Opinion: Sanders Wins, Others Feast On Crabs In A Barrel

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The heavy shade and criticism of Deion Sanders ventures far beyond football. It strikes at a part of the Black community most don’t discuss.

Yesterday, Deion Sanders announced that he accepted the head coaching job at Colorado University. Instead of overwhelming congratulations, the decision was met with ridicule and derision. Now, if the problem stood with Sanders taking the Colorado job, because of the Buffaloes’ recent issues, fine. However, the opprobrium veers into a deeply personal, highly sensitive area that transcends anything athletic. It strikes at the heart of the Black community. Now, before we travel there, we will move from football outward.

The Money Aspect

Before I hear that Sanders is a millionaire that doesn’t care about money, sit down. After two seasons at Jackson State University, Deion Sanders left for the Colorado job. He raises his annual pay from three hundred thousand dollars to a reported five million dollars. Regardless of how much money you have in the bank, increasing your annual salary sixteen-fold is the easiest decision to make. Moreover, Sanders can reward his assistants with lofty raises that can take care of their families. We’re going to discuss the belabored point of generational wealth a few paragraphs down. Financially, the move makes complete sense to anyone with seven working brain cells. Colorado football boasts a twenty-seven million dollar surplus before Sanders. Imagine what will occur when he takes the sidelines in Boulder.

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Recruiting Prowess

At Jackson State, Sanders landed the number-one college prospect in Travis Hunter, a feat that defied convention. Using his name and connections allows the transfer portal floodgates to open as well as on Signing Day. Now, look at the Colorado advantages. On a subpar Buffaloes team before Deion, prospects from Texas, Florida, and California. Notoriety and a brand will see the talent show up. In all honesty, Sanders starts in a negative space in the Pac-12. The pressure to succeed immediately starts with the final contract penstroke. Like most of his playing career, the greatest corner ever exists on that proverbial island.

He Was SWAC

People without the foggiest of ideas demean Sanders’ contribution to the Southwestern Athletic Conference. But, get out of your feelings and set aside your fandom, look at the numbers. In the last two seasons, Sanders’ presence became the catalyst in two monumental deals. First, on May 18, 2021, ESPN extended its contract with the SWAC/MEAC Challenge Kickoff and the Cricket Celebration Bowl. As a result, the SWAC season bookends on national television. Furthermore, the Allen Media Group signed a coverage deal to broadcast tw0 thousand games in football, basketball, volleyball, and other sports. This was on the back of Sanders’ tenure at JSU. What did the other eleven schools do to facilitate this? I’ll wait. Soundbytes are great, but the one dude that brought acclaim to this conference, you get weird. Remember that when you cash those media checks.

Crabs In A Barrel

For the entirety of my life, this phrase hovers around the Black community like a cloud. For those unsure, it refers to a phrase initially used by Booker T. Washington in 1901. Basically, when one member of a group has the ability to succeed or ” climb out”, that is held back by members of the community. By using insults, acting out of delusional jealousy, the attempted guilting for success. I’m sorry, if you don’t take a better job, with that large of a raise, you are a damned fool. No intelligent person is going to place warped morality ahead of providing a better way for their family. The phrase generational wealth is prevalent in the Black community, but when someone leaves for a better job, condemnation arises. Can’t have it both ways. Either celebrate Black excellence or sit down, shut up, and just eat your food.

Hypocrisy

On everything, the random and misplaced critiques of Deion Sanders started this week. From the labels of sellout and traitor to decrying the fact, Sanders didn’t liberate his people. Yes, someone criticizes Deion Sanders for not using his job, as a football coach, to liberate Black people. That line of thought begs two questions. Is Deion the new Harriet Tubman, destined to free our people from the half-millennia of systemic racism? In a world of sports debates, literally, the dumbest thing is committed to sentences. Meanwhile, what are the critics doing to help the cause? Where’s their effort? What results occurred? I have three friends in Mississippi making a difference. One owns a women’s tackle football team, one coaches a Pop Warner team, and the other coaches youth football teams out of Vicksburg. Instead of whining about Deion, contribute to the Panthers, Next Level Ducks, and Warren County Ravens.

What Happens Now For HBCUs?

Since people sat behind their screens, rather than coming out of their wallets, do they really care about the future of HBCU athletics? Or, is outrage clout their newly chosen pastime? Well, if you truly want to see HBCU talent thrive, follow sites like @DraftHBCU, which actively promotes HBCU athletes on a scale that garners attention. Yet, the onus needs to fall on the conferences themselves. They want the lofty titles, but not the work behind it. Before Deion Sanders arrived, conferences were struggling. Hampton and North Carolina bolted from the MEAC. Similarly, Tennessee State, for the last thirty-six years has competed in the Ohio Valley Conference. If HBCU conferences do not want further defections, formulate a thorough plan to move athletics, not just football forward. Put aside the petty bickering and blaze a new trail for your respective schools.

Hypocrisy, Part Two

While people wanted to find fault with Deion Sanders ” selling out to PWI (Predominantly White Institutions), ask them one question: What college teams do they root for? Chances are answers like LSU, Alabama, and Texas flow into my mind. How does one fix their face and utter vitriol for colleges? Furthermore, many of these people root for NFL teams. You can want the best for HBCUs without sounding like a hypocritical idiot. Well, some can. If you feel that strongly, skip the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, or any FBS game. Applaud the change in circumstance. All the flavors on Earth, being bitter and salty never helps.

A Minus For Prime

While Deion Sanders does possess the high road here, justified criticism did exist. He used religion to sell his program and its success. Invoking religion at a secular school will not be the move. While small, he should not escape unscathed.

Bottom Line

Deion Sanders now resides in Boulder, Colorado. Jackson, Mississippi still stands, and so does Jackson State University. Before Prime, NFL Hall of Famers played on their field. Both parties are better for the two-year stay in the SWAC. When coaches leave, hurt feelings will occur. However, questioning Blackness and yelling sellout is a field too far. Both parties emerge from the tenure better than they were before. Ignore the people that would rather run their mouths than help the Black community. Posting ignorant comments on social media doesn’t help buy new equipment or mentor anyone. The ones proclaiming the loudest did the least.