Apple TV+ announced on February 15, 2022, that it would produce and air a documentary about the New England Patriots called The Dynasty. The upcoming documentary highlights the National Football League (NFL) team’s 20-year dominance under owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady.
Content for the Documentary Taken from a Book of the Same Name
Jeff Benedict, who wrote the New York Times’ bestselling book The Dynasty, spent two years behind the scenes in the Patriots organization. He trailed Kraft, Belichick, and Brady with their permission to learn more about their day-to-day activities.
TV and movie producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer filmed the documentary during the 2021 NFL season. The producers also reviewed thousands of hours of video and audio footage that the public had not previously seen. The Dynasty features more than 100 interviews with past and present Patriot players, coaches, rival players and coaches, and league officials. Viewers can expect a heavy focus on the experience and influence of the owner, head coach, and star quarterback.
The Dynasty is Especially Meaningful in Light of Tom Brady’s Recent Retirement
Now aged 44, Tom Brady announced on February 1, 2022, that he would be retiring from professional football. Brady came to the Patriots via the NFL draft before the start of the 2000 season. He remained with the team through the end of the 2019 season, which brought the Patriots yet another Super Bowl win. Brady spent his last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning the Super Bowl one more time.
The Patriots appeared in 10 Super Bowls and won six of them during the 20-year period from 2000 to 2020. Brady ends his career as a five-time Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl. He also won league MVP three times. At age 43, he was the oldest player to receive Super Bowl MVP honors and to win the league’s highest trophy as a starting quarterback.
The documentary is even more historical now that Brady will no longer be playing in the NFL. Many sports analysts and fans feel there will never again be such a powerful combination as the one consisting of Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady. Without Kraft, the rest of the powerful trio would not have existed.
New England Patriots Purchased by the Kraft Group in 1994
Robert Kraft formed his first company in 1968, just a few years after earning his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. He launched the Kraft Group several years later, a company with multiple holdings in the paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development, and investment industries. In 1994, Kraft expanded the company’s sports and entertainment holdings by purchasing the New England Patriots.
Kraft was a season ticket holder who watched the Patriots play for 23 seasons since they came into the league in 1960. When he assumed ownership on January 21, 1994, he stated that his goal was to bring a championship team to New England. Fans were hopeful but skeptical since the Patriots posted a record of 5-11 in 1993 and 19-61 since the 1989 season. Overall, the franchise averaged just 6.6 wins per season from 1960 to 1993.
Robert Kraft made coaching and player changes that transformed the Patriots to a winning team by the end of the 1994 season. New England advanced to the playoffs that year for the first time in eight years. They qualified for the playoffs four times in the first five years under Kraft’s leadership, making it as far as the Super Bowl by 1998.
Although they did not win the 1998 Super Bowl, the team was well on its way to dominating the NFL for the next 20 years. The team appeared in the Super Bowl again just three years later and defeated the Los Angeles Rams for the title. After winning the NFL’s biggest game in 2001, the Patriots went on to win again in 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2019.
Kraft’s Vision Created an NFL Dynasty
People could not help but notice Robert Kraft’s ability to make a personal investment in every person on the Patriots team. Players and coaches performed differently under his leadership, and their enthusiasm rejuvenated fan interest in the team. The Patriots sold 40,000 season tickets during Kraft’s first year of ownership for the first time in the team’s history. Every Patriots game sold out for the next 25 years.
Sports writers, players, coaches, and fans have long recognized Robert Kraft as one of the most successful team owners in professional sports. He also owns the New England Revolution soccer team, Gillette Stadium, and Patriot Place. However, sports and business are not the only important things in his life. Kraft and his family have contributed over $500 million to charities, non-profits, and causes important to them since launching the Kraft Group.