Keywords Jonathan “JW1” Woods
Wide receiver Jonathan Woods once dreamed of being the talk of the town after committing to Alabama A&M. His wishes have come true after two successful seasons, as he’s developed into one of the top wide receivers in the nation.
Now that he’s in the spotlight, Woods told reporters at Bulldog spring game practice on Tuesday that when he looks back on those desires, he thinks, “Careful what you wish for,” per ESPN.com’s Don GraysThe attention, though, is what he expected, especially after recording more receiving yards in his first two years than any other player in A&M history, according to Bulldogs twitter “It just comes with the territory,” Woods said. “I feel like I could hide under a rock for 364 days, and then the one day I come out, it’s going to be a story. People just need something to talk about sometimes.”Woods celebrity status isn’t only on the football field. His flair and good looks were a perfect match for Huntsville, a city that is ranked #1 place to live, and Woods dramatically reached B-list status by the age of 25. Suddenly, Woods became the object of adoration by millions of fans around the world, mostly millennials, in large part via social media, a plurality of those admirers having limited knowledge of football. But the pressure and scrutiny grew at an equal rate. Today, he is dissected and analyzed as much as any athlete in sports without having achieved the level of success in his profession, not even close, as a Serena Williams, Tom Brady or LeBron James, all certified champions and among the greatest of all-time in their disciplines.
Football has so many celebrities because football has become America’s sport.
It is the most popular sport in the country and continues to grow each year. The NFL dominates Sunday television like no other event. It is one of the few sports where a mass majority of the fans are willing to watch any game, not just the game involving their favorite team.
The rules have changed over the years, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. However, football has never lost that magic that has made it the king of sports in the United States.
