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Writer's pictureWilliam Conlin

Colorado Enters Prime Time

The Colorado Buffaloes football program has been revitalized by Deion Sanders, who has brought "Prime Time" buzz to a football team that finished the previous season with just one victory. Colorado is currently 4-3 with a big three-game winning streak to start the season. With victories over Texas Christian University, Nebraska, and Colorado State. But, going on a two-game losing streak against Oregon, and the University of Southern California. Then winning at Arizona State University, and losing at home to Stanford.

“We’re going to measure the impact we have on Boulder,” with a laugh and a sidelong glance at his agent, Constance Schwartz-Morini. “That’s business. We’re going to measure it,” Deion Sanders said.

Such passionate speaking represents just one more remarkable aspect of one of history's most talented and influential athletes. Sanders rose to fame as a two-sport athlete, eight-time Pro Bowl selection, and two-time Super Bowl champion. Making his own style by wearing a bandanna and jewelry, he inspired a generation of football players while electrifying and occasionally infuriating crowds. Although he picked up a few nicknames along the way, he liked "Prime Time" most because he viewed NFL games as America's largest, most spectacular show rather than merely an athletic competition.

As the most honest coach in sports, Coach Prime is the biggest hype guy in football. He disregarded the status quo in three seasons at Jackson State, the historically Black university whose football team Sanders elevated to previously unheard-of heights. He accepted the groundbreaking 2021 rule that, for the first time, permitted players to get payment for the use of their names, likenesses, and images either by businesses across town or boosters. Sanders reminded the players that since he got paid for his services, they should be paid as well.

Additionally, he made the most of the sport's transfer site, which since 2018 has let players switch institutions without incurring penalties. In Sanders' three seasons, Jackson State finished 27-6; the Tigers captured two Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in a row and participated in the last two Celebration Bowls which is considered to be the HBCU national championship game. Bringing HBCU football to unimaginable popularity among college football fans.

“It’s really fascinating how Deion Sanders has been able to take so many players from the transfer portal and weave them into this cohesive unit. These methods were obviously questioned from the start but seem to be paying off for Deion” NHS Junior Giovanni Rivera said.

With a $5 million annual salary, Sanders is among the highest-paid but least experienced coaches in the Pac-12. Making this opportunity for Sanders something unimaginable when he first started coaching college football. But with this newfound popularity unique challenges have arisen for Colorado in maintaining this newfound popularity.

With ticket demand significantly exceeding supply, the sports department was keen to avoid a repeat disaster when the school hired Sanders. In actuality, an unforeseen issue has arisen as a result of his capacity to draw attention and produce buzz. At arguably the lowest point in Colorado's history, Folsom Field was packed for a home game versus Nebraska, a longstanding adversary. The stadium was a sea of white and red Cornhuskers, save for the student section. Numerous Buffaloes supporters had resold their tickets to outsiders.

“It will be interesting to see how the ticket prices are impacted by the wins and losses going forward and how the University of Colorado can contain the number of people reselling the tickets to rival fans for an extremely high profit. I would think being able to see Colorado winning excitingly would be a little more valuable than a little extra money,” NHS junior Theo Anderson said.

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