Last updated September 16, 2023
“Do you believe”?
University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders is radically change the university sports landscape. In an era where topics such as the transfer portal and name, image and likeness are often scrutinized, Coach Prime has demonstrated a willingness to adapt.
Sanders turned around almost the entire football roster ahead of the 2023 season, acquiring 87 new players – a number that is simply unheard of in college football. To put things into context, the Buffaloes only won one game in 2022 and finished dead last in the Pac-12 conference. No one could imagine that Coach Prime could turn around a 1-11 team.
Even though college football fans believed him capable, many had no choice but to watch. In the first week, Coach Prime silenced many of his critics, defeating the College Football Playoff National Championship runner-up, TCU Horned Frogs, 45-42 on the road in Fort Worth. And after the victory, he asked us all: “Do you believe?”
Business impact of Coach Prime
Coach Prime’s impact on the business was immediately felt when it was announced that he would become the next University of Colorado football coach in December 2022. According to Sports at receptionlicensed Buffaloes merchandise is up 700% year over year.
His influence was also felt in ticket sales. By April, the program had already sold out its subscriptions, as well as 30,000 tickets in the team’s nationally televised spring game.
Additionally, the Colorado vs. TCU game attracted more than 7 million viewers and was the largest opening audience for a college football game on FOX. On that Saturday alone, the University of Colorado sold approximately 300,000 tickets.
Merchantability of Coach Prime
When we think about who benefits the most from Coach Prime’s meteoric rise, many think of television networks. The two networks in pole position in this era of conference realignment are ESPN and FOX. The University of Colorado will join the Big 12 — which has a joint media rights agreement with FOX and ESPN — beginning with the 2024-25 season.
Despite all the attention teams have received during conference realignment, Colorado has a coach who impacts the bottom line for so many stakeholders. The early September game between Colorado and TCU showed proof of that.
Colorado’s nationally televised games will serve as a proverbial billboard to attract recruits and brands to sponsor its college athletes. Let’s assume Colorado’s viewing figures versus TCU are an indication of what’s to come this season. In that case, we can expect Coach Prime and the Buffaloes to be a major topic in college football well beyond this season.
