Coco Gauff, Deion Sanders and the powerful impact of doubt on Black coaches and athletes

There was a moment after Coco Gauff won the U.S. Open that was particularly striking. It had to do with doubt. Athletes often feed off of doubt. It can be a fueling system. A way to launch them into orbit. Sometimes, it can come off as manufactured or even phony. That wasn’t the case with Gauff. …