If you haven’t been following NFL training camp this summer, then you haven’t missed much. It might seem like there’s a lot of football news, what with Stephen A. Smith battling Michael Irvin over whether the Olympics or the NFL preseason are a better watch (By the way, the answer is neither).
I just don’t get excited about guys such as Paul Hamm winning gold and then talking like he’s Carly Patterson’s little sister. I don’t like watching Mike Vick throw two passes and then hand the game over to some benchwarmer that wouldn’t start for Georgetown either. And then, there’s Primetime.
Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens announced that 37-year-old Deion Sanders would be coming out of retirement. Sanders decided to put aside a multitude of plans that had been keeping him busy such as talks for the first black fishing show, “Fishing with Primetime,” and his weekly sermon at the Baptist church where he goes by the name Pastor Primetime.
Sanders’ return is perhaps the most irrelevant story of the summer. Where does this fascination with Sanders come from? Admittedly, he was certainly one of the most electrifying players at his position. Yet, we are more absorbed with Sanders for never shutting his mouth, not that he has never made a tackle. In this day and age, a sound bite is worth more than few words: It’s a one-year incentive-laden deal.
As the sheer number of televised sports options have grown in recent years with the emergence of cable and satellite TV, the viewing public has taken comfort in style over substance. Ever watch ESPN around 5 p.m.? Strap in for an hour of talking heads on “Around the Horn,” followed by “Pardon the Interruption.” It turns out there is nothing more exciting in sports than the sound bites. We don’t care who won the game as long as the highlight includes gossip or trash talk.
So we should not be surprised that Sanders has figured out how to continue capitalizing on his fame long after his ability to lock down the opposing team’s top receiver departed. Deion knows that we are glutton for punishment, that if you flash a big smile, speak in the third person, and claim, “If you look good, you’ll play good,” we will fall in love with you.
So, Primetime, make us proud. Indulge us with your self-serving quotes, your high-steps in the end zone and your bling flapping behind you as you track down a receiver who sidestepped your open arms. We will happily lap it up.
