I can’t say I know a lot about football or baseball, if anything I know more about basketball than both games. I did love going to the occasional CU Football game as a student. Something about being in the crowd and seeing the athletes on the field was way more immersive and magnetizing than watching football on television. In a way, the game came alive for me when I went to my first CU football game. It all made sense, why people loved it so much.
One day last year, I had some time off and my mom was looking after my baby. I drove down to Pearl Street, parked, and walked around a bit. I was able to go into the Boulder Bookstore, where I walked up the stairs and bought the Deion Sanders book right away.
What stood out to me most in reading this book was something that a lot of people probably already knew - that Deion Sanders is kind of a sports shapeshifter, he’s a multi talent and executed on his ability in both football and baseball, when everyone said he couldn’t do this, or they said it was impossible to do both sports at all. Let alone how excellent Deion ends up being at both. It was really interesting to read about how many people were critical about him for playing a football game and then getting on a plane and playing a baseball game the next day. There were so many people saying “You can’t do that.” I was probably too young and also too absorbed in other mainstream sports news to realize this is what happened during the time. So, I’m glad he talks about it in this book.
There are moments of loneliness in this book too, I admit it’s not easy to read some of Sanders’ mid-career struggles with mental health. It’s good to see him transcend these moments. It’s a little like reading the lessons learned on the other side of a crisis, and I’m sure that’s what it actually is.
I won’t spoil or repeat the exact anecdote, but my favorite part of this book is the anecdote that mentions Reggie White. To me, the book was worth reading for just those couple paragraphs. For some reason, I really needed to hear the message in that specific part.
All in all I loved this book - Deion Sanders is a unique athlete to learn about off the field and in book form, too. I follow him on Instagram and I love seeing his small paragraphs of advice or thoughts each day, and I’m glad to find an extension of his words in this book. He’s done a lot and he’s been through a lot, and it’s great to see how his presence has touched Boulder in a positive way. Part of why I had to buy the book is the background behind Deion Sanders on the cover - it’s the golden foothills where I often hike. The cover of this book made me feel like I’m in the right universe. I never expected someone like Deion Sanders to be coaching at Boulder - it feels like Justin Timberlake showing up to my high school musical. Yet somehow, here we are with the stars aligned, and the image we have are those golden foothills behind Deion Sanders’ smiling face.