Football season has arrived, thankfully, to distract from the weekend’s TV schedule. There’s probably no better time in the American sports calendar than the start of football season. Your team hasn’t lost yet, and even if it’s about to fall like a stone to the bottom of the standings, there’s still a glimmer of hope that it’ll pull off some tiny miracle and win it all. After all, that’s why they play the game, and the prospect of it can carry you for at least a few weeks. Or until that first dog walk brings you back down to earth.
For some college football fans, reality has already begun to set in, with even a sprawling 12-team playoff seemingly out of reach after a Week 1 loss. But not for Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (yet). Coach Prime and the Buffs won their first game, narrowly edging out college football powerhouse [checks note] North Dakota State — at home, no less — keeps its playoff hopes alive. But that wasn’t the only headline Sanders made over the weekend, as news broke that he now co-owns a coffee brand BLK and Bold.
We’ve previously covered Des Moines, Iowa-based roaster Sprudge, interviewing co-founders Pernell Cezar and Rod Johnson separately for our Roaster Spotlight series and the Seed to Cup podcast. In each case, the brand’s mission to utilize specialty coffee as a vehicle for social impact is clear. Having secured deals to sell coffee in major national retailers like Target and Whole Foods, BLK & Bold has quickly become one of the most recognizable specialty coffee brands. And with Coach Prime, that popularity is only going to get bigger.
Sanders as a headline-grabbing machine. From his days as a multi-sport athlete in baseball and football — where he was the league’s most feared cornerback and point-returner — Prime Time’s talents on the field were matched only by his gift for telling you how talented he was. That same confidence carried over into his coaching career, where he ran swift on high school teams to take over at Jackson State before moving to Boulder.
While the Buffaloes’ return to the Substantial 12 this season likely won’t result in a playoff berth, Sanders is looking to make an impact off the field with BLK & Bold. He joins the team as co-owner and “Social Change Leader,” according to press releasewhere he will “collaborate with and amplify BLK & Bold’s work to support underserved communities.”
“Joining BLK & Bold is more than just a business move for me, it’s about MAKING A LASTING IMPACT,” said Coach Prime. “I’ve always believed in the power of giving back and lifting others up, and with BLK & Bold we have the perfect platform to do just that.”
Details about the extent of Sanders’ involvement in the company have not yet been released. But one thing is for sure: Given his penchant for making substantial promises — and usually following through on them — Sanders’ addition to BLK & Bold will further boost the brand’s recognition.
And it doesn’t hurt that the Buffaloes and BLK & Bold share a color scheme. The real question is whether the coffee roastery will rebrand after CU goes an impressive 7-5 on the season and Coach Prime takes over at Florida, or after some SEC basement dweller enters the coaching carousel.
