As Howard and other commentators pointed out, the coverage of Newton’s celebration took on a much harsher tone than that of backup quarterback Drew Stanton’s jubilant (and awesome) sideline dance during the Arizona Cardinals’ win over the Seattle Seahawks. In that game, starting quarterback Carson Palmer made a much more suggestive hip-thurst during that game, one that may earn him a fine, yet hasn’t garnered nearly as much scrutiny.
In fact, this hasn’t even been the most ridiculous Newton-related controversy of the month. During Carolina’s home game against Green Bay, Newton confiscated a pro-Packers banner an opposing fan had brought in (in doing so, the fan had violated stadium policy). What seemed to be a harmless show of competitive spirit became a farce when the fan reported the banner as stolen to stadium officials. One can only imagine how this conversation must have went:
“Sir, can you describe the person who took the banner?”
“Yeah, he’s the guy in the helmet and the uniform with the No1 on it.”
“Wait, you mean Cam Newton?”
“Yes.”
“You want us to arrest the starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America Stadium. On game day. For taking down a sign you weren’t allowed to bring in the first place.”
“Yes.”
“I think we’re done here, sir.”
Clearly there’s something about Newton that inspires opposing fans to have such extreme reactions, especially since the loudest complaints about him involve the fact he seems to be having fun playing a game for a living. What a puzzling and puritanical way to live one’s life as a fan. If there’s no room in sports for moments of triumph and joy, what’s the point of even following them?
In response to all of this ridiculousness, Newton has said that he’s not going to change how he plays. Good for him. There’s a lot of things wrong with the current state of the NFL, when every other day seems to bring a new unsavory scandal, but the fact that an athlete can enjoy himself while still leading his team to victory week after week shouldn’t be one of them.
Article Appeared @http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/nov/19/cam-newtons-joy-is-making-puritanical-fans-angry-and-its-glorious