THE CAM NEWTON

CRITICISM: AN
UNDERLYING
ISSUE
Cherrelle Cox
May 3, 2016
English 1020

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface...........................................................................................3
Invitation/Explanation....................................................................4-5
Recipe/Explanation.........................................................................6-7
Idea Web/Explanation....................................................................8-9
Certificate/Explanation...................................................................10-11
Descriptive Paragraph.....................................................................12
Diary Entry....................................................................................13
News Article..................................................................................14
Meme.............................................................................................15
Works Cited....................................................................................16

PREFACE

Cameron Newton is an African American quarterback in the National Football League

(NFL). Over the years, Newton have been continuously back-lashed on television and
blog sites for irrelevant reasons. He have been heavily criticized for his celebration
dances and his responses in press conferences. However, many Caucasian players have
engaged in similar behavior, but they have failed to get the same reaction as Newton.
Nonetheless, there seem to be an underlying issue at hand: race. In this research paper, I
have organized an invitation, recipe, idea web, certificate, descriptive paragraph, diary
entry, and news article to inform the audience that race may be at the core of the Cam
Newton criticism.

According to Steven A. Smith, Cam Newton is required to participate in press conferences

every week(ESPN First Take). I created this invitation in an effort to show the audience what exactly
happens inside of these press conferences. Critics ask Newton questions about his leaderships skills and
commitment to the league repeatedly. The questions that critics chose to ask him can be answered
simply by watching him play on the football field. Instead, critics target Newton in order to assassinate
his character. America wants to control how African American athletes act on top of how they should
perform (ESPN First Take). This means that critics want to tell African American athletes what is right
or wrong while telling how to play on the football field. Critics are not pleased the way Newton
celebrates in the end after completing plays. Neither are they pleased of the way he responds to
questions in press conferences. It seems like everything he does receives a negative reaction from
critics. In one particular press conference, one reporter asked Newton, Why are you wearing socks
with sandals? Newton response, Why are you wearing jeans with shoes? These are types of
questions reporters ask him in order to receive a reaction.
Whether Newton chose to wear socks or not is irrelevant to the game of football. Cam Newton
is an athlete. Often times athletes wear sandals with socks after the game. What is the big deal? Is this
an issue because he's African American? The reason reporters made an issue out of this situation is
because Cam Newton is African American. Newton has two strikes against him, one because he is
African American and one for being a successful quarterback. Nonetheless, Newton is unapologetic for
the way that he carries himself on the league. With that being said, there are no rules in the league that
says he should be. Yes, it's true that Newton does celebration dances in the end zone after plays, but so
does Caucasian athletes. Why is it acceptable for Caucasian athletes to do celebration dance but it's
called showboating when Newton does it. Critics chose to target Newton because of the color of his
skin. Everything that he does will be magnified closely under a radar because of that reason.

Cam Newton Salad

Recipe
Unique African American Athlete for a nice devouring session. Served on
television and blog sites on a bed of criticism
Ingredients:
1 African American Athlete, peeled and diced
2 c. Talent
c. Religion
1 c. Criticism
c. Critics
1 c. Confidence
1 c. Love for the Game
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix talent together with a little bit of confidence, religion, and love for the
game. Fold in an African American athlete. Mix in the critics and criticism. Let chill for
approximately 30 minutes or serve hot! Enjoy!

This recipe is relative to the treatment that Cam Newton receives as an African American
quarterback in the NFL. If you take a talented African American athlete who embraces his religion and
love for the game, mix it together, you would come up with a combination of celebration dances.
Celebrating in the end zone is a way that Newton embraces his religion on the field. As a result, he
receives an abundant amount of criticism from critics. It is apparent that Cam Newton is receiving this
amount of criticism because of the color of his skin. This argument is valid because Caucasian athletes
engage in the same kind of celebration dances and hardly receives any criticism. Why is this an issue?
This is problematic because there is no rule in the league that says that Caucasian athletes can conduct
celebration dances in the end zone and African American cannot. So why are critics enforcing this
nonexistent rule? The only explanation for the criticism is race.
In a recent New York Post, Bart Hubbuch listed some interesting remarks that were made by
Hall of Fame quarterback, Warren Moon. According to Moon, Critics act as if Cam Newton raped five
pastors' daughters and is getting away with it (Hubbuch 1) .This statement explains the severity of the
Cam Newton criticism. Warren Moon knows what it is like to be an African American quarterback in
the league. With that being said, he has mentored Cam Newton since he entered the NFL and has also
witnessed how he has evolved into a great player. According to Moon, He is not doing nothing but
dancing (Hubbuch 3) Another article stated, Newton violates unwritten laws that are racially coded
(Messianeo 8). This statement makes it know that there are certain rules in the NFL that only honor
Caucasian athletes. With that being said, these racially codes laws would explain the consistent
backlash that Newton receives as an African American quarterback. It is evident that backlash among
African American athletes is common. Warren Moon dealt with racial issues in the 1970's and 1980's.
Nonetheless, Cam Newton is experiencing it today.

I created an idea web to display the trend of criticism among African American quarterbacks.
The athletes listed in the web have many things in common. They all have possessed successful careers
in the NFL and they also have been heavily criticized. There have been a reoccurring trend of backlash
among African American athletes in the league. According to book, Race in American Sports, In the
history of the NFL, African Americans were not suitable enough to maintain the quarterback
position(Conyer 32). This statement means that only Caucasians were allowed to obtain the
quarterback position back then. However, their talent did not play a role in the decision making during
this time period, the color of their skin was the focal point. In the book, Race in American Sports,
African Americans are considered intellectually inferior and athletically superior to their fellow
Caucasian athletes (Conyer 29).This means that African Americans were better at Football, but this
did not sit well with the Caucasian athletes. Therefore, it was imperative that African American athletes
were discarded the privilege of playing football.
As decades have gone by, race is still relative in the NFL. With that being said, critics and
spectators are not as bold as they were back then. However, African American athletes, particularly
Cam Newton, are still enduring the same criticism as Doug Williams and Warren Moon in the 70's and
80's. According to Doug Williams, People are going to deny race being a part of the criticism
regardless of the circumstances(Peter 4). This means that critics are going to point at issues while
hiding the fact that race is at the center of the Cam Newton criticism. In another article, a photograph is
pictured with four NFL athletes doing celebration dance. Three of the four athletes in the picture are
Caucasian. Across their picture read the words warrior, passionate and resilient. However, the fourth
player is an African American quarterback, Cam Newton. The word that is written across his picture is
thug. All four players are conducting the same type of behavior in the photograph. The only difference
is the color of their skin. Cam Newton is African American and the other three players are Caucasian
(Harris 9).

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My purpose for creating this certificate is point out the fact that Cam Newton is the most
criticized quarterback in the league. Why is this an issue? This is an issue because Cam Newton is a
talented athlete has led his Carolina Panthers' team with a flawless record during their regular season.
Ultimately, Cam Newton is criticized because he is African American. According to one article, Cam
Newton violates the NFL unwritten rules that seem to only honor those of the Caucasian race
(Messianeo 8). This means that African American athletes, particularly Cam Newton, fail to get away
with things unlike his fellow Caucasian players. Often people may see Newton on the television and
blog sites being criticized. Well, critics are always pointing at the negative things like the fact that he
dances in the end zone, the way he acts in press conferences, or the way he dress. They never
acknowledge the positive things that he does like giving away footballs to young children every time
his team scores a touchdown.
Although, there are other players that are doing more serious things than dancing, they still
manage to drag Newton through the mud. Critics can't stand the fact that an African American is as
successful as Newton. They don't like that he stands out. In another article, African Americans are
expected to their jobs quietly (Armour 14). This means that African Americans are not supposed to
draw attention to themselves on the football field. With that being said, Cam Newton does his Dab
dance, which is not considered as doing his job quietly. Critics criticize how Newton responds in press
conferences but reporters terrorize him while sitting five feet away from him. When the reporter asked
him, Why are you wearing socks with sandals? His response, Why are you wearing jeans with
shoes(Whitacre 2 ). This was an appropriate response because the situation was irrelevant and self
explanatory. It was after the game and Newton wanted to be comfortable. Nonetheless, if he was a
Caucasian player this situation would not be an issue. Critics target Newton because he is African
American and he does not follow the racially coded laws in the NFL (Messianeo 8).

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In a recent article, Nancy Armour introduced the term Illusory Correlation Theory. This term
was coined by Cynthia Frisby, Associate Professor of Michigan. This concept is described as having
certain ideas about a group of people so when you come into contact with someone similar, they are
automatically grouped into the same category (Armour 9). This concept is relevant because it describes
what is going with Cam Newton. With that being said, critics already have these pre-conceived notions
about African Americans. Therefore, when they see Cam Newton, they instantly begin stereotyping
him. In another article, African Americans are expected to do their job quietly(Armour 14).
However, Cam Newton want to express himself in the end zone just like his fellow Caucasian players.
As a result, he is criticized in the media because he fail to follow the racially coded laws in the NFL
(Messianeo 8).

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April 25, 2016

Dear Diary,
I believe Cam Newton is an amazing African American athlete. Although critics refuse to allow him to
be great, he still manage to shine brightly. Critics try extremely hard to assassinate his character;
however, one thing they can't take away is the talent he possess. When I say critics try to assassinate
Newton's character, I mean that they point out his flaws or irrelevant issues such as dancing. The
reality of the situations is everyone has flaws because no one is perfect. Therefore, why is Newton
always the topic of critics' conversation? It's because he is African American, he continues to break
records, and he embraces his religion. Newton is not afraid to be himself. Are his responses in press
conferences or dancing celebrations that horrible?Well the answer to the this question is No. There are
other players in the league, particularly Caucasian players, that conduct more offensive dances than
Newton's Dab dance. There are also Caucasian players that have responded to critics in a disrespectful
manner in press conferences. My point is that these players hardly ever make the headlines like Newton.
Is he the only player in the league that is getting his commitment questioned? The answer to the this
question is Yes. Newton is bombarded with questions that question his commitment to the league every
week. How many times do Caucasian players get their commitment to the league questioned? Are critics
questioning Newton's commitment because of his dances or responses in press conferences? I don't
think so. I think they are questioning his commitment because he is African American and they don't
want him to be in his current quarterback position. It's not that he's messing up on the field because his
team have been winning games all season. It's because he does not do his job on the field quietly. H e
celebrates while playing the game that he loves. I feel that it is ironic that there are other players that are
committing the same acts as him, but don't receive the same amount of criticism. In the history of
football, African Americans were not suitable to obtain a quarterback position(Conyer 32 ). Although, it
is acceptable today, every African American quarterback is magnified closely underneath a radar. Any
small mistake that is made could risk them their future. It seems as though we are still dealing with the
aspects of racism today, particularly in sports. I believe that all athletes should receive the same treatment
whether they are black or white. Cam Newton receives so much criticism because he is African American.
Color is the first thing critics see when they see Cam Newton. In a current article Newton made the
statement, I'm an African American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven't seen
nothing they can compare me to. In in my opinion, this means that Cam Newton is unapologetic for his
behavior on the field. With that being said, I don't think he should because he isn't doing anything
wrong. Critics take Cam Newton and make him out to be the press through the media. I don't think
behaviors such as dancing and standing up for yourself in press conferences deserve all of the backlash
that he receives. Newton does a fantastic job on the football field so that aspect cannot be questioned. The
records that he have exceeded speak for itself. I just believe that critics can't stand to see Newton, an
African American who chooses to embrace his religion on the field, be successful. In a small video clip of
EspnFirstTake, Steven A. Smith exclaimed, Many of Cam Newton's critics are players or fans of
opposing teams that the Carolina Panthers' have beaten(ESPN First Take). This means that some
critics are upset that their team lost to Cam Newton's team. I guess that if critics can't beat Newton, the
last option is for them to highlight his actions based off the color of his skin. I say this because it seems
like he is the only player in the league that is criticized for being himself.

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THE CAM NEWTON

ISSUE
Cherrelle Cox
CHARLOTTE- The Cam Newton criticism has been going on for entirely too long. It seems like
Cam Newton can't catch a break from his critics. The only thing that Newton is guilty of is conducting
celebration dances in the end zone. Really the word guilty should not be used because he is not
committing a crime by dancing, but he is criticized anyway.
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers committed a pelvic thrust, which is more offensive than the
Dab dance (Armour 1). The only noticeable difference between Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton is the
color of their skin. Rodgers is Caucasian and Newton is African American. If it is acceptable for
Rodgers and a penalty for Newton then that means that there is a double standard in the NFL. Meaning
that there is one standard for Caucasian players that isn't as harsh and allows them to get away with
things that African Americans cannot. While there is another standard for African Americans that
restricts them from doing anything out of the ordinary.
Critics have grouped Newton into a particular category, the African American category, which involves
showboating and thug-like behavior. One article calls this situation the Illusory Correlation Theory,
which states that a person has an idea about a certain group of people, so when they see someone
similar in color, religion, or sex, they also put that particular person into that same category (Armour
9). This means that the Cam Newton critics already think that African American males are thugs so
when they see Cam Newton doing his Dab dance, they automatically group him into the same category.
The critics' ability to place Newton into this particular category isn't ethical. However, they point out
things such as his celebration dances to hide the face that his race is an issue or a reason for the
criticism that he receives. Newton is too popular in the league. With that being said, critics want
African American athletes to do their job quietly. They don't want Newton to stand out on the football
field. By engaging in celebration dances in the end zone, he does just that. As a result, he receives an
abundant amount of criticism. This is all because he is true to himself and express it on the fields
Cam Newton will never be glorified or accepted in the league because he is unapologetic for being
himself. The presence of the double standard will always allow critics to hide the fact that race is an
issue in the NFL. However, what many people fail to realize is that race have always been a factor in
the NFL for African American Athletes. Critics have managed to cover their wrong doing for decades.
Many African American legends, such as Warren Moon and Doug Williams have defended Newton
because they have encountered some of the same thing that Newton is enduring today. The only
difference is that they were not criticized for conducting a dance, it was something else. In one article,
Doug Williams made the statement, People are going to deny race being a part of the criticism
regardless of the circumstances(Peter 4).

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MEME

(Harris 9)

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Works Cited
Armour, Nancy. The Real Reason behind Criticism of Cam Newton. USA Today (2016): n.p.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Feb.2016.
Bell, Jarrett. Racial Bias Builds Hurdle for Smith. USA Today (2016): n.p. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
Conyer Jr., James L. Race in American Sports. Jefferson: McFarland, 2014. Print.
EspnFirstTake. Cam Newton: Criticized Because Im Incomparable. YouTube. YouTube, 28 Jan.
2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Harris, John. Cam Newton: Why is Race Talk Dominating Media instead of His MVP Performance?
BOSS Sports. BOSS, 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Hubbuch, Bart. You Wont Believe How Warren Moon Described Cam Newton Critics. New York
Post. New York Post, 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
Is Newton Showing Off or Simply Celebrating? USA Today (2016): n.p. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Messianeo, Joe. Why Cam Newton's Dancing is a Dumb Controversy. Football Nation. Football
Nation, LLC. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Peter, Josh. Super bowls First Black Quarterback Defends Cam Newton. USA Today Sports. USA
Today, 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Whitacre, Jake. Cam Newton Questions Reporter's Attire after Being Asked about His Sandal/Sock
Combo. SB Nation. Vox Media, Inc, 4 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

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