How Deion Sanders became college football’s Jake Paul

A combination of media attention and utter nonsense has made Deion Sanders a hefty target for criticism. Who else does that sound like?

Two of the deadliest forces against a favorable image are obnoxiousness and overhype. If you are arrogant, you are bound to be viewed as a more polarizing figure. If the media gives you too much attention, many will likely get tired of hearing about you.

If both statements apply, you’re at severe risk of becoming one of the most hated individuals in your industry, with people rolling their eyes at something as simple as seeing your face or even hearing your name.

This phenomenon has been seen in a multitude of mainstream fields, with politics perhaps being the most popular example in recent memory.

Donald Trump has always been an outspoken man with a visible lack of care surrounding other people’s feelings—obnoxiousness. He’s also been one of the news’ biggest headliners since 2015—an abundance of attention. With that all in mind, the thought of him being someone that folks would grow weary of is objectively understandable.

But just because this concept can apply to politics often does not mean that it does so exclusively. In fact, the exact same circumstances can be associated with prominent figures in sports, as they are also notorious for being corrupted by egos and flawed media.

Athletes like LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers share a level of inconsistency with how they’re perceived; it’s a total coin-flip as to whether their coverage will be met with admiration or disgust. While the two are quite different from one another on the surface, the aforementioned criteria lumps them together shockingly well.

Think about it: Both talents are highly regarded for their accomplishments and lasting impacts on the games they play (as they should be), but are far from universally liked.

Is Rodgers obnoxious? He can be, as he has been the subject of several stories that amount to nothing but nonsense, from his off-the-field tensions with the Green Bay Packers to the psychedelic drugs he credits with influencing his success. Along with that, he finds himself in a ton of media talks for just how great he is, with some going as far as to humor a GOAT argument—something he has in no way earned.

As for LeBron, he’s a media favorite who’s tarnished his own image as well. The most notable include his on-court behavior (flopping, complaining to the refs, etc.), arrogance (referring to himself as “King James”), and one could even argue his tendency to be politically vocal, as that’s never a unifying action.

Luckily for these guys, they each have one line of defense to fall back on

However, I’m capable of coming to the defense of all three examples in one way and one way only: Their long lists of achievements stand to at least somewhat justify the attention that they get.

People may be sick of getting updates about Trump everywhere they go, but he was the United States’ 45th president for four years (he’s also an overwhelming favorite on the Republican hype train today). And despite Rodgers and James being overused topics of discussion in sports media, news involving them is so important due to the combination of their hall of fame-caliber careers and their impressive ability to remain perennially relevant in their respective leagues.

In other words, neither those who love them nor those who hate them can deny that all three have managed to remain newsworthy because of their success as well as everything else.

Such a statement does not apply to all who belong in this unflattering category, though, and their coverage leads to all the more frustration as a result. But who can serve as an example that matches that description? I know the first man that comes to my mind—Colorado’s Deion Sanders.