Contributed by: Sean Finlayson Saturday, March 15 2008 @ 08:39 am ACDT
TMZ is rated by many to be the #1 online celebrity gossip rag in the world and attracts a massive audience.
Following up our previous story "Could a former USAFL player be the next American Idol ?"[*2] , Johns is still very much in the running and after several strong performances is tipped by many to win the competition.
The TMZ article, called "Idol" Michael Johns: Big Ballin'[*3] includes a photo of the American Idol contestant flying in a marking contest and makes a very strong connection between the popular singer and Aussie Rules. The article describes his performance for the Atlanta Kookaburras in one game "the equivalent of 6 or 7 touchdowns".
This level of exposure will surely have flow-on benefits for the USAFL, but Johns is still yet to acknowledge his participation in the sport on the hit TV show.