The Deion Sanders Experience Is Coming, Like It Or Not
Deion Sanders left Jackson State University to become the new head coach at the University of Colorado. While fans not only at Jackson State were crushed, the entire HBCU community was left trying to wrap their heads around it all. But it’s not as bad as it’s being portrayed to be.
For years, the question of talent has always been divided by a line in the sand. Can our HBCU kids compete with the kids from Alabama, Georgia, USC, and the other big-name programs in Division 1? While Sanders never took the big payout that comes with playing those power schools, he gave JSU, his players, and HBCUs much more. He gave them and us all hope.
What this move means is that those same players we were wondering if they could hang with those top-level schools, we will now see. While Sanders could sit in the living room of any elite high school player and try to sell them on JSU over Alabama, he no longer has to do that. He’s now on the same playing field as Saban and Kirby Smart (Georgia). He can promise the kids a chance at a CFB Playoff game. He can promise them good NIL deals. He can promise them national exposure with more televised fans.
What Deion Sanders did for JSU in terms of exposure, he will do the same for UC. Colorado is not an HBCU, but on the football field, they will begin to resemble one. Sanders is flamboyant and outspoken and this will sit well with the diehard Colorado fan base looking for someone to inject life into the program.
Deion Sanders Needs A Bigger Challenge
Now, for all those saying he turned his back on the HBCU Community, let’s keep it real here. Deion Sanders was never a real part of that community to begin with. He attended Florida State University, not Southern University, Grambling State University, or even JSU. His goal was to build up the program and bring attention to HBCU Football and he did exactly that. He did what he set out to do and now it’s time for the next challenge. He did not turn his back on HBCUs, Jackson State, or even the kids. He’s now giving himself and these kids a better opportunity for success.
He played the game with flash and coached the same way. It was always “Primetime” with him on the field and on the sidelines. He wants these black kids to succeed. He wants them to be given the same chances that players at these power schools receive. But in order to do that, he has to align himself with one.
I may be a bit biased here as I attended an HBCU. But I don’t feel betrayed by what Deion Sanders did. What’s the difference between Chip Kelly going from College to the NFL and then back to College to coach? Sanders’ loyalty was never to a school. His loyalty was to the kids. What he’s providing them is that chance that their parents all want. They want to see ther kids on the biggest stage.
Going back to the NFL Draft and with only 5 HBCU players being taken in the last 2 years, that is a cause for concern. Not only for Sanders but the entire black community as well. We can applaud the players like CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, or Bryce Young, but what about those players with less media fanfare?
This is why the move to Colorado was so huge. Despite being a fan of another team like the Buckeyes or the Wolverines, it’s time for most of us to add some room for the Buffaloes. Never have we seen so much criticism for a coach going to a school. He has yet to coach a single game yet and the sharks are already out for blood. To keep it 100, it’s almost as if it’s an us against them mentality here. We need Sanders to be successful at Colorado. The kids need Sanders to be successful.
While his success may not change things for the players at HBCUs, this is still a black man going against a machine designed to stop the progress of what he’s trying to do. While he couldn’t quite get it done at JSU, the mission is still ongoing.
The gripe is that Deion Sanders could have been big at JSU if he had stayed. But what if his purpose in life is not to be sandbagged into thinking small? If that was the case, then Prime could have stayed with the Atlanta Falcons instead of taking on the mystic that went with playing for the San Francisco 49ers or the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t run from Jerry Rice or Michael Irving. Prime wanted the spotlight because he thrived in it. This is why heading to Colorado is huge. We’re looking at this all wrong.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
