A.J. Brown - an accidental influencer

Rest in peace, Bob Uecker. A Wisconsin treasure. A national treasure. In his honor, never ever take yourself too seriously.

PSA — Challenges remain for those affected by Southern California wildfires. There aren’t enough thanks to go around for first responders who have worked tirelessly to save life and land, and to those providing shelter and care for people and pets. Here’s one of the most credible links I’ve seen if you’d like to help. 

If you’re an author, expect the unexpected

We’ve talked about being blindsided and how to prepare for bad publicity by way of crisis communications. It’s time to turn the tables.

What happens when unexpected success hits? Will you be ready?

Unless you’ve lived under a boulder, you heard on late-night comedy, traditional and social media and sports talk that Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was caught by FOX NFL cameras reading a book during his team’s NFL wildcard playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. The moment it aired I expected the title to spur a proverbial run to booksellers to see what it was all about. It’s one reason I tell authors with whom I work that remarkable publicity may come from something we didn’t plan.

Brown is now an influencer

Call Brown an unintentional influencer of the new year. Whether the Eagles advance or not, you’ll hear about this months from now. He helped a book ranked about 500,000 on Amazon’s sales list to No. 1 within an hour.

Brown’s go-to title is “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life” by former minor league baseball player, Jim Murphy. Brown said that it’s held a spot alongside his shoulder pads and jersey for a while. He just got caught reading it by someone other than his team for the first time.  

Some see “Inner Excellence” as woo-woo. Brown calls it a way to stay focused.  

USA Today’s Nancy Armour calls it influential.

“At a time when kids are reading at some of the lowest levels ever, Brown making reading all the rage could be a game-changer,” she wrote. (Read Nancy’s story to see what literacy experts say about A.J. as a role model.)

Publicity prospects

There are other ways A.J. can capitalize on this snoop-cam 🎥 moment – and if the Eagles advace closer to a title, expect others to follow.

• 🏈 Halftime Reading Challenge – Challenge kids – and adults – to spend halftimes reading. Bonus when they read one of his suggested books (he can post those on social media). Related -- He can start a season-long reading contest before his 2025-26 schedule and offer prizes to those who share brief video book reports on YouTube.

• 👑 Read to Lead – Create a tour to schools, libraries and youth centers to encourage kids to read — bring books, too. He’d start in his hometown of Starkville, Miss., with the next stop being Philly schools. When you read, you open the world.

• 🧢👕👚 Swag Brag – Design a line of merchandise with taglines that include: “Read to Lead” or “You NEED to Read” … talk about a cool factor!

• 📗 Book of the Week -- A.J. could share what he’s reading to build anticipation for his take on each title via his social media channels. He could become the Oprah of sports celebrity book influencers.

Those are just the first few on my list. 📞📱A.J.’s agent, if you’re reading, hit me up for the other publicity and marketing ideas. Let’s work together to encourage a new generation of excited readers. 

© 2025 Gail Sideman, gpublicity.com 

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