Joe Burrow opens up about recent personal growth that will benefit Bengals fans and the entire NFL
For all his success and acclaim on the field, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has typically been guarded off of it. Aside from the pre-game outfits and Cartier glasses he wears, Burrow has never been one for attracting attention to himself when he's not wearing a jersey and pads. His personal life has been more […]
For all his success and acclaim on the field, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has typically been guarded off of it.
Aside from the pre-game outfits and Cartier glasses he wears, Burrow has never been one for attracting attention to himself when he's not wearing a jersey and pads. His personal life has been more of a mystery by his own design.
But that might be changing a little this year.
In an interview at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, just before he took the runway at Vogue World Paris, Burrow discussed how he's become more open to be, well, open about his personality and off-field life with fans and brand partners.
While he's constantly making improvements to his game, this is the first time Burrow's been expressive about evolving as a person rather than a player.
"That's something that I've struggled with for my entire career," Burrow admitted. "I'm a pretty private person, and so I try to keep as much as I can to myself, but I'm starting to branch out a little bit and get a little more comfortable sharing other parts of my personality. So I'm just now starting to feel that process out, and this is really the first year that I felt comfortable sharing more sides of myself with the fans, I would say.
"I think I've really learned a lot from that, this year, engaging with fans a little more, engaging with my social, engaging with my my brand partners, and creating those relationships within those companies. So that's been an exciting past couple months, I would say."
In a partnership between an athlete and a brand, the more personable the athlete is, the more productive the partnership can be. Burrow has joined forces with major brands such as Kroger, Guinness, and Bose over the past few years to promote his foundation, and hopes to strengthen those relationships while also engaging with his following more often.
There's also the trend of where interest in the NFL is heading. Burrow recognizes that the next generation of fans are starting to care more about the names on the back of the jersey relative to the name on the front.
"I think the way the younger generation is going is they really want to see the personality of the players," Burrow said. "The personality of the people playing the game, not quite as interested in what's happening on the field, and more interested in who's playing. And I think that's an exciting time, because I think ten, fifteen years ago, it was more about the shield, the league, and now it's more about the people playing."
Burrow is absolutely one of the players that fans care about. His jersey is one of the best-selling in the league right now, and HBO will feature him and the Bengals throughout the season for the program's in-season Hard Knocks. The more he puts himself out there for the public, the more the league will benefit as it intends to grow towards a younger and more expansive international audience.
Burrow has definite star power, and it sounds like he's now embracing it.
ESPN makes huge prediction for Bengals QB Joe Burrow in 2024
Let’s hope they’re spot on
