CU Buffs
Colorado to offer course based on Deion Sanders
The University of Colorado College of Media, Communication and Information announced a new elective course on Tuesday based after head football coach Deion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders. Led by Associate Professor of Media Studies John Stevens, CMCI 4021: ‘Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership’ will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the upcoming Spring semester.
Here’s the FULL course description:
Intercollegiate athletics and the college athlete experience are undergoing fundamental transformations as athletes gain control of their name, image and likeness and begin monetizing their personal brands for the first time. This course considers collegiate and professional athletes as a special kind of public figure, whose public personas can create opportunities to earn income from sponsors and commercial interests, but also as influential advocates for social justice and cultural influence.
It'd be hard to find an athlete that has been able to capitalize more off his brand than Deion Sanders. During his playing days, the two-sport star nicknamed ‘Prime Time,’ inked deals with companies like Nike, Pizza Hut, Burger King and American Express. He even appeared in a famous animated Pepsi commercial during the 1996 Super Bowl alongside Wile E. Coyote.
But once a star on the field, ‘Prime Time’ has now transformed into ‘Coach Prime,’ a star on the Folsom Field sidelines. This fall, Sanders was the talk of college football, not only for his coaching abilities, but for his ability to drive attention to the Colorado Buffaloes program and Boulder community.
According to calculations released by Visit Boulder, the six Buffaloes home games this fall – all of which sold out – generated an estimated $113.2 million total economic impact for the community. Make no mistake, the ‘Prime Effect’ is real. So, it comes as no surprise that CU has based a NIL-related course after their beloved coach.
NIL has had a major impact on the college football landscape ever since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of student-athlete compensation in 2021. On3 uses an algorithm to track the projected annual value of college athletes. Three of Sanders’ current players – No. 2 Shedeur Sanders, No. 6 Travis Hunter and No. 31 Shilo Sanders -- are currently ranked among On3's NIL Top 100.
CMCI 4021: ‘Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership’ will run Tuesday, January 16 through Thursday, May 2.