“Can Relate Much More to Tom Brady”: Not Fellow Surfers, but Laird Hamilton Looks Up to the NFL Legend to Find Success in the Sport

Published 11/27/2022, 6:30 PM EST
Surfer Laird Hamilton will surely go down as the greatest big-wave surfer. Initially, he did not wish to enter the professional surfing circuit as he watched his father suffer in the sport’s internal politics. However, he later revolutionized surfing with his wonderful innovations. The 58-year-old is doing great in the sport. In a recent interview, the big-wave surfer revealed that he considered Tom Brady to succeed in the NFL like no other.
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One of Laird Hamilton’s innovations includes Tow-in surfing, which was co-invented by him. It helped surfers to ride on artificially made big waves. Throughout his career, Laird showed unbelievable courage riding on the highest water waves. His Teahupoo Reef Ride in 2000 was recorded as the heaviest ever ridden.
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Who is Laird Hamilton’s favorite?
Hamilton has been a big wave surfer for more than 20 years. He is very proud of his sport as he considers it to be different from other athletic games. According to Laird, people of older age can also perform the sport and there is no pressure to appear in every season of surfing. However, he does feel that as a surfer; he has to passionately put effort to to face the giant waves in the ocean.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Laird Hamilton (@lairdhamiltonsurf)
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Laird was asked if he had any favorites from other sports. He replied, showing an affinity towards the NFL player Tom Brady, and stated,
“In the pursuit of mastery, I think there are only similarities. I can relate much more to Tom Brady than I can to most people who surf. What I do and the way I approach it is completely different to other surfers.”
He added,
“That pursuit of mastery, that refinement – the polishing of the stone – is something that certain people share, regardless of their field. Those people can often switch to something else and have the same level of success. It’s down to curiosity as much as it is discipline. You’re constantly willing to learn and that’s another huge piece of the process. Smart guys say they don’t know anything.”
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Furthermore, Laird explained that an experienced player like Tom Brady has the pressure to participate in every game. However, in surfing, things are different, as one can choose not to appear in competitions consistently.
Laird Hamilton did not follow the conventional route to fame
Unlike other surfers, Laird rejected the practice of participating in several championships. Instead, he followed a wild route, as he believed that surfing was an art.
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Laird Hamilton (@lairdhamiltonsurf)
He does not regret any of his decisions. Instead, he is very happy with his innovations that have helped surfers surf better.
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Is Hamilton your favorite surfer? Or do you have someone else in mind? Let us know in the comments.
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