Fans NFL D.A.B: Dancing And Black

“I’m a firm believer if you don’t like it, keep me out of the endzone,” Cam Newton said to the Charlotte Observer. The “it” he was referring to was the Dab, a dance that Newton did after scoring a late touchdown that secured a 27-10 win against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Newton’s dance moves upset Titans linebacker Avery Williamson as well as several fans across the country. Most notably, Titans fan Rosemary Plorin of Nashville, Tennessee was highly upset. She wrote a letter to Newton expressing how his actions were not what she wanted her 9 year old to see.

Every level of Cam Newton’s career has been filled with controversy and success. Controversy: He left the University of Florida in 2008 after an incident with a stolen laptop. Success: He enrolled at Blinn College and won the JUCO national championship in 2009. Controversy & Success: In 2010, Cam Newton signed with Auburn University. Newton finished first in the Heisman voting, led the Tigers to a 14-0 record and a win against Oregon in the BCS National Championship. Newton played that whole season with his eligibility in question due to his father Cecil allegedly seeking substantial sums of money for his son’s commitment.

This year hasn’t been any different. While leading the Panthers to an NFL best 15-1 record, Newton has answered questions about his celebrations and dances. ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark weighed in on the criticism of Newton and said, “He’s not disliked because he’s brown-skinned. He’s disliked because, culturally, it’s hard to understand for most people. Players like Aaron Rodgers and Rob Gronkowski are celebrated for their TD celebrations because the casual fan can ‘relate’ to them.”

Cam Newton is 6’5″, weighs 248 pounds, is an African-American quarterback in the National Football League, that possesses a strong arm and runs like a running back. He dances and embraces hip-hop culture. This is something that the most NFL fans refuse to understand and accept. Cam Newton is big, strong, talented, controversial and feared for being different and unstoppable. The controversy box has been checked this year and a win in Super Bowl 50 will check the other. Look at his DAB!