NFL Star Jamaal Williams on Embracing Anime Fandom

NFL star Jamaal Williams talked about how anime helps combat loneliness by creating bonds among fans. ComicBook had the chance to hang out with the New Orleans Saints running back during Anime Expo 2024. As we talked about anime, Williams shared his approach to combatting stigma attached to the hobby. Despite these shows and movies being more popular than ever, some Black fans can feel a bit alone when beginning their anime journeys. As a part of Crunchyroll’s panel about Black fandom in anime, Williams encouraged attendees to be confident in their paths and find friends who love you for all parts of you.

“I know that there’s always somebody out there that when I give them my story that can relate to me in some way like there’s always gonna be one person. If I can affect one person, let them know that it’s okay to be there,” Williams explained. “It’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to let people know what you do. They may think it’s weird. It’s fun, it’s fine. But, be yourself, because people who see that, and see that you are yourself, they will come to you today. Because, they know then you won’t judge them from being themselves. And ,you won’t judge them for them. So, I just like people to be around people who are genuine. They love you for who you are. They accept who you are.”

How Anime Helped Jamaal Williams Through Hard Times

Whether it was his younger days with Naruto or more recent favorites like Fire Force or One Piece, Williams has always found something to take with him after watching an anime he’s never seen before. He talked about what his favorite hobby has done to make him more focused on his craft and keep him mentally sharp.

“It’s just funny to me now, because my friends, while still in high school, they still messed with me. ‘You remember how you used to run around with your hands behind your back?’ So yup, every day I let them know, because I always like well, they respected because I played football right? Well the, they were gonna have to accept my nerdy ways because I wasn’t changing for anybody. I was always going to be a nerd. I was never changing to be something I’m not. I just liked anime because it kept me calm and kept me focused. It was my peace zone.” 

“So, it was something positive. It was never anything I was going to get in trouble for. It was never anything that was going to put me in positions to mess up my career. I feel like it was great for meeting adversity and I was great for learning to stay calm. Even now, when I’m going through stuff, the older I get, I can go back to watching the stuff I was watching when I was little. I learn new ways of living, learn new ways of handling adversity. I think it’s just healthy really.”

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