Webb City Little League player gets taste of dream job

Aug. 20—WEBB CITY, Mo. — Eleven-year-old Brody Jackson got a taste of his dream job Friday night when he was given the title of "honorary chicken nugget taster" at his hometown Wendy's restaurant.

Jackson, third baseman for the Webb City All-Stars team, went viral on social media after he was shown on ESPN sports network during a Little League World Series game Aug. 10 with a caption that said his dream job was to be a "chicken nugget taste tester."

"I didn't realize I was getting this much attention until I saw all the stuff on social media, and it just feels really good that all these people know who I am," Jackson said Friday night.

Brody and his teammates and their families were invited to Wendy's at 1229 Madison Ave. for a free dinner. There, the boys laughed and teased Jackson and each other as they ate burgers or nuggets and fries.

Jackson dipped his nuggets in a chocolate Frosty, saying he liked to dip the hot chicken in the cold ice cream, and the flavor was better than a chicken dip.

Regional Wendy's manager David Brown presented Jackson a certificate that named him Wendy's "honorary chicken nuggets taste tester." The boy also received gift cards for free nuggets every week for a year.

Asked if he was serious when he listed that as his dream job on his tournament questionnaire, Jackson said, "It was kind of a joke. I tried to make all the questions funny."

Brown, who oversees the restaurants in Webb City, Joplin, Carthage and Neosho, said it not only gave the restaurant chain a chance to crow, so to speak, about its nuggets, but also to celebrate the young baseball team.

"We're proud to host the team," Brown said. "Any time local teams do well, we like to step in and do our part. These boys went a long way in the tournament and represented their town and themselves well."

Jackson's mother, Ashlee Jackson, said the ballplayers had to speak to a lot of press as they advanced through the brackets and answer a two-page questionnaire.

"'What is your dream job?' was just a random question," she said. "He was kidding, kind of, because he doesn't really know, but he loves chicken nuggets and here we are."

The playoffs were an exciting experience for the boys, whose relatives across the country were able to see them play on television.

Jackson also liked the traveling. His favorite part of the tournament, his mother said, was getting to stay in a hotel with his teammates and coaches while the parents stayed in another hotel. Jackson's twin sisters got to cheer him on at the sidelines, "so it was a fun family experience."

Jackson's father, Travis, said of the team, "They're an amazing bunch of boys. They made their town proud."

The team returned home after being edged out of the Midwest Region championship game Aug. 12 by Davenport, Iowa, with a score of 4-3 in extra innings.

Jackson thanked Wendy's and Webb City residents for cheering on and supporting the team during their competition.

Assistant Coach Nathan Hulstine said of the team's work this season, "You couldn't ask for anything better. All we asked of them was for them to play hard and make their town proud, and they did that."

Asked how Jackson responded to his instant stardom, Hulstine said, "Brody is one of those kids that has an immense amount of personality. He always keeps you on your toes, he always keeps you laughing. He's always got a good attitude, so seeing his response to social media and him taking it well is not surprising."