Should Cam Newton Stop Dancing?

Cam Newton has led the Carolina Panthers to a perfect start this NFL season, with the team winning every single one of its first nine games. But their most recent win came with some controversy, as Cam Newton was criticized for his conduct on the field, after dancing while celebrating a rushing touchdown late in the game. The question now is whether or not Newton should be celebrating in such a way after scoring.

Cam Newton Upsets Titans

With the Carolina Panthers leading their game against the Tennessee Titans by two possessions, the Panthers had a chance to put the game away with another touchdown deep inside Titans territory. On a Cam Newton quarterback run, they did just that to go up by 17 points and end any chance at a comeback from Tennessee in a game that had less than three minutes remaining in it.

The score itself surely had the Titans upset already, but it was Newton’s dancing that pushed them over the edge. Newton performed a series of dance maneuvers to excite the crowd, and did not stop doing so even once confronted by a member of the Tennessee defense. When he was done, players from both teams were pushing and shoving as a result of the Titans’ hurt feelings. Newton responded by taking the ball and giving it to a fan in the stands, as he does every time he scores a rushing touchdown.

But was Cam Newton wrong to perform a dance routine after scoring a touchdown, or is this just a case of the Tennessee Titans being sore losers?

Cam Newton Deserves To Dance

When answering the question about whether or not Cam Newton should be dancing after scoring touchdowns, keep in mind that Newton wouldn’t have the opportunity to dance if he was kept out of the end zone by opposing teams. In fact, no player in the NFL would be able to do a touchdown dance if the defense hadn’t failed to allow a touchdown. So when defenders complain about a player dancing, they are really just upset that they weren’t able to prevent the scoring play in the first place.

Furthermore, keep in mind the double standard that exists when touchdown celebrations occur. On one hand, you have players like Cam Newton and Chad Johnson who are criticized for their touchdown celebrations, while you have players like JJ Watt and Rob Gronkowski who have their own celebrations when they succeed yet aren’t criticized at all. When you look at those two pairs of players, you’ll notice that race tends to be a factor in the criticism of players such as Newton who dare to do the exact same thing that his white counterparts do regularly.

At the end of the day, if the Tennessee Titans did a better job on Sunday, Cam Newton would have had nothing to dance about. So for fans, pundits, and players to complain about Newton’s dance moves is silly. They should complain about the Titans for not living up to their end of the bargain by making their game against the Carolina Panthers competitive.

By: Jason M. Sanin