In the Eagles wildcard win over the Packers, A.J. Brown befuddled the TV audience when he was seen reading a book on the sidelines.
Quick Google searches revealed the book was “Inner Excellence,” by baseball player turned performance coach Jim Murphy.
At the time, the book, originally published in 2009 with a revised edition released in 2020, was ranked 523,497th on Amazon, according to AP. The following week, it moved to the top of Amazon’s best sellers list. It’s currently No. 2 on Amazon’s charts for 2025.
Murphy’s instruction to readers and clients include that they should always dream big and set their sights on a reality that has unlimited abundance.
Even still, he said he never imagined something like what has happened over the past month.
“The journey has just been so incredible and so far beyond anything I’ve imagined,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to always dream.”
“I’ve never encountered the passion of fans of the Philadelphia Eagles,” he said. “It’s just on another level and it’s so inspiring to me.”
It’s been quite a ride for Brown and his book since the Packers game. Brown pulled the book out again on the even bigger stage of the Super Bowl, Birds fans brought it out to the stands and for the Broad Street celebrations, and Murphy has become a recognizable and admired figure among Philly sports fans.
He came to town for the Eagles-Rams playoff game, and wasn’t prepared for the snow, so he had to go into a stadium shop at Lincoln Financial Field to find something to stay warm. He settled on a nice-looking, if pricey, jacket and went up to pay for it.
“I’m in line and this Eagles fan that had recognized me earlier runs up and says, ‘Oh I’ve got this,’ ” Murphy recalled. “And I said, ‘Oh no, you don’t want to do this. This is a very expensive jacket, thank you, so kind of you.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh no, no, I’m definitely going to pay for this, I love your book, I love your message.’ ”
According to Murphy, Brown got the book from Eagles reserve defensive lineman Moro Nojomo, who got it from DJ Giaritelli, an Athletes in Action director in Austin, Texas, where Moro went to college. Murphy said he admired the work Brown was doing to encourage children to read through his foundation.
When Murphy finally met Brown and Moro ahead of the Super Bowl, he shared his message to them.
“This is so much more than football. We got a game on Sunday coming up. The fans are super excited. We’re all excited,” he told them. “But look, your role is to focus on your four daily goals — which are give your best, be present, be grateful, focus on your routines and only what you can control. And the rest is up to God.”
After the victory, Brown posted his reflections on winning the biggest game of his life. To many, it seemed unenthused or muted.
But Murphy found Brown’s thoughts honest, true and similar to what he shares with his clients.
“If your goal is to be world No. 1 or win an Olympic gold medal, I think you need to know that when you get that, it’s not going to be what you thought it was.” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to realize that you’re made so much more for an outcome, so much more than a stat or a number, a trophy. You’re created for a relationship to feel fully alive. That’s what you’re created for and football is great. Sports are great. Your work is great. It helps you develop yourself and learn how to live fully alive. And that fullness of life is based on love. Love is fearless. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. It’s our deepest need, our greatest desire and our greatest power.”
Brown said that his favorite lines from the book were, “We play the game to compete. We don’t play the game for the score. The score is for the fans.” Murphy expounded on the line by saying that wins and losses are a poor barometer for evaluating a life. People need to look instead at what elements make you a better person, he said, citing Eagles Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil.
“[Vermeil] said if you’re working with a tennis player, you coach the person first, then the tennis player. If you’re working with the football player, you coach the person first, then the football player,” Murphy said. “ It could be an opera singer, it could be a school teacher or a student. You have to understand human nature if you want to get the most out of anyone.”
Murphy is in the city and will be at the parade, joining in 6ABC’s coverage of the event. He hinted that “exciting things” are in store with the book for Eagles fans. He also said he is making plans to work with mentor and fellow author Shane Claiborne.
