Deion Sanders Attempted To Play in Two Games In The Same Day

Published on September 13th, 2023 4:48 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


October 11th, 1992 was surely a day that Deion Sanders will never forget.

This was the day that Sanders attempted to play for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves - IN THE SAME DAY.

-

At the time, Deion Sanders had a very unique situation going, as he had contracts with both the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves.

Prior to 1992, the deal had been this - Sanders would play for the Braves until the end of July, and then he would stop and go play for the Atlanta Falcons.

In 1992, Sanders had a handshake agreement with the Braves that essentially stated that he would play for them whenever it didn't interfere with the NFL.

For instance - if Sanders had a practice on a Wednesday and the Braves were playing at home that evening, Sanders would play for the Braves.

If the Braves were playing on a Sunday, Sanders wouldn't be available, as he would be playing for the Falcons.

-

On October 11th, 1992, with the help of Nike, Sanders attempted to pull off the impossible - playing for both the Falcons and Braves in the SAME DAY.

The Braves were playing in the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates (in Pittsburgh), while the Falcons were playing in Miami against the Dolphins.

The Braves and Pirates were playing in a crucial Game 5 that evening, and the Braves could use all of the help that they could get.

In fact, the Braves were apparently led to believe that Sanders would forego his obligations to the Falcons if they were in the playoffs, though Sanders and his people disagreed.

-

To make matters worse for Sanders, he played for the Braves in Game 4 of the NLCS, which took place on October 10th, 1992.

This meant that Sanders would essentially be playing in THREE games over the course of a 24 hour period.

An hour after the conclusion of Game 4 of the NLCS in Pittsburgh, Sanders and his entourage got into a plane that was going to whisk them to Miami.

At 4 am, the plane touched down at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

By quarter after 11, Sanders and the rest of the Falcons arrived at the stadium.

After being "punished" for one play (due to missing practices all week), Sanders was sent into the game to take his traditional spot at right cornerback.

After the game, Sanders received an IV to replenish his fluids.

An hour after the conclusion of the Falcons/Dolphins game, Sanders was on a helicopter, getting taken to the nearby airport.

By quarter to 8, Sanders and his entourage touched down in Pittsburgh, roughly 55 minutes before first pitch.

By first pitch, Sanders is in the Braves dugout, suited up and ready to go.

-

Now, this story didn't have the ending that Sanders wanted, as he didn't actually play in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Having said that, Sanders was an official part of the game, and technically participated in two different games in the same day.

-

Sanders' day required a great deal of planning and zero room for error.

Nike co-ordinated the entire thing, as Sanders was one of their most marketable athletes at the time.

The move created a great deal of controversy, with many labelling Sanders as greedy for attempting the move.

Sanders, however, would have a great World Series that year, as he led the team in numerous statistics in the series against the Blue Jays, which they eventually lost.

-

Sanders would continue to play two sports for a number of years after that, though he would never again attempt to play two sports in the same day.