It is by now a truism that social media is a powerful tool - for better or worse. 

The use of the media to spread the word, amplify one’s beliefs, and gain celebrity and power is not new. 

In the 1930s, a priest named Charles Coughlin, or “Father Coughlin,’’ spread his views to over 30 million people on a bi-weekly radio broadcast. Dubbed “The Radio Priest” Coughlin preached anti-Semitic views and support for the Nazis to his listening public before being shut down by the Roosevelt Administration during World War II.

In the 1960s, Walter Cronkite became the most trusted voice in America because he delivered the news via television. Back then, there were only three national broadcast networks. Cronkite built an empire for CBS News as a trusted source of unbiased information. Advertisers flocked to the network. And everybody watched.

With the advent of cable television in the 1970s, the nation grew to love its sports on ESPN and its 24-hour news on CNN. Rupert Murdoch soon followed with Fox News, further breaking down guardrails about what is acceptable in political discourse. The political environment in this country has never been the same. 

And now - the Internet, which led to social media, the most powerful tool for celebrity and power the world has ever seen. 

By posting one sentence on Twitter, Lebron James can bring the NBA to a halt over racial justice issues. Tom Brady can announce his retirement over Instagram in a 60-second video from his home. Actors can negotiate contracts and careers with Disney over email. Facebook can build political movements overnight. A question like: “should the president have shot down the Chinese spy balloon?” is a major political issue. The killing of a black man by Memphis police is a national scandal on Friday only to be forgotten by Sunday. 

It is hard to know where all this goes. But for a crash course in the use of social media, and a really fun ride, there is no better teacher right now than a guy named Deion Sanders. 

For the non-football fan, Deion Sanders is a former superstar athlete who played professionally in two different sports: baseball where he played for four teams, including the New York Yankees, and football where he won two Superbowls. His nickname was “Primetime’’ and he earned it. He was an electrifying athlete to watch, lightning-fast, and brilliant at deciphering the game. 

After his career in both football and broadcast television ended, Sanders found his way to coaching. In 2020 Sanders became the head coach of Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. For three years “Coach Prime’’ led the historically black college to conference championships and an undefeated season. He did so behind an unending stream of bravado centered around winning, commitment, and teaching young men important life lessons.

It was a dramatic, day-after-day performance. But it took place outside major college football media markets so it fell slightly under the radar. 

You might think that when the big guys at the University of Colorado offered him a job Coach Prime would back off the celebrity, the social media, and the bravado. No way.

Since accepting the head coaching job at Colorada Sanders’ Instragam is on fire. The result is the most interesting and entertaining content on the Internet. 

There was the press conference announcing his hiring by the University. There is the video of Coach Prime snowmobiling with his fellow coaches, visiting the Vail ski resort, and knocking on the door of an elderly woman and long-time Colorado fan, to sit down for tea.

There are the motivational quotes.

And the cocky warnings to opponents.

“We comin,’’ he says over and over. 

In one memorable Instagram post, Sanders asked all the women involved with the football program to stand in front of the entire team. He then warned the players that total respect toward women is essential. Any violation of standards or disrespect toward female staffers would not be tolerated. 

He flies around the country recruiting - and it is filmed. He tells the team that his own son is coming to be the starting quarterback. No pressure there!

One of the YouTube channels for Colorado football has 31 million views since Sanders was hired. The guy is operating as his own TV station and promotional vehicle for the university. 

Put aside the blatant corruption of big-time college football for the moment and enjoy watching Coach Prime for his media savvy and performance instinct. 

Sanders is rebuilding a moribund football program using the modern media tools of the Internet in a way no one else has. He is saying out loud all the things that most football coaches say in private. It is one thing to use social media to build your celebrity. It is another to use it to build a football team. 

Sanders is laying it all on the line. If he puts together a winning program, his methods will be studied for decades. If he loses, he risks becoming a laughing stock. It is a thrill to see him out there taking risks, remaking the sport, and everything that goes with it. 

It is a great ride and social media allows us to follow along.