Prophet or For-Profit? Analyzing the Cacophony of Black Contentious Citizenship Discourse Surrounding Deion Sanders

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Abstract

In this article, we examine the polemical citizenship discourse among the Black citizenry surrounding Coach Deion Sanders’ controversial exodus from Jackson State University (HBCU) to the University of Colorado (PWI). Drawing on a conceptual framework composed of King’s Black historical consciousness principle of historical contention and Glaude’s notion of nation language, we analyze the breadth of irreconcilable Black male perspectives on Coach Prime’s justice-oriented pursuits within popular culture. Utilizing critical discourse analysis as our guiding methodology, we explored various forms of media to further understand the complex relationship between language, ideology, and liberatory pursuits. Findings illuminate a spectrum of Black perspectives ranging from Black separatists to integrationist.

Authors

• Marcus Wayne Johnson, Texas A&M University

• Daniel J. Thomas, Texas A&M University