It seems that everyone knows the story of one homeless man in Ohio. Ted Williams is now known as the homeless man with the golden voice. The first YouTube star of 2011, Williams is a homeless man with an amazing voice.

His discovery may make his homelessness a thing of the past as he’s now getting job offers from places like the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers eager to capitalize on his newly minted Internet celebrity status.

If you haven’t seen the video, watch it here for yourself.

I wonder how many thousands of people passed Ted Williams not knowing or caring about him? How many people will care now that he’s “the homeless man with the golden voice?”

Shot on a “slow news Monday” by Doral Chenoweth a local newspaper web producer. He never thought it would go viral on the Web–or change Ted Williams’ life forever. Why would anyone care about a guy with a golden voice for radio who ruined his life with drugs and alcohol and now entertains drivers with radio announcements?

He’s got something we want–a feel good story, a rags-to-riches tale, an instantly brand-able and bank-able story with talent to match. Everyone is scrambling to get a piece of Ted Williams today–agents, networks (CNN, NBC), morning shows, late  shows, family members. 6 million YouTube views makes you somebody in the U.S.

We’re fascinated by Ted Williams–“the homeless man with the golden voice.” 

But most days, we just drive on by the Ted Williams in our town. We do not even make eye contact, let alone offer a kind word, a dollar bill, or a smile.

What does that say about us?

Click here to subscribe to Red Letters. Click here to follow Tom Davis on Twitter.