Opinion: Cam Newton Dangerously Mistakes Perception and Reality

Cam Newton’s recent comments in GQ Magazine present an opinion that is contrary to what occurs in sports and the public.

Professional sports remain a compelling industry. On one hand, there’s the idea that the playing field is “equal;” men and women step into the arena to determine the best competitor at that point in time. Unfortunately, this industry is also marred by many of the same controversies that hamper the everyday world as well. One of those is the conversation surrounding race, more specifically racism.

Whether fans, players, media, and everyone in-between want to believe it or not; the state of race relations outside of sports greatly impacts what is seen and experienced in sports. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is one of the most recent conversation points within the merging of race and sports, and his comments have created an interesting firestorm of perception and reality.

As with any debate, the first step is to recognize the facts. Newton is a 6’6,” 260-pound tower of a quarterback. He’s known for a powerful arm and an uncanny ability to run over defensive players with reckless abandon. In his fifth season he blossomed into the 2015 NFL MVP, led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl 50 appearance. Along the way he categorically improved in many areas in which he was questioned before being drafted number one overall back in 2011.

Those are the facts, but unfortunately the facts aren’t what drive this current situation surrounding the College Park, Georgia native.

Jan 17, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts after a play against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during the in a NFC Divisional round playoff game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Instead, this conversation swirls around opinion and views. The 2015 season revealed many hurtful, distasteful and senseless perceptions of Newton as a player – and worse, a man – that sing back to a bigger social ill within the society.

Whether it was Herb Stark of the Charlotte Observer who wrote that the birth of Newton’s first son out of wedlock made him a bad example (wonder if he felt the same way about Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan) or Rosemary Plorin (also of the Charlotte Observer) who complained about Newton’s fabricated pelvic thrusts (even though the cheerleaders at that game pelvic thrust their hearts out).

These are two of the less damning critiques that Newton received during the year, but they both speak to a higher issue: race relations and how they’ve impacted the perception of sports and athletes.

While many experts within the field would call these types of critiques racism, Newton doesn’t believe that same school of thought.

"“It’s not racism. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion,” Newton said in a GQ piece written by Zach Baron. “I’ll let you be the judge. I don’t look at it like that. I look at it like some people have certain beliefs, and I have my own belief, and we can agree to disagree on certain things. But this is what makes sports so amazing, that we can start a discussion around a table, in the newspaper, in the magazines, that will get people’s attention. And that’s what sports does. I don’t want this to be about race, because it’s not. It’s not. Like, we’re beyond that. As a nation.”"

Those are very powerful statements for a number of reasons. In some ways, they contradict exact words and actions that have come from Newton’s mouth and body within the past few years.

For example, this is the same Newton that informed people he will “win his way,” and frequently wears a t-shirt reminding them of such. This is the same Newton whose father referenced Trayvon Martin and Black Lives Matter when questions rose surrounding his son wearing a hoodie (as authored by Troy Patterson of the New York Times Magazine). Both of these examples speak to a higher understanding of race relations within the United States and beyond; much more so than Newton’s comments in the GQ article.

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Let’s dive even further into the conversation. If Newton doesn’t believe that much of the criticism that is fired his way is racially based, one must wonder how he sees it. Look back at the reaction to his storming off immediately after the Panthers lost the Super Bowl. The fallout was swift, many called his actions immature and damaging (both of which were correct), however the responses that many sports professionals had were quite interesting.

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 at Levi /

For example, Mark Sandritter of SBNation reminds us that Bill Romanowski thought it would be a good idea to call Newton “boy” for his actions after the big game. For those that do not recognize it, the term “boy” has a highly inflammatory tone when used in reference towards an African-American male.

As reported by Andrew Joseph of For The Win, Mark Schlereth waited months to take his shot at Cam when Jordan Spieth suffered an epic collapse at The Masters; comparing how both professionals dealt with being on the losing end.

Both of these examples may seem like minor occurrences, but they are just scratches on the surface of the reality dealing with not only Newton, but black quarterbacks throughout the National Football League.

Back in 2011 (via NFL.com), Pro Football Weekly pro scout Nolan Nawrocki called Newton “disingenuous,” while claiming he had a “fake” smile. In fact, his whole statement raises an eyebrow as to how he can speak in such certainty about Newton’s personality and psyche.

"“Very disingenuous—has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law—does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room. Only a one-year producer. Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness—is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example. Immature and has had issues with authority. Not dependable.”"

Newton isn’t the first, nor will he be the last to face such questionable criticism. The same types of attacks were placed on players such as Robert Griffin III and Donovan McNabb at various points in their career. Criticism that was not only unfounded, but clearly based in some sort of racial hatred. Yet, the issue here is that his comments will be used to downplay the true nature of the problem not only within the sport, but the society that houses some of his biggest fans and supporters.

Newton’s perception may be that the nation is “beyond” the racial issues that influence much of his criticism, but the facts surrounding the matter speak to a different point. Athletes such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James openly speak out (via SI.com) on issues today. WNBA players were recently fined for taking a stand in support of both Black Lives Matter and police, but thanks to public outcry those fines were rescinded (as documented by Merrit Kennedy of NPR News).

The treatment and criticism of Gabby Douglas (courtesy of Alex Abad-Santos of Vox.com) was a major talking point coming out of the Olympics. All of these stand as examples as how race and sports crash into each other on a daily basis and completely refute Newton’s idea that we as a nation are “beyond” those social ills.

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Cam Newton is a superstar and one of the best professional football players in the game today. However, his opinion and perception of racial reality will be questioned after his comments in GQ. Newton may believe that his harshest critics question him under the hidden veil of race, but trends, history and tone all speak towards that being a strong possibility.

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