Cam Newton has been the topic of conversation for football fans all over the country this season, and his MVP performance has led the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record and an appearance in Super Bowl 50 this Sunday.

Newton has everyone from kindergarten students, to senior citizens, to brides dabbin’ in Panthers gear. He also has everyone that isn’t a Panthers fan voicing their opinion on how his touchdown dances, first down proclamations and recent postgame antics are not how a quarterback (the traditional leader of the team) is supposed to behave.

My argument is this: however you feel about Newton’s demeanor on the field says more about you than it does about Newton.
A few things to consider: Newton is playing a game for your entertainment and his livelihood. The only responsibility he has is to win games and perform up to his contract, and he isn’t physically harming anyone or costing his team penalty yards, points or money. Newton has done all these things and more while playing quarterback at a level that hasn’t been seen in the National Football League, ever.

However, Newton’s character has been constantly called into question for reasons that have nothing to do with football and everything to do with preconceived notions, but this is not a race issue; this is a generational issue.

For football fans over a certain age, let’s say your parents for a general understanding, it makes them uncomfortable to see an athlete self-aggrandizing the way Newton does. Baseball fans saw the same thing this past postseason when Blue Jays slugger José Bautista hit a go-ahead homerun in Game five of the American League Divisional Series and flipped his bat high in the air, sparking a bench clearing fracas.

Like the people crying foul on Bautista, the loudest critics of Newton are usually the ones farthest away from him in age. How can someone accurately judge Newton’s character when we only see him for three hours a week in a highly emotionally charged setting such as the NFL?

These people bash Newton for “unnecessary actions” on the field, but fail to commend him for the unnecessary actions off the field. A simple search on the Internet would reveal that his foundation fed over 900 children in the Charlotte area for Thanksgiving this year, and that was just one event in one month.

Instead of calling Newton childish, immature or disrespectful to the game, take the time to consider why you are having these feelings. People don’t approve of how he celebrates because they say it is not how a “leader” is supposed to act, but Newton has done just that by leading his team to the league’s best record and the Panther organization to their second Super Bowl.

Newton doesn’t have to fit anyone’s definition of a leader except his coaches’ and teammates’. Until either one of those groups come out in opposition of how Newton celebrates his accomplishments, no matter if it’s a first down in the second quarter or a go-ahead touchdown, I say let him keep dabbin’.