Clay's Celebration Is Cute, Cam's Is Not...And I Know Why

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Carolina’s Cam Newton is making headlines with his sparkling play for the 9-0 Carolina Panthers, but he is also making headlines with his touchdown celebration. After scoring on a touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Newton celebrated by ‘Dabbing’ in the end zone.

‘Dabbing’ is looked at as an act of confidence. It’s urban, hip-hop slang. If that definition is not good enough, check out the video which is linked below and give your own name for it. Anyway, a Titans’ fan said her 9-year-old daughter was taken aback by Newton’s celebration. And she penned a long letter to Newton, in which as copy was given to the Charlotte Observer.

Charlotte Observer. arlotteobserver.com/opinion/article45163665.html

I am assuming here the author, Rosemary Plorin is white. Now, I could be absolutely totally wrong about this. And, if I am it blows everything that I am wrting to hell. But in the words of the great Muhammad Ali, if I am wrong that she is a white, “I will catch the first plane out of the country!”

I am supremely confident Rosemary is a white lady. A black woman would’ve either thought Cam’s dance was cool, or she would have said something like, “That boy looks like a damn fool out there doing that stupid dance.”

This is because white people and black people often see things totally differently. And, there are many instances where I believe white people actually think they mean well, but their ignorance of the black experience makes it impossible to do so.

This could, perhaps, be Ms. Plorin’s attempt in good faith, which I will never know unless I get the chance to meet her. But, what I do know is whites often look at the worse of the African-American community and culture. However, they celebrate the best of their community and culture.

Cam Newton is hardly the only guy in the NFL to do a celebration dance after a touchdown. Hell, in today’s NFL, players do it after making a tackle, or catching a pass.

Personally, I am not a big fan of it. I am old school. Make the play, get back into the huddle and let them know you will be back. The coolest touchdown celebration to me is hall of famer Barry Sanders handing the ball back to the ref. I guess he saved his creativity for his incredible running style.

But, back to the so called Newton celebration ‘controversy?’. I wonder why Green Bay’s Clay Matthews didn’t get this kind of criticism for his celebration dance following a sack against the Chicago Bears earlier this season? Matthews grinding, gyrations belonged in a strip club. But as I look for kickback against his move, all I can find is how sexy and cute it was.

I honestly believe the fact Matthews is white is a factor in how his dance was received. It is at least part of the reason his actions were not judged as arrogant or callous. If anything, Matthews is looked at as just being ‘playful’, or he got caught up in the moment. The same applies for Matthews’ teammate, Aaron Rodgers. His touchdown celebration has been marketed into a commercial, “Discount Double Check.’ But Matthews and Rodgers get a pass.

So, if it is OK for Matthews to do his strip club sack dance, it should be OK for Newton to do his ‘dabbin” dance. Linked below are video clips of Rodgers’, Matthews,’ and Newtons’ celebrations.