How’s everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Six.
Made a trip last weekend back to my old college campus, which I wrote about last week.
The tailgate was fun, the game no so much (my Spartans were down 35-0 at halftime and lost the game 41-7). In spite of the lopsided score, my faith in fandom was renewed as I left the stadium at the end of the third quarter for the ride home.
About halfway into the drive westbound when I connected with I-94, I hit the search bar in my Sirius XM phone app and typed in “Colorado Football.” Never before have I done such a thing.
Yes, my mind was on the Buffaloes on a late Saturday night.
(Apparently, the interest nationally was mutual. Nine million people tuned in to to watch the Colorado-Colorado State football game last Saturday night. Those are viewing numbers typically only seen for Ohio State-Michigan, teams that are historically good with large followings outside of their college campuses.)
When I got home, I turned on the television, stayed up and watched the game to the end.
This Deion Sanders thing is for real.
He’s famous. He has famous friends. He has an exciting team that at least for the early part of the 2023 season, is winning games (Saturday’s 42-6 thumping by Oregon notwithstanding). And Sanders (or Coach Prime as is his moniker in coaching circles) is having this success at Colorado, for decades one of college football’s worst programs.
But there’s more to Coach Prime’s popularity than the results. It’s how he’s doing it. He’s the classic American Disruptor.
People in this country don’t like change. When surveys come out on human behavior, the most common answer to questions about fears or concerns is “adapting to change.” We like our moms, apple pie, and gas-powered vehicles. It’s safe to label college football an American past time; the industry of the sport possessing its own traditions. And with traditions, come gatekeepers. They are the self-proclaimed protectors of the industry. They especially don’t like insurgency.
In one off-season, Coach Prime changed almost his entire roster. Even in an era of college football where roster agility is encouraged and embraced, the sheer volume of Colorado’s turnover is unprecedented. That miffed the protectors of the industry.
The first two weeks of the season, the national pre-game shows followed Coach Prime and his Buffaloes. That was before they had any resume to speak of. Football is typically a sport where the earn comes before the accolades. Deion turned that upside down.
And listen to how Coach Prime talks to the media. He gets baited every week into a controversy, whether it be about eye wear or fan reaction. He’s gracious and humble in response to leading questions and simply will not fall for the hustle.
He doesn’t sound like every other football coach in America.
That annoys members of industry establishment.
In that way, Coach Prime is a bit like Donald Trump in 2016. No one talked like Trump, said the things he said with a genuine ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.
Like Trump, the shine will eventually wear off on Coach Prime. We like watching the fall as much as the rise.
But for now, I’m enjoying every second of it. Because disruptors like Neon Deion are foundational to the growth and evolution of our culture.
We may not like change, but we sure as hell need it.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
All population data reflects southern flight––warmer climate, more jobs, no state income taxes, yada-yada. The migrant crisis and the politics infecting the whole affair has put more national attention on Chicago and its clownish leaders. This writer for Baffler––and Chicago resident––imagines what it will be like when climate refugees from the overheated South head north. "I do admit to a bright side: this all may be good for Chicago. One day a new Chicago will be the old Chicago, the Chicago of the Columbian Exposition, the city of the future. People will no longer compare us unfavorably to Los Angeles or New York.” With the backdrop of the current environment, a good think piece with relevant historical data points.
2. The Most Pro-Union President Reaps What He Sows.
More developments in the United Auto Workers strike this weekend. Friday, a call from union leaders for workers to walk out of more factories and parts-distribution centers. Slowing the flow of parts will impact customers, likely meaning longer wait times for cars. What’s happening with UAW is part of larger trend with labor unions, who are “having a moment” according to this piece from Reason. More from the article, which largely blames President Biden for the labor conflicts: “This is massive news for the self-described "most pro-union president"—but more for its awkwardness than for the resurgence of organized labor. The strikes are partially motivated by inflation under the Biden administration, auto workers worry about the destruction of jobs threatened by the White House's push for electric vehicles, labor actions threaten the Democratic Party's gains with corporate America, and the president finds himself vying for union support with his populist predecessor.”
It would be a normal human reflection to associate the practice of Catholicism with attendance at Catholic schools. It would certainly be an expectation that those who send their children to a private, faith-based school that they would then attend weekly services. But mandating such actions? Priests in downstate Springfield are doing just that as in September, according to this article from the Illinois Times: “Priests began taking attendance to make sure parents of students enrolled in Springfield's Catholic schools are attending worship services — and the families who aren't regularly attending could lose tuition breaks worth thousands of dollars.” The article adds how attendance “has soared” since enacting the policy. I find the tactics a bit coercive and unsustainable, but give the leadership of the diocese credit for trying something to boost attendance and get butts in the pews.
A college professor, who recently lost his sight completely, explains how he acclimatized to life as a blind person in this fascinating essay via Psyche. The hardest thing to adjust to, according to the author, was the disruption to his social circle. The negativity from the sighted people in his life, even close friends, was difficult to accept. "Strangers often seemed anxious around me. Even people I had known for years sometimes avoided me." Being able to see for 60 years, as this man did, then not, would seemingly be life-crippling. But the author has a pretty optimistic worldview, writing how “I wear my blind identity proudly.”
5. The Oklahoma City Boondoggle.
In 2006, a man named Clay Bennett bought the NBA franchise Seattle Supersonics for $325 million. Two years later, with a sweetheart stadium deal in tow, Bennett moved the team to Oklahoma City. Today, the Thunder are worth just shy of $2B. A pretty good deal for Bennett. But as this article via Popular Information investigates, not a good deal for anyone else, especially taxpayers in OKC. Bennett is now “demanding new subsidies…and if the city refuses to pony up, the implicit threat is that Bennett will move the team to a city that will meet his demands.” Why any American city would give a penny to owners of private sports teams for what accounts to real estate development is beyond common sense and reckless.
Next year, a live-action re-boot of “Snow White” will be released in theaters. Not unsurprisingly, the production has had its share of controversies and will have to make a lot of money to break even. Leave it to the Babylon Bee to poke the Disney bear. Will the Prince kiss the sleeping princess? Or will he obtain her consent first? Those essential questions are answered in this clever video satire.
Thanks for reading everybody and have a great rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for The Sunday Six? Send email to jonjkerr@gmail.com.