Athletes Should Be Audacious, Not Humble

When watching a sporting event, whether on television or at a venue, the objective is to be entertained. This is why you invest time and energy into sports and why it is such a popular pastime all over the world. Fans flock to teams and players to distract them from the stresses of everyday life.

It is not a serious institution, like politics or religion, and helps connect people who wouldn’t otherwise interact. Athletes are the stars of the show and have a platform as performers that allows them to entertain diverse audiences.

This is why society shouldn’t constrain their athletes and force them to fit into boxes as public figures. We have a habit of telling athletes what they are allowed to be and not to be. What they should say, think and how they should act. They must be “humble” and “set a good example for the kids” according to our own values.

There is a problem with this mentality because who decides what qualifies as humble and a good role model? Also, who is to say there is only one way to behave, ignoring cultural differences that influence how we judge behavior.

If a player likes to dance after scoring, why is that being disrespectful or cocky? There is a buzz in the crowd when you see a player like Cam Newton celebrate a touchdown. He has popularized the “dab” dance, which originates from a song. Through this, Newton has connected black culture with mainstream, white America, and bridged generational divides as well. Fans from all over the country and from all age groups are now dabbin’ thanks to Newton just being himself.

Some fans don’t like this however; they feel it’s showboating and classless. A Carolina Panthers fan has even written a letter to the editor to a local newspaper complaining about Newton’s dancing, celebrating, and trash talking. These fans tend to be older and aren’t likely to be up-to-date with pop culture or current music.

Other fans love Newton’s attitude, tending to be young and a more diverse crowd. Ariel Gonzalez, 23, says “Cam is my dude, he dominates and lets you know it afterwards.” The youth demographic loves that Newton does bow down to the norm or establishment. Corey Jackson, 20, said “He has a ton of fun out there, he isn’t a robot or a cliche machine during interviews. Cam adds flavor to the game.”

Newton is going to be the MVP (most valuable player) in the NFL this season, after leading his team to a 15–1 record. He’s been the best player in football this year, exceeding all exceptions and proving doubters wrong. His talent wasn’t in question, but rather if he could be a leader and if he was mature enough to be a franchise player. Most of this uncertainty stemmed from the fact that Newton was seen as cocky and entitled because of his personality and demeanor.

Nevertheless, he was the first overall pick in the NFL draft in 2011 out of Auburn University, where he had just finished winning a national championship. He has been known for having flair throughout his entire career, which is why he’s become a star athlete. He said at one point while being scouted for the draft that he wanted to be “an entertainer and icon.” This got people to raise their eyebrows and question his potential from the start.

Newton exudes confidence; there is no doubt about it. He has supreme belief in his abilities and himself. This quality plays a huge role in why athletes are successful since it takes unwavering levels of self worth to reach the heights of a superstar in any industry. These traits also help you overcome any socioeconomic disadvantage you may have had growing up, which is a huge portion of NFL players and athletes overall. They escape poverty or overwhelming odds that they will ever be rich and successful by never allowing themselves to be humbled by failure.

The same arrogance that helps a person achieve their dream becomes a detriment once they arrive at their profession’s biggest stage. Then they are taught by publicists, agents, managers and their teams to be boring in order to avoid offending or causing any sort of controversy. Corporate sponsors and public pressure beats the personality and fun out of players. Whoever is interesting or differs from the norm gets ostracized as not playing the right way or not being a good role model.

News flash to fans, athletes are not responsible for you or your kids. Asking entertainers of any kind to behave according to your views is selfish, they don’t owe you anything. They are people, free to make mistakes and formulate their own views. These athletes are not responsible for setting moral standards for society, to ask them to be the perfect citizen according to a narrow view of what that entails is unfair.

The ironic part of this cycle is that the most memorable and beloved athletes are the ones who break the mold. Muhammad Ali became greater than life because he was so cocky, so bombastic, so soulful, so poetic and a ruthless competitor. He spoke out about his Muslim faith, about racism, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war to name a few of his endeavors. This was during a time of major turmoil and social revolution, but Ali did not back down in the face of threats and sabotage to his career. This made him a hated man in his time, but in retrospect it’s what turned him into a global icon.

Audacity is immortal. The courage to be yourself in front of the world, with huge pride and while being completely unapologetic about it is the stuff of legends. Society may say or think that it wants quiet and obedient athletes to idolize, but we are just lying to ourselves. We discuss and remember those who fill us with the most emotion and give us the best memories.

That brings us back to Cam Newton, not that he is Ali or will be. Though he is currently revolutionizing the quarterback position, how it is viewed and how it is played. He is a big, athletic player who is also intelligent and can lead a team emotionally. He produces on the field in a style unlike any other and that has his Carolina Panthers playing in Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco against the Denver Broncos. Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t deny that his audacity makes your sports viewing more interesting and that is the entire point.