When was the last time you saw Andrew Luck in a commercial? I’ll wait.
Despite his lack of television appearances outside of Sunday’s and shunning of social media, we all know who Luck is. The star quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts who graduated from Stanford to followed in the footsteps of all-time great Peyton Manning and hasn’t shied away from the challenge.
But in a recent interview with Stephen Holder of the Indy Star, Luck said he shied away from the celebrity of being an NFL quarterback.
"“I remember my rookie year, if I found myself in a situation that was weird, where I felt like all eyes were on me — the whole animal in a zoo sort of thing, like being stuck in an airport — it was awkward,” Luck said. “I used to get emotionally hijacked about that and it would really bother me.“But as I’ve gotten older, (I realize) it’s part of the job description. The fish bowl thing, I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent good with it but I’ve reconciled it in my mind that it’s part of the world we live in.”"
As fans of sports, we tend to scoff when famous athletes complain about their celebrity. “I can’t live a real life or even go shopping boohoo blah blah blah” meanwhile you see Tom Brady dating models, Jim Irsay doing his best impression of Johnny Depp’s character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Johnny Manziel doing, well, everything.
But Luck just plays football. And reads a lot. And digs architecture (in which his degree is in). He isn’t living the celebrity life while complaining about it. That, fans can respect.
However, Luck is just entering his third season and while NFL fans see the enormous potential Luck has each and every game he plays, he has yet to reach it. When he does, he will be even bigger of a deal than he is now.
If he starts taking commercial offers, putting his face on products and dating super models, it doesn’t mean he is a hypocrite. It would mean he is just getting used to the attention and likes pretty girls.