276 | Matthew Hamachek (The Dynasty: The New England Patriots)

My Summer Lair Chapter #276: Is Winning Too Much A Real Issue?

Welcome director Matthew Hamachek who visits to discuss The Dynasty: New England Patriots now streaming on Apple TV+. This is an NFL focused ten-part docuseries on well…The Dynasty of the New England Patriots…Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and more. (So much more!)

Dynasties are strange entities: they don’t all start the same way…nor do they end the same way.

They’re unique because the players/coaches involved…are unique. This Apple TV+ docuseries centered on the New England Patriots features interviews with over 60 players, executives, coaches, fans, and sports writers (like Michael Holley.).

Watching The Dynasty, that’s a defined element that stands out: personalities drive magic.

There’s a profound elegance to sports…generally there’s a clear winner and a clear loser. Granted there are asterisk wins and debatable calls from the refs at the end of games but generally there are clear winners and clear losers.

Life is not that clean or even clear.

It sounds cruel and yet it’s not: success is denying others glory…that’s what Michael Jordan did, that’s what Tom Brady did. Tom Brady has won the most Super Bowls of any player in NFL history with seven; 6 of em famously with the New England Patriots. Brady won the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Super Bowls quarterbacking the New England Patriots.

It’s really impressive. So is that Matthew steps aside and gives each contributor space and time to tell their own story. As for the doc’s framework: The Dynasty is an adaptation of a Jeff Benedict book published in 2020.

Jeff Benedict’s sports books are magnificent.

I particularly recommend The Dynasty, one of the best books on the New England Patriots. I appreciate his primary focus on football; he doesn’t dwell on TMZ-gossip.

It’s a fantastic business breakdown on success: the actual financial cost as much as the emotional cost(s).

As you’ll hear int this My Summer Lair conversation there’s a famous Batman quote that directly applies to the success of the New England Patriots. Matthew and I talk about that Batman quote and the soundtrack. Jay-Z, Queen and Bowie and more…this documentary has a killer soundtrack.

Before Apple TV’s The Dynasty there was The Last Dance on Netflix. And watching that viewers and sports fans recognized that ending dynasties is just as hard as building em. Belichick witnessed Tom Brady the quarterback he basically released go on to win a Super Bowl. The middle is just the constant winning with some high stakes drama.

But how do dynasties end? And how do they start?

From Jeff’s Dynasty book:
“At that moment, Kraft owned a franchise that had never won a championship. Belichick’s overall record with the Patriots was 5-13. Brady had never started an NFL game. It was unimaginable to think that Bledsoe was staring up at the nucleus of the greatest sports dynasty of the modern era.”

That’s a fantastic opening to talk to director Matthew Hamachek about The Dynasty: New England Patriots.

Behold…the Dynasty trailer:

So making a strong tea for this Apple TV+ docuseries. It’s now streaming: #SetTheVCR.

Dynasty @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 11:00 am (EST)

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter so we can have some fun…and be winners like Tom Brady!