June 11, 1997. Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan is battling symptoms of the flu, and, despite pleas from his team and family, decides to play the game anyway. Playing 44 minutes, Jordan put up a performance for the ages, scoring 38 points on five assists and three steals. In the contest notoriously referred to as the “Flu Game,” the Chicago Bulls took a three-to-two series lead over the Utah Jazz, and would go on to win the NBA Finals two nights later at home, giving Jordan his fifth of six N.B.A. championships.

September 30, 2021. Tampa, Fla. Prior to the immensely-promoted matchup between Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots, parallels could undeniably be drawn between this event and what occurred over two decades ago. A seven-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest quarterback in National Football League History, Brady will return to the place where it all started Sunday night. At practice in Tampa, Brady spoke to reporters and, like Jordan that night in 1997, sounded hoarse and under-the-weather, likely blaring alarms in the minds of both sports media outlets and football fans.

On Friday morning, “Toucher and Rich” on 98.5 The Sports Hub spoke about Brady’s demeanor, and what his illness could mean for this game, which is expected to draw a record-breaking viewing audience across multiple platforms.

“Tom Brady yesterday obviously sounded like crap,” said Rich Shertenlieb, co-host of the Boston morning drive program. “Even if he tested positive [for COVID-19], the NFL would, in no way shape or form let that go public. They’ve got too much riding on this game. The amount of money, the amount of advertisers, the amount of viewers they know they’re going to be getting on Sunday night. I do believe in shenanigans and I think they would keep that away.”

The 44-year-old quarterback is vaccinated against COVID-19; however, there remains a risk of breakthrough cases as new variants of the novel coronavirus, most notably the Delta variant, spread throughout the United States.

Aside from record-setting levels of viewership, the world of sports betting is also thriving in the days leading up to the primetime matchup.

“[The game is] already on pace for record-setting betts,” said Shertenlieb. “You take a look at how much money Vegas is bringing in, and it’s absolutely absurd. There was a report yesterday that [this game has had] 25% more bets than any other game.”

Earlier in the show, co-host Fred Toucher said, “Part of what makes sports fun is the suspension of reality.” As sports fans and citizens alike strive for some sense of normalcy after a difficult last year-and-a-half, not seeing Brady play in a matchup that has been hyped up for weeks on end, including the creation of a poignant trailer to Adele’s pop ballad “Hello,” would unequivocally be a major letdown. Sunday Night Football on NBC will be simulcast to Peacock and Universo, with pregame coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ahead of the 8:20 p.m. kickoff. In a press release, NBC called the matchup “one of the most anticipated regular-season games in NFL history.”