Shedeur Sanders doesn’t strike me as someone who’d care about correcting any false perceptions about his team or school, but the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback drew a line when it came to a would-be joint merchandise venture with Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders allegedly came to Colorado months in advance of their matchup to create these “Celebrate America” T-shirts, and the Buffaloes simply replied that they were “not interested.”
A man named Stephen Spiegelberg claims that Colorado’s eventual explanation was not wanting to display any merch with an American flag that was associated with their logo.
This created a narrative where folks who were probably predisposed toward a Colorado union secession ideology popped off at the football program as hating America.
Apparently this was over the line for Shedeur to the point where he felt he had to address it when the topic was broached after the Buffaloes’ 41-27 victory in Lubbock.
Sheduer Sanders on Texas Tech fans saying Colorado don’t like the American Flag :
“That’s sick…Y’all just fishing for content at this point, That was very disturbing”
“It’s genuine people out there that read the media that don’t know us and they believe the lies” pic.twitter.com/4qivrRKz7n
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) November 10, 2024
I get that Texas Tech folks might’ve been in their feelings about being a 4.5-point home underdog to a flashy, brash Colorado team led by head coach Deion Sanders, his “nepo baby” son Shedeur, and two-way dynamo Travis Hunter.
That power trio has helped lift the Buffaloes’ program from a one-win joke of an operation into the national spotlight — and to College Football Playoff contention — in less than two full seasons. In the realistic scenario where Colorado wins their last three games, they’ll post a 10-2 record. The Red Raiders have reached double-digit wins in a single season once since 1976.
Why do I bring up that fact? Because maybe, just maybe, Texas Tech, it’s possible that Colorado doesn’t want to be in direct association with a Big 12 rival who’s epitomized mediocrity for decades. They’re content to just come to your stadium, beat the brakes off of you, and move on, all the while selling their own merchandise to raging success.
Not that I 100% endorse the way Coach Prime has run the ship at Colorado. Not that I think his model of success is super sustainable once Shedeur and Hunter hit the 2025 NFL Draft. But you can’t argue that, at least to this point, he’s done a remarkable a job rapidly turning around a dying program.
It almost feels mean to dunk on the Red Raiders any further at this point. Sorry to do it in advance to y’all. Can’t help myself. But Shedeur is just spitting facts at the podium as precisely as he picked apart Texas Tech for 307 total yards and four TDs on Saturday. Before popping off and creating this widespread notion that the University of Colorado at Boulder’s football program hates the USA, it can be immensely helpful to use this thing called Google. It’s a search engine where you can type in, “Colorado American flag merch” or something like that.
Guess what you’d find? Stuff like this. Official Buffaloes merchandise that sports, you guessed it, an American flag on it.
dude needs to learn no means no
and colorado sells shirts on their site with the american flag https://t.co/UrXmfI1XBD https://t.co/gAyxmr133G pic.twitter.com/HRPrUglCD5
— theo 🐅 (@theRev626) November 9, 2024
The University of Colorado partners with OHT, an organization that supports veterans and service members. I've bought a bunch of OHT-related CU merch because of that and because I'm a CU alum.
This post is disgusting. I'm embarrassed we share the same political ideology. https://t.co/lxcVGvTuo8 pic.twitter.com/WIkwICnhpX
— Cody (@Steelcore5280) November 8, 2024
Tough look. Even tougher look for all the Texas Tech lovers who were outraged by this 100% contrived subplot to fuel their hatred for Colorado, only to get their rears beat on their own turf.
Punch air, throw some tortillas, and cry about it, Red Raiders Merch King.
