Sports

Deion Sanders Named ‘Sportsperson Of The Year’ After Finishing 4-8 At Colorado, College Football Fans React

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College football fans are scratching their heads after Deion Sanders was honored despite Colorado’s recent struggles.

On Thursday, Sports Illustrated announced that Sanders is their “Sportsperson Of The Year” for transforming Colorado’s football program while breathing fresh life into the campus and community.

The Sports Illustrated cover comes a week after Sanders and the Buffs dropped their sixth straight game to end the season at 4-8.

Via Sports Illustrated

there are numbers that help define the Prime Effect on college football: The previously irrelevant Buffs had the most-watched game of the season through the first 11 weeks, as 10.03 million viewers tuned in for the Sept. 23 loss to Oregon. In fact, Colorado has had five of the 13 most-watched games; Alabama had three of the top 13 to that point, while Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and LSU each had two.

So, yes, the numbers are huge and paint a vivid portrait of renewal—but they don’t fully explain why Sanders is our 2023 Sportsperson of the Year.

The human stories run deeper, and not just the celebrities and athletes flocking to the sidelines of games, but also the grassroots stories as the Prime Effect transcends sports and ripples outward through the culture.

Fans immediately criticized SI’s decision to name Sanders “sportsperson of the year,” considering the team finished at the bottom of the Pac-12 conference.

“In 2018 at Nebraska, Scott Frost also went 4-8 in his debut year taking over a new program.

“But Frost never got this recognition.” commented one fan.

“He ran off just about the entire roster he inherited, then went 4-8.”

“This is an award that’s been won by Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. It’s sad what a punchline Sports Illustrated has become.” commented another fan.

It’s hard to neglect Sanders’ contribution to the college football world this year but to give him a prestigious honor after the team fell flat in the second of the half season is pretty weird.