The recent trend of football club documentaries has a new, yet ultimately underwhelming, addition in the form of ‘Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues’. The series chronicles the takeover of Birmingham City Football Club by an American consortium, including the legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady. While it attempts to chart a new era for the club, the production feels hollow, missing the passion and authenticity that has made others in the genre so successful.
At its core, the series documents the early days of Knighthead Capital’s ownership and the introduction of Brady as a minority stakeholder and chairman of a new advisory board. A significant question that looms over the entire production is the true nature of Brady’s involvement. Is he a hands-on advisor genuinely invested in the club’s future, or merely a promotional face to attract a new, American audience? The series does little to dispel the latter notion, often showcasing Brady’s celebrity rather than any tangible impact on the club’s day-to-day operations. His motivational speeches, peppered with American sports aphorisms, often seem to fall flat in the distinctly English setting of a Championship football club.
Unfortunately, the series does not paint the new owners in the best light. At times, their approach comes across as arrogant and lacking in the care and understanding of the club’s history and its importance to the local community. The decision-making process, particularly around managerial changes, is presented without a convincing rationale, leaving the impression of a group of businessmen out of their depth in the complex world of English football.
This disconnect speaks to a broader issue with the series: it feels primed for a US audience, not the actual fans in the UK. The explanations of the league system and the focus on the celebrity of Brady suggest a production more concerned with breaking into a new market than with telling the genuine story of Birmingham City. This focus on the American narrative unfortunately alienates the very people who have supported the club through thick and thin.
Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn with the highly successful ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, and it is here that ‘Built In Birmingham’ truly falls short. The heart and soul of the Wrexham series lies in its deep dive into the lives of the fans and the community, something sorely lacking here. With only five episodes, the show is unable to build the same level of connection with the players, staff, and supporters. The result is a narrative that feels rushed and superficial, failing to capture the emotional core of what it means to be a football fan.
While it will be interesting to follow the team’s journey in the upcoming season, the series fails to instil the same level of passion and emotional investment as its Welsh counterpart. Viewers are left with a sense of detachment, observing the machinations of a corporate takeover rather than being swept up in the romance of a football club’s revival. For the die-hard Blues fans and lovers of authentic football stories, ‘Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues’ is likely to be a
subpar viewing experience.