Earn Your Leisure Podcast
Episode: DEION SANDERS ON TEAMS GETTING PAID TO LOSE
Hosts: Rashad Bilal, Troy Millings | Guest: Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders
Date: November 22, 2025
Main Theme / Purpose
This episode features Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders discussing the business side of collegiate athletics, with a particular focus on “money games”—when smaller programs are paid to play powerhouse schools—and the structural inequalities historically Black colleges face in sports funding, facilities, and conference realignment. The conversation is candid, energetic, and deeply illuminating about the realities beneath college football’s glossy surface.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. College Conference Realignment & Motives
- Financial Incentives Over Logic
- The hosts and Coach Prime discuss the nonsensical geography of recent conference alignments, pointing out it’s all about chasing revenue via football.
“No, they ain’t [going crazy]. They going money.”
— Coach Prime [04:08]
- The hosts and Coach Prime discuss the nonsensical geography of recent conference alignments, pointing out it’s all about chasing revenue via football.
- Aspirations for Power Conferences
- Coach Prime wishes for Jackson State to move to a power conference, but stresses the need for readiness, especially in building depth.
“If I'm going to jump, let's bungee jump. Let's do the dog on thing... I got to get the Travis's there too. Okay. Up front on both sides... That’s how the big boys could get you... So you got to beef that up if you want to compete.”
— Coach Prime [04:20–05:14]
- Coach Prime wishes for Jackson State to move to a power conference, but stresses the need for readiness, especially in building depth.
2. The Realities Behind “Money Games”
- Explaining the Practice
- “Money games” exist when small schools play top programs for a big payout, widely understood as financial necessity rather than competition.
“I'm playing for money. I'm playing so that we can pay for this, pay for this. Don’t act like you got a chance because you know you don’t.”
— Coach Prime [06:16]
- “Money games” exist when small schools play top programs for a big payout, widely understood as financial necessity rather than competition.
- Financial Disparity
- The actual payouts often fail to cover real costs—travel, food, band, accommodations—with schools sometimes losing money.
“Two charters. Because you got one for the team and one for the band... that's probably six meals. That's going to be an upward of 700, 800 to a million. But you're getting 590.”
— Coach Prime [06:41] -
“So you took a L and took a L going and getting beat down.”
— Podcast Host [07:14]
- The actual payouts often fail to cover real costs—travel, food, band, accommodations—with schools sometimes losing money.
- Health and Dignity vs. Dollars
- Coach Prime gets passionate about the injustice of putting his players at risk for inadequate returns.
“If I put my kids in a situation where there's no win and is detrimental to their health, I'm selling them out.”
— Coach Prime [11:24] -
“You gotta make sure you get compensated enough. It’s not worth my kids getting hurt. ...But I can't sell my kids.”
— Coach Prime [13:37]
- Coach Prime gets passionate about the injustice of putting his players at risk for inadequate returns.
3. On Doing Business and Valuing Black Programs
- Negotiations & Equity
- Larger schools get bigger payouts; some HBCUs settle for less, which Coach Prime sees as unjust and rooted in systemic undervaluing.
“We gotta quit... Stop accepting whatever they give us... If you accept peanuts, they're gonna thank you a monkey. Sooner or later, you got to stop dancing and clapping for the little dimes they throwing in your plate. You got to demand. We deserve more. And this is why. And it's documented.”
— Coach Prime [14:28]
- Larger schools get bigger payouts; some HBCUs settle for less, which Coach Prime sees as unjust and rooted in systemic undervaluing.
- Who Negotiates?
- Athletic Directors make the deals for money games—negotiation strength varies and often decides how much schools can leverage.
— [13:11]
- Athletic Directors make the deals for money games—negotiation strength varies and often decides how much schools can leverage.
- Financial Output vs. School Funding
- A larger reflection on why Black state schools particularly receive less funding compared to their predominantly white counterparts, often owing to enrollment size and inequitable allocation.
— [14:12–14:28]
- A larger reflection on why Black state schools particularly receive less funding compared to their predominantly white counterparts, often owing to enrollment size and inequitable allocation.
4. The Facilities Gap & Stepping Up
- Upgrading Infrastructure
- Improved facilities are tied to success and funding, but the initial investment is hard to secure. Coach Prime shares his hands-on approach.
“Even when this wasn't ready Coach Prompt said, look, take half of my... Whatever I'm making, make it happen.”
— Podcast Host [15:37] -
“I'm gonna only tell you to cut the grass three times. After that, I'm gonna do it myself.”
— Coach Prime [15:45]
- Improved facilities are tied to success and funding, but the initial investment is hard to secure. Coach Prime shares his hands-on approach.
- Leadership Mindset
- He refuses to make excuses or accept the status quo, a mindset that’s shifted the trajectory of the teams and programs he’s led.
— [16:00]
- He refuses to make excuses or accept the status quo, a mindset that’s shifted the trajectory of the teams and programs he’s led.
5. Coach Prime On His Role
- Recognition, Responsibility & Preparation
- Recognized as the state’s most notable figure, Coach Prime attributes his readiness to a lifetime of experience at every level—youth, high school, and beyond.
“Everything that’s on my plate, I’ve been through the process at the youth level, at the high school level or at some level. God has taken me through it in the dark. So when you hit the lights, I was ready.”
— Coach Prime [16:25]
- Recognized as the state’s most notable figure, Coach Prime attributes his readiness to a lifetime of experience at every level—youth, high school, and beyond.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- [04:08] Coach Prime:
“No, they ain’t [going crazy]. They going money.”
- [06:16] Coach Prime:
“Don’t act like you got a chance because you know you don’t... If you plan for money, do real business.”
- [11:24] Coach Prime:
“If I put my kids in a situation where there's no win and is detrimental to their health, I'm selling them out.”
- [14:28] Coach Prime:
“If you accept peanuts, they're gonna thank you a monkey. Sooner or later, you got to stop dancing and clapping for the little dimes they throwing in your plate. You got to demand. We deserve more.”
- [15:45] Coach Prime:
“I'm gonna only tell you to cut the grass three times. After that, I'm gonna do it.”
Important Timestamps
- [03:50] — Conference realignment and financial motives
- [04:20] — Jackson State’s power conference ambitions and the “big boys”
- [06:16] — Money games: Rationale and hard truths
- [11:24] — Ethics and the cost of money games on student-athletes
- [13:11] — Who negotiates these games and why Black schools get less
- [14:28] — Valuing Black schools and refusing to accept less
- [15:37] — Funding facilities and Coach Prime’s personal sacrifices
- [16:25] — On being prepared for public leadership and large responsibilities
Summary Tone & Closing
Coach Prime’s presence brings an unfiltered, motivational, and pragmatic take on college sports’ financial machinations. The episode blends humor, tough love, and business insight, challenging listeners to think beyond tradition and hold institutions accountable for equity and progress. This candid look behind the curtain is essential listening for anyone interested in the intersection of sports, business, and social justice.