We've got another shocker from Tom Brady's world today, and Gisele Bundchen has nothing to do with it! The New England Patriots' quarterback's little sister, Julie Brady, is getting married! So who is the lucky guy? None other than Boston Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis.
Even this Yankees fan will set aside the Boston hate for one day (after all, New York did just win the Super Bowl), extend the olive branch, and wish this lucky couple congratulations on their engagement. Julie's a single mom. Youk's a stand-up guy. Mazel tov to them!
But let's get real a minute, OK? It's not like these two lovebirds had much of a choice.
When you're part of Boston sports royalty, you know that you have to keep it in the family. It just would not do for Julie to marry, shudder, a New Yorker or even some schmuck from Indianapolis. Think of her brother! His wife has already done enough to make the town of Boston hate her for daring to speak out against their players. Someone needed to show some hometown love.
Usually the term "mixed marriage" in sports refers to people exchanging vows with someone from the rival team in the same game. Think a Red Sox fan marrying a Yankees fan. I've seen it done, sometimes successfully.
But there are certain towns that take it one step further. There's a fervor in "real" sports cities, where there's not just a team playing one sport but a handful of teams in every league. Think Boston with the Pats, the Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins. Think New York with the Yanks, the Mets, the Giants, the Knicks, the Jets, the Rangers ... They're dream locales for sports fans.
They're places where fanship is a package deal. You don't get to pick one team in town and one across the country ... not if you don't want to get bullied out of your own family. And who wants that? Not Julie Brady, obviously! It's just nice to see Tom's little sister and her 5-year-old have found one of Boston's nice guys to help them "keep it in the family."
Do you have a mixed sports marriage? How has that worked out for you?
Image via Rubenstein/Flickr