Deion Sanders has been one of the most talked about figures in the world of sports. His electric personality is impossible to ignore and a 3-0 start to the college football season had the country buzzing. However, a 4-8 full season has brought a lot of criticism to Coach Prime. This didn’t stop Sports Illustrated from naming him Sportsperson Of The Year.
Sports Illustrated’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year:
Deion Sanders. pic.twitter.com/NrMDUQHyup
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 30, 2023
Deion Sanders Wins Sports Illustrated Award
This is common for sports magazines to pick the person of the year and it makes sense why Sanders was chosen. He resurrected a football program that was in the basement of the college football world. Celebrities, recruits, and media flocked to Boulder to watch what Sanders was building. While there were some struggles, there were a lot of positive things as well. As Colorado moves to the Big 12, the team finally has some semblance of hope moving forward. Sanders has also spoken a lot about how the sport is changing and what it is like to run a team in 2023.
The Flip Side
This will no doubt be met with criticism. Naming a head coach who took a program to a 4-8 record the Sportsperson of the Year seems like a stretch. There were many other people in the sports world that did amazing things this year. Novak Djokovic won three majors and is well on his way to establishing himself as the best men’s tennis player ever. Nikola Jokic put on an offensive clinic in the NBA playoffs. LeBron James set the NBA scoring record. I could go on. Still, there is no doubt that Sanders has helped the game overall with his presence.
Sports Illustrated likely won’t be the only one to give Deion Sanders an award at the end of the year. He has resurrected a football program and is hoping to build off of that success.
