When I was a kid, I idolized a lot of athletes. I grew up watching Barry Bonds, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Wayne Gretzky. I lived in an era of giants. The kind of men who defined their sport. The kinds of men who changed everything the day they stepped on the field or court, and the kind of men who left massive holes in the game when they “humg ’em up.” But there was one thing all of those men didn’t do as well: they didn’t move the needle in style. At least, not as well as Deion “Prime Time” Sanders. As a man who loves style, I also looked for inspiration growing up on how to look my best. When it came to that predicament, the other four didn’t offer as much. They, honestly, seemed to look to “Neon” Deion as well. But what was it about Sanders and his style?
First things first, it was his ability to use color. I think back to his pink, double-breasted suit. Sure, he was surrounded by gorgeous women in pink dresses, but there was more to it than that. There was the attitude. Men have, traditionally, had a hard time pulling off color, pink specifically. They stick to neutrals. Blues, browns, blacks, and grays. But, not Prime Time. Sanders adopted the colors and made them his own. And that brings the true source of his style to the front. His attitude. By his own mouth, “I don’t follow trends. I set trends.”
Going beyond the football field
We always knew that Deion Sanders was going to find a way to stay in the forefront of our minds even after he played. He has that personality that doesn’t allow him to fade. Style was where I imagined he would continue moving forward, whether that be as a huge brand ambassador or his own clothing line. But, instead, he moved to coaching. After resuscitating the Jackson State Tigers and moving to Colorado, that could have been it. Nope, not in Prime Time’s repertoire to let that be it. He began coaching men in their financial lives too.
This year, Sanders partnered with Chime, an online bank accessible to all levels of financial standing, to promote financial literacy. In his life, he has seen many professional athletes squander their fortunes, and he is fighting back for the next generation. He always said about his style, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. And if you play good, they pay good.” He has since added a final line to that iconic phrase: “When they pay good, you live good.” He has taken that to heart and is spreading his knowledge, style, and attitude towards life to the young men in his charge, and he is taking steps to change the culture in many ways OFF the field. To me, Deion Sanders, AKA Prime Time, AKA Neon Deion, will always be the guy who taught me that fashion is what you wear and style is how you wear it. But to the next generation, he is teaching that financial intelligence is the difference between having a life and living a life.
