Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team, has been making headlines for his remarkable turnaround of the program. After finishing 1-11 last season, Sanders led the Buffaloes to a 3-0 start this year, earning national attention and praise. However, not everyone was happy to see Sanders succeed. Some people on social media were apparently waiting for him to fail, and when he did, they did not hesitate to express their joy and disdain.
Did Deion Sanders Expose Racists and Bigots on Social Media By Losing to Oregon? Damian Lillard and Other Black Celebrities React
On this fateful Saturday, the Buffaloes unfortunately suffered their first loss of the season, a 42-6 blowout at the hands of the Oregon Ducks. The game was never close, as the Ducks dominated from start to finish, exposing the weaknesses of Sanders’ team. While many fans and analysts acknowledged Oregon’s superior performance and offered constructive criticism to Colorado, some others took the opportunity to mock and ridicule Sanders and his players.
One of the most viral examples of this came from a Twitter user named Kari Steele, who goes by the handle @karicsteele. Steele is a journalist and a USC alumna, who has worked for various media outlets such as ESPN and ABC. During the game, she tweeted: “Oregon is taking a stand for all of us”, followed by an applause emoji.
The tweet quickly gained traction, as many people interpreted it as a subtle jab at Sanders and his predominantly black team. Some wondered what Steele meant by “us”, and who she was implying that Oregon was standing against.
Among those who questioned Steele’s tweet were two prominent black celebrities: Damian Lillard and Damien Woody. Lillard is an NBA superstar who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Woody is a former NFL player who is now an analyst for ESPN.
Both of them replied to Steele’s tweet with a simple but powerful question: “Who is us?”. Their responses garnered thousands of likes and retweets, as they echoed the sentiments of many people who felt that Steele’s tweet was disrespectful and racist.
Steele’s tweet was not the only example of racism and bigotry that surfaced on social media after Sanders’ loss to Oregon. Several other users posted hateful and derogatory comments about Sanders and his team, using racial slurs and stereotypes.
These reactions reveal the ugly side of social media, where some people feel empowered to spew hatred and ignorance without any consequences. They also show the challenges that Sanders faces as a black head coach in a predominantly white sport. Despite his achievements and credentials, he still has to deal with racism and bigotry from some fans and media members who do not respect him or his team.
Sanders has not commented publicly on the social media backlash he received after the Oregon game. However, during his postgame interview he did say that people who want to see Colorado fail are probably insecure with themselves, because they have stayed humble and weren’t cocky during their win streak.