Cam Newton: Influential to Many, Role Model to a Few
Is the beef with Cam Newton justified? Is he hurting the psyche of our youth or just our fragile feelings?
Let’s get one thing straight off the top, Cam Newton’s celebrity status doesn’t make him responsible for the residual actions and behaviors of our children. That’s where parenting, good or bad, takes over.
We won’t get into telling parents how to raise their kids, but who are we to tell Newton how he’s supposed to conduct himself in front of the media after losing the biggest football game of his life?
Related Story: All 32 NFL Franchises Ranked By Greatness At QB Position
Who appointed us, or media, as the moral police for a person who doesn’t live a parallel life to ours?
People like to point out poor sportsmanship and how influential Newton is to the youth watching his every televised move; that’s all correct. However, it’s ridiculous to insinuate he’s damaging our youth by refusing to talk to media and being a sore loser.
Newton didn’t reach his celebrity status for conducting himself like the Pope in public; he’s an athlete participating in a violent game fueled with emotion.
Don’t expect him to clean up his act because he knows your kids are watching him from afar. You saw the real Cam Newton after a loss, and he later admit to being a habitual sore loser. We like to talk about keeping it 100, it’s evident this isn’t a calculated prepared statement; it’s who he is, per ESPN.com’s David Newton.
Newton could’ve handled the situation a lot better, but he didn’t. If anyone deserves to be disappointed in his actions, it’s himself. The only child who should be looking up to him as a role model is his son. Other than that, influence only goes so far, until it either aligns or clashes with the life principles and values set by parenting, caretakers in the household or guardians.
Children see Newton once a week on the television, at the game or possibly twice when attending a community event.
As NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley once said, “Just because I can dunk a basketball, doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”
The same goes for Newton and his ability front flip into the end zone, scoring touchdowns at will.
So, this what-about-the-kids-campaign to shame Newton’s press conference behavior makes very little sense in the larger picture.
Kimberly Manning, a doctor and blogger, whose son is a huge Cam Newton fan drew the line between the outside influence on her impressionable son and values she set for him. She outlined the details in a well-written piece via hlntv.com:
"I told my son that Cam Newton made a mistake in that press conference, that he was immature and a bad sport and shouldn’t have behaved that way. But then, I told him of all of the things I just mentioned. I told my son — my rec ball kid who loves Cam — that he is just a man and that what we see is one who was so disappointed that he lost his impulse control.I told my son, for context, that Cam Newton is twenty years younger than his mother and father and that young people do some dumb things and learn from them — his parents included."
Did she outrage over Newton’s behavior as a horrible showing for her son? No, she interjected the potential negative influence and inserted herself and child’s father as primary examples he can closer relate to in processing what he saw on television. She didn’t throw her arms up and submit to the mighty influence of celebrities on television.
Unfortunately, some children don’t have a structured household with hands-on parenting. If they’re attempting to follow Newton’s footsteps to the NFL, hopefully a coach or mentor grabs their attention and instills noble values into their life fabric. Nonetheless, it’s not always the case, but that’s not Newton’s fault.
The Mighty Fall Hard
Most of the criticism on Newton comes from people who disliked his celebratory antics and those who lost money betting on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Kudos to FOX Sports personality Jason Whitlock for admitting on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that he’s a bit sour because he came off so sure that Newton would bring reparations:
Have you ever watched a man walk away from the craps table with empty pockets and pre-determined plans for money he thought he’d win at the end of the night? Not a pretty sight.
At the very least, Newton had the decency to congratulate Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, as shown on SI.com. He didn’t storm off the field like a spoiled brat or initially avoid the media.
Some people laid low in the weeds and spoke with a megaphone after Newton’s biggest defeat, flooding social media waves with hate and a critical eye. You saw the tweets, the inflammatory and the proverbial finger wagging on how he should act in correspondence to his earlier jubilation throughout a 15-1 season.
What did you expect? Who dabs and celebrates after a loss? It’s symmetry. A highly emotional winner will typically become a despondent loser. The pendulum swings both ways. He’s not going to be Cam Newton after a win and morph into Russell Wilson after a loss. That’s not going to happen. Wilson is even-keeled during the high and low times, which many respect, but that isn’t Newton’s psychological makeup.
We can make the argument if that’s good or bad for the Panthers in a leadership role but that’s ultimately up to owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Dave Gettleman to decide. And who are we kidding? A sore loser with that talent, as a quarterback, isn’t going to hit the free-agent market anytime soon.
More nfl spin zone: Carolina Panthers: Seven-Round 2016 NFL Mock Draft
People attach the league MVP, which Newton won, to the face of the NFL. Honestly, why should we worry about a prominent face of the league being pouty? The NFL has reached a level of popularity that we cannot fathom. One sour superstar isn’t derailing the NFL’s gravy train, especially with superstar athletes entering the league every year or two.
So, what are we really squabbling over with this Cam Newton press coverage situation? Kids? Our own personal beefs with him? The Face of the NFL? It’s either trivial in the bigger picture.
Newton doesn’t owe any of us, our children or the NFL an apology. He just needs to concern himself with football and the loved ones who know him as more than just a talented African-American quarterback.
Share your comments below or engage with the writer directly via Twitter.