Brown: I bring Inner Excellence to every game to help refocus.
During the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Birds’ wide receiver AJ Brown, who was held to only one reception for the game, was caught by Fox Sports cameras cracking open a book while sitting on the bench. The visual sparked plenty of comments, criticisms, and memes on social media.
Brown was reading “Inner Excellence”, a self-help and motivational book by Jim Murphy. The book has become the current best-selling book on Amazon. Murphy, who is a former professional athlete and “performance coach”, told Sports Illustrated that he wasn’t watching the Eagles game at the time when he began receiving a barrage of messages from friends and colleagues. “It’s really an honor to be a part of [Brown’s] life and to have a meaningful place in anyone’s life,” Murphy said.
Some sports pundits claimed it was a moment of frustration on Brown’s part as he didn’t factor into the Eagles’ offense during the 22-10 win. Fellow Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson clowned pundit Greg Jennings on social media for saying Brown reading was an attention-seeking stunt after not being involved in the Eagles offense that game. Dotson noted Brown has read the book on the bench during games earlier this season.
Brown, when asked about his sideline reading, said he just likes to read and that certain passages from Inner Excellence help him focus and “lock in despite what may transpire in the game good or bad.”
The book, which Brown says his teammates call “The Recipe”, aims to help athletes “perform under incredibly stressful situations and, from there, find a deep sense of meaning and joy not dependent on their performances.”
Reading advocates were enthusiastic over Brown’s display, saying “Somebody like A.J. Brown reading is so powerful not only for the child, but for parents, too, to inspire them.” Tony Watlington, Sr., superintendent of Philadelphia Schools said Brown’s sideline reading can have an impact and help “let our children know that they can perform at an exceptional level in sports and in the classroom.”