patriots owner Robert Kraft says the statue will commemorate Brady as the greatest player in NFL history. Let’s see if the statue does him justice. They don’t always hit the mark.

It’s a pretty high compliment to have a statue erected in your honor, but sometimes when they’re not done well, they end up looking more like an insult. Here are some of the sports statues that ended up becoming more famous for how bad they were.

5 of the worst sports statues ever

Harry Caray

Harry Caray was an MLB announcer for several years, best known for his commentary for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. One year after he passed away, a statue was put up in his honor at Wrigley Field in Chicago. What makes it terrible, however, is the “legion of fans” at his feet, which looks like a scene out of a horror movie.

David Beckham

The legendary English soccer player had a statue placed in his honor at Dignity Health Sports Park in 2019 for his time playing with the LA Galaxy. The statue, which shows him in action, has been criticized for the fact that it really just doesn’t look like him, but rather looks more like chef Gordon Ramsay. It isn’t as bad as the fake bad statue of Beckham that comedian James Corden pranked him with at first, but it’s...not great either.

Andy Murray

In 2011, the Shanghai Rolex Masters presented tennis player Andy Murray with a terracotta warrior statue in honor of his victory. Murray himself said it doesn’t actually look like him, and the announcer at the unveiling said it looks like Isaac Newton. But Murray get another shot at a better statue in 2027, when Wimbledon will honor him with a statue that this time, he’ll help design.

Dwayne Wade

The Miami Heat placed a statue honoring NBA legend Dwayne Wade outside the Kaseya Center in 2024. Wade was involved in the process and the statue depicts him in his iconic “This is my house!” pose from a 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls. Despite his involvement, the statue has drawn a lot of criticism for not looking like him. He defended it, saying: “If I wanted it to look like me, I’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos. It don’t need to look like me. It’s the artistic version of a moment that happened that we’re trying to cement.”

Cristiano Ronaldo

The famous Portuguese soccer player had a statue of his face placed in the Madeira Airport in 2017, but it was immediately met with criticism so badly that it was eventually replaced with a statue by a different sculptor. Even Saturday Night Live made fun of the original bust, with actress Kate McKinnon saying that it looked like Ronaldo smiling while having a stroke.

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