PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Move over, Oprah. Philadelphia Eagles’ standout wide receiver A.J. Brown could be on his way to establishing a book club of his own following a recent incident where his sideline reading catapulted self-help author Jim Murphy to overnight success on Amazon. During a crucial playoff game, Brown opted to set aside the playbook and instead delved into Murphy’s book, “Inner Excellence,” propelling the little-known title to the top of Amazon’s best-sellers list.
In a surprising turn of events, Murphy, a mental skills coach, found his book at the pinnacle of Amazon’s rankings on Monday morning. “I was not expecting that. A real gift,” Murphy expressed in a phone interview. “I just checked Amazon last night, and it reached No. 1, so that was a shock. It had probably never climbed higher than around 8 or 9,000. In the thousands, somewhere.”
An astonishing climb indeed, as the book surged to the top of the trending list from its previous ranking of 523,497th. This remarkable leap also secured it a place on the marketplace’s movers & shakers list. Despite this newfound success, “Inner Excellence” had yet to break into the top 100 for sales in 2025, with authors like Mel Robbins, Rebecca Yarros, and Kristin Hannah maintaining their dominance in that realm.
Driven in large part by the support of Eagles fans, “Inner Excellence” garnered 375 reviews on Amazon with an impressive 4.7 out of 5 rating. A reviewer on the site echoed this sentiment, stating, “AJ Brown recommended this book, so I’m looking forward to reading this. Fly Eagles Fly.”
Murphy, a former minor league outfielder in the Chicago Cubs organization, revealed in an interview with the AP that his phone was inundated with messages once his book began gaining traction. Following the end of his baseball career, Murphy delved into the realm of teaching players how to cultivate confidence in high-pressure situations, which culminated in the creation of “Inner Excellence.”
Brown, who had a standout season with 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns, lauded the book’s valuable lessons, emphasizing the significant mental aspect of football for him. Describing the importance of mental preparation, Brown shared a photo of the book on social media, showcasing various passages highlighted and underlined in yellow.
Expressing his surprise at the viral attention the moment garnered, Brown acknowledged his habit of reading on the sideline, noting, “If I score a touchdown or drop a pass, it’s something how I refocus.” He added, “I always revert back to the beginning of the book. It states if you can just have a clear mind and remember that nothing else matters, clear conscience, nothing matters negative or positive. You’re willing to take risks. It also says if you’re humble, you can’t be embarrassed.”
The positive influence
