Prime Time cancelled

Deion Sanders just retired. So what exactly does that mean for sports.

Well I'm not exactly sure, but I do know we will be lacking a big mouth.

I, being the youth of America, always enjoyed watching Sanders high-stepping for a touchdown after an interception or watching him steal bases with seemingly great ease. But if anyone knows anything about Sanders, he had it all planned from the get go.

Sanders wanted to make money. He went to Florida State to play football and make money.

Sanders walked onto the Seminole field and became, arguably, the best Cornerback to come out of there. While he was there he adopted his "Prime Time" persona. Not because that is who he truly was, but because he would make some money.

He figured if he took his actual personality and jacked it up about 10 times more -- much like modern day wrestlers -- that he would make some extra cash by doing so.

Like it or not, Sanders changed the game. Not football or baseball, but the way kids look at athletes and they represent themselves and their teams during sporting events.

Before Sanders, the only showboating in sports was an occasional yell or flex, nothing truly out of the ordinary. But after him, wow, after him it has been so much different.

The first time I saw Sanders play, he was with the Falcons in '95. I was just beginning to really understand football and enjoy it. As I turned on the game, I saw some man running down the sidelines high-stepping. The announcers called him "Neon Deion" and "Prime Time" and whatever other nicknames Sanders had at the time.

It honestly left me in awe. Later that day I went with a bunch of my friends for a little backyard football. I, of course, was pretending to be Deion. I went there wearing about two, no three MILLION armbands...well, not really, but you get the point. And I did everything Sanders did that day.

Every time I caught the ball, I ran from side-to-side before even trying to score. Every time I scored, I'd dance or do something fun. My friends loved it, and after that, we were all Neon Deion's.

While doing it in backyard games was fine, many people thought doing in the national spotlight was bad for the sport.

Well, now that I'm older, and more mature, I still DISAGREE.

What would sports be without a cast of characters to follow. Sure, tons of people love the sport itself, but getting attached to a specific player only makes it better.

Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player ever, but my mom doesn't like him for that. She claims he has the best smile she has ever seen. So she watched him play basketball, thus ratings go up and increases the games popularity.

While Jordan's and Sander's personas were much different, Sanders cleared the way to be in the spotlight and showcase a personality, and not just the team you play for.

Even though there is a million little bad apple kids trash talking in Pop Warner football or Babe Ruth league, what they are trying to do is simple. They are trying to adopt a personality, and as soon as they find one that fits, they will stick with it.

I'm not saying when John Doe scores his first basket at the age of eight, and he starts flexing his muscles, he'll be like that until he decides to stop playing the game. I'm saying that when a kid decides who he really is, it will reflect on how he plays the game. If a kid is shy, it won't matter if Sanders is high-stepping or calling himself in the third person, he will simply score a touchdown and toss the ball to the ref. It's life. At a young age, kids will be misled by pro athletes and try to be like them, but they will grow out of it.

So no more bashing Sanders for his flashy way of life. Simply let it go and remember the fun times we had with him and how he made us all realize -- IT'S PRIME TIME BABY!!