Hip-Hop, dancing, and “arrogance” isn’t what comes to mind when you think of NFL quarterbacks. We have been brainwashed to think that there is a certain kind of guy that has to be the face of a professional football teams franchise. Let’s think of the first names that come to mind.

1) Tom Brady

2) Peyton Manning

3) Aaron Rodgers

Those three are just modern-day names that the casual, or, new generation fan might associate with. Let’s go a little further back.

4) Joe Montana

5) Joe Namath

6) Terry Bradshaw

Do you associate those names with the Hip-Hop culture? Well, maybe except for Rodgers because I like his discount double-check celebration. But for real, which one of those guys do you think kids of THIS age watch on YouTube and TV and try to emulate?

None of them, right? There’s one guy right now who embodies that feel, that culture. He goes by the name of Cameron Jerrell Newton.

Whether you like it or not, Newton is going to be the face of the NFL for another decade. Even though the Carolina Panthers came up short in the Super Bowl on Sunday versus the Broncos, don’t think Newton and his team are going to go away in silence.

But for a second, let’s imagine a world where Newton was judged on the same scale as the other QB’s I mentioned before. And when I say lets judge them on a similar scale, I mean for everything that athlete brings, on and off the field. Because for Newton that seems to be something he has to deal with more than most franchise QB’s.

I’ve been known to speak on subjects that may not be comfortable for everyone. I push the envelope to get to the truth. This is no different.

I’ll just be come out and ask the question, why is Newton bashed, criticized, talked down on and beaten into the ground for his every action? Do I think this is a race issue? No. At first, yes I did. But the more I thought about it I realized that it was a different problem. It was beyond the color of his skin, I mean, Russell Wilson is the medias golden boy. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. Wilson is well spoken, he gives you the politically correct answer, he’s a child of God, and he doesn’t hit the dab on you when he scores a TD (if you don’t get that reference this article is aimed at you.)

I realized that Newton is considered a thug because he wears a hoodie and beanie during Super Bowl media week instead of his Sunday church suit. This is an issue of culture. Media, mostly older Caucasian males, just aren’t comfortable seeing someone so extremely confident. Someone who knows how good he is, and isn’t afraid to show it. Someone that just doesn’t fit the old school. Someone who runs on you for 35 yards then hits a dance move you’ve never seen before.

Newton himself said it best, we’ve never seen a QB that possesses the skill set he was blessed with. And he’s not wrong, who can you say Newton reminds you of? No one. I’ve heard one guy tell me Big Ben but I laughed, Big Ben wishes he possessed the athleticism Newton brings to the table. Name the last QB you saw who was built like your best defensive linemen? Or who is as fast, if not faster, than most RB’s he would ever share the backfield with. A QB who could lower his shoulder and knock back the baddest defensive players in the NFL. There isn’t one, Cam Newton is transforming not only the Quarterback position, but also the NFL.

Change isn’t always welcome, it’s mostly met with resistance. I love change, it’s a sign of growth and new chapters in my life. The same can be said for Newton and what he brings to the game of football.

Newton is being criticized by a generation of folks who want him to understand their culture but have no interest in EVEN TRYING to understand his. See what I’m saying? This is the power struggle of our generation. Cam is taking the spread offense, mobile QB, dual threat style that Vince Young started at Texas and is perfecting it in Carolina. He’s the new generations prototypical QB. Which I think is going to be to the detriment of most franchises in the future when looking at potential QB’s. Why you ask? Because they have never made a Cam Newton before, and I can guarantee they never will. That fact alone is what makes him so special.

Did your parents like the music you grew up listening to it? I know mine didn’t. I once read that Elvis Presley’s dancing was once considered too risqué for TV so when he used to perform they only showed him from his waist up. Just 50 something years ago African-Americans were segregated because of the color of their skin, now Barack Obama is The President Of The United States Of America.

My point is that there is always one person who comes in and shakes up the status quo. One guy who comes in and sets the bar for the new norm. One guy is all it takes to start a revolution. Cam is on his way to being that guy for the NFL. The guy who came in and changed everything.

When you come in and shake up what some people have grown to love, of course you’re going to ruffle some feathers. But like I always say, success is the best revenge. I love how Cam dances after he makes the defense look foolish, or how his face lights up when he scores and runs the ball over to a kid in the front seat. Maybe if we gave him a chance to be the superstar that he will be, trust me, he’s going to be the man no matter how much you hate. Maybe then we can all realize that just because you don’t like what someone does doesn’t make them a bad person. Maybe we can learn how to embrace people’s culture. Maybe he can be the guy who teaches us to judge someone by what they do, and not your own personal agenda.