to be young, black and [confident]
shedeur sanders vs the nfl
I want to preface this post by saying I’m not an American football fan. I’m not going to start lying about having expert knowledge on touchdowns, end zones, fumbles and fouls on the play (or whatever it’s called).
Outside of American movies that depict high school/college athletes as cruel and clueless tackling machines, lugging around American footballs and Varsity Jackets more than protecting their already flailing GPA, I’m ill-informed.
It’s been a little over 2 weeks since the 2025 NFL Draft. I’ll try my very best to explain this process in layman’s terms. Before college players are selected to teams, they must declare eligibility for the Draft. Basically, they volunteer as tribute – word to Katniss. Then they participate in something called the Scouting Combine. Imagine a job Assessment Centre. They are put through their paces in different exercises and tests, all progress and metrics are recorded, and they undergo interviews with upper management of teams that may draft them.
Then we head to the Draft. The team with the worst record from the previous season gets the first pick of players in each of the seven rounds of the Draft, and the order continues down to the team that won the Super Bowl that year. They pick last. Teams can trade their picks with other teams, altering the Draft order.
Introducing our protagonist, or villain to some. Shedeur Sanders was a Quarterback at the University of Colorado. Not only was he highly touted to be picked as one of the first 2 selected quarterbacks, but he gained a reputation before entering the Draft. He comes from a generation of college players who have benefited from recent changes in legislation, allowing them to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness, also known as NIL deals. In a social media/content creator age, this has turned once innocuous college athletes into wealthy celebrities overnight. Many are acquiring wealth before they’ve even passed a ball in the NFL.
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Another important fact I’m forgetting to add about Shedeur is that he is the son of a famous former NFL and MLB player, and current University of Colorado American football coach, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders. Like father, like son, not only in his sporting ambitions but in his likeness. Flashy, flamboyant and confident. His father is a divisive figure. Thus, his son is unfairly portrayed and tainted in the eyes of fans, the media and American football elites.
The system/the powers that be/the higher ups (whatever you want to call it) will always find a way to trip up those who walk straight, bow the heads of those who hold theirs high and silence those who speak the loudest.
On Draft Night, Shedeur wasn’t picked in the first round or the second round. He wasn’t even picked in the third round. He “slid” all the way to the fifth round, picked up by the Cleveland Browns who had already passed on him earlier in the Draft, opting for another quarterback. But the question wasn’t Shedeur’s ability. Arguments brewed over whether he was truly first-round potential, but not even getting picked up in the third round, at least, left many scratching their heads.
Rumours began to sprout around his bad attitude, laziness in the combine and terrible interviews with the NFL general managers. All things that (allegedly) happened weeks ago but had only resurfaced to justify this Draft pick. For many NFL fans, the common consensus was that Shedeur was “too confident” and NFL managers wanted to use the Draft as a moment to “humble” the kid.
The older generation (at times) make it their mission to humble young people. I talked about Timothée Chalamet a few blog posts ago and how, after he said he wanted to be one of the greats, he was hit with an avalanche of abuse. Most called him narcissistic and naïve, and he needed to humble himself, as he was only young, and it was too early for him to be talking like this.
Being confident whilst young is a threat to those who believe that age and experience are the same thing and that being self-assured and young is a poisoned chalice.
After years in the corporate world and now slowly transitioning to the creative arena, I find the same to be true. Being bold and brash is a personality trait not afforded to certain members of society.
As a young black man, you can’t be both competent and confident. Outspoken and outstanding. Your progress must coincide with your passiveness.
Some colleagues are allowed to be personality hires, whilst others are called obnoxious or loud. Some are allowed to be introverts, but others are penalised for being too quiet and not wanting to participate in office socials.
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Some are already playing little violins and thinking, “Why are you playing the race card?”. Shedeur isn’t the first rookie with a famous father or that is confident (even if it comes across as cocky). To be tainted with such allegations and bad press, you would think he is shrouded with off-the-field issues, which he isn’t, so this level of public defamation is absurd.
As I Grow Older, I’m less naïve to how the world works. I understand that being young, black and somewhat bold isn’t celebrated, but scrutinised.
Do more research on this topic. Make up your own mind. But I hope it opens your mind to the world around you. Ask yourself why some are treated a certain way over others. Notice why various individuals in the public eye receive different treatment for similar actions. Think about it.
Love, Peace & Blessings,
Abs