Tom Brady’s media strategy, what MLB should do about RSNs, the SEC’s TV pickle:

Welcome to the 36th Media Mailbag for The Athletic. Writing a mailbag — as egocentric as it is — is always a fun exercise. Thanks for sending in your questions via the website and app. There were more than 200 questions, so this is a two-parter. Part 2 will appear next week. 

Note: Questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Richard, can you explain Tom Brady’s post-career media strategy to me? Why is he doing Hertz commercials? Surely not the money and it seems beneath him. I get he wants to be a broadcaster, but is there any precedent for his entitlement in taking Greg Olsen’s job? Is all of this good for his brand? Related, are we really in for another lame duck Olsen year where we are supposed to pretend it isn’t deeply weird that he’s a dead man walking? — Lex S.

There’s a lot to chew on here, Lex S.! First, Tom Brady did not hire Tom Brady to call games for Fox Sports. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch hired Brady, so it’s on his Fox Sports management to figure out how to navigate Brady coming in after Greg Olsen established himself with Kevin Burkhardt as a terrific broadcast team. (Also, never forget that Murdoch called Brady “an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives,” and that’s a big part of Brady getting paid big money.) There is no precedent for an NFL analyst-in-waiting at the No. 1 level, so Fox Sports executives are going to have to get creative. (Giving people money usually helps said creativity.)

I will say Olsen has handled this incredibly well. First, he’s open about the situation, he’s self-deprecating about it, and he’s done the most important thing — he’s made it tough for his employer given how good he’s been. If Brady opts to join Fox in 2024, he will be in the No. 1 booth. There is no other option given his fame and what Fox Corp is paying him. The irony of all this is that Brady would be far better served by starting on the No. 2 team where he can get a full season of reps to learn the television business.

The Hertz commercials? We all like money, and rich people really like money.

Finally, I don’t know Brady’s post-career plans, but he has a clear interest in media given his production company (199 Productions) and partnership in Religion of Sport. He’s also savvier than you think: He just racked up a jillion video views appearing with social media influencer Mr. Beast. The Brady brand seems very strong to me.

How important is Wimbledon as a sports property to ESPN? It occupies a part of the calendar when not much is going on. It’s a big ESPN+ property. It definitely has casual appeal. If a non-tennis or non-sports fan knows one tennis tournament, it’s Wimbledon. Obviously, the time difference hampers viewership. And what is the value (or lack of value) of Novak Djokovic as a viewership play for U.S. audiences? — Tripp A.

It’s definitely important to ESPN. Is it NFL, college football or NBA important? Of…