Opinion: While the Ducks’ smackdown on Colorado exposed the Buffs’ on-field play as overrated, coach Prime’s cultural impact on college football is anything but.
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When our Oregon Ducks beat Colorado by a decisive 42-6 score in this season’s matchup, the sports world let out a collective sigh of relief.
Most hoped, even prayed, that a Colorado loss would stop the apparent love affair that sports networks were having with head coach Deion Sanders and the CU Football Program. Comments quickly flooded X, formally known as Twitter, to disparage the team and label coach Prime’s coaching powers fraudulent.
It’s inarguable that the Colorado football program and Sanders’ antics have become oversaturated on all sports media. However, I urge people to blame the networks and media for this overexposure and not let it distract from the importance of what coach Prime is doing.
College football is a tradition and pastime that is deeply steeped in white American culture. First, the football programs in the top conferences are all from predominantly white institutions. According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport Division 1 FBS Leadership College Racial and Gender Report Card, 83.2% of Division 1 head football coaches were white in 2022.
Now, in comes coach Prime — Super Bowl winner, pro bowler and amongst all things unapologetically Black. When Sanders came to Boulder, he didn’t just improve the team; he created a cultural shift.
According to ESPN data, the Black viewership in Colorado’s first three games of the season was 77% higher than the average Black viewer ratings of college football games.
Many former and current athletes have spoken about the impact of Sanders’ time at CU, including Trevon Hamlet, a former Colorado athlete.
“Being in a school that’s predominantly white, I’ve always felt that I had to change who I am to be successful,” Hamlet said in an interview with ESPN. “It’s so nice to see a Black man do what he’s doing — have so much influence, have so much power, so much authenticity — that shows that our culture does not have to be modified to be great.”
Coach Prime has not only added excitement to college football but also brought it into confluence with Black culture. Rappers Master P, Offset and Lil Wayne were in attendance at the CU vs. Colorado State University matchup, and many have taken to social media to dub the Buffs Black America’s new team. Sanders and his squad have also undeniably created a rise in the popularity of college football season.
The Colorado vs. Colorado State matchup became the fifth most-watched college football game in history on ESPN’s broadcast, and total college football viewing is up 14% this season, according to Fox Sports.
So sure, while we all know Oregon can beat Colorado any day of the week, I discourage Ducks fans from jumping on the coach Prime hate train. A rise in college football popularity benefits us all, and Black head coaches finding success in a predominantly white space is something everyone should get behind.