Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Deion Sanders is an example of the great American success story in so many ways. A big part of American lore is the notion of creating yourself — making yourself into the person you want to be. Sanders is absolutely that. If you look at Sanders’s early interviews when he was in college at Florida State University, he was, if you can believe it, shy and kind of reserved. His swagger was not turned on at all. While he was at Florida State, the Prime persona was born.
Sanders got the nickname “Prime Time” in high school after he dominated a basketball game, but the name didn’t really come to life until he got to FSU. Sanders grew up in Fort. Myers, Florida, in public housing, and he promised his mother that one day he would make enough money playing football to take care of her. But while he was at FSU, he realized that if he wanted the big bucks, he had to do more than just play well; he had to bring the spotlight to him. So he consciously constructed a new persona. In a 1989 Sports Illustrated profile written when Sanders was new to the NFL, he spoke about his shift in college. “They don’t pay nobody to be humble,” he said. “Some people will come out to see me do well. Some people will come out to see me get run over. But love me or hate me, they’re going to come out. I’m a businessman now, and the product is me. Prime Time.” He was marketing himself.
Sanders had figured out that if he created a telegenic personality, it would keep the spotlight on him and make him more money, so he became Prime. A story from Pro Football Network explains:…
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