Slouching Toward Technocracy
Work, Play, and the Emerging American Overclass and Underclass
W. Bradford Wilcox
January 1, 1996
Neon Deion-a.k.a. Deion Sanders-could be a posterboy for the 1990s overclass. If you haven't turned on a television or picked up a Sports Illustrated in the last year, Sanders is, among other things, cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and center fielder for the San Francisco Giants. He has also parlayed his outrageous antics on the field into countless product endorsements-not to mention a music video. But what makes him a posterboy for the overclass? Sanders is a self-made man, having risen from a humble home in Fort Myers, Florida. He spends long hours on the phone (cellular, of course), fax, and computer, maxing his connectivity to consultants, employers, and employees. He has a stunning suburban home outside of Dallas but rarely enjoys it because he must travel almost constantly to do his job. Loyalty means little to Sanders: he has played for six different football and baseball teams in half as many years-much to the chagrin of the working-class fans who cheered him on in the first four teams. He makes a lot of money-$25 million in 1995. He has a healthy regard for himself (his kids are named Diondra and Deion Luwynn Jr.). Above all, Deion Sanders has imaginatively used his considerable athletic and social talents to secure his ultimate object: repeated victories in a stimulating and highly remunerative job. Recounting his rise to the top, Sanders told The New York Times, "I looked at the average salary of defensive backs and said, 'Let's create something that'll take me past that.' It was a business decision: to create an image that was above just being an athlete, that was something of an entertainer." Sanders notes that this path towards prominence was paved by an ethic of activity, creativity, and self-control. ...
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