In this era of unselfish athletes who train hard and practice harder, it’s not easy to find role models who stand for what is right about sports. Guys doing charity work, autograph signings, and being fan friendly is not what we seek. Playing professional sports is about entertaining people, not being a good role model. We don’t care if you take money from boosters or pump your body full of steroids. So long as your scoring touchdowns and popping pitches out of the park, we’re happy.
That’s why it’s nice to finally have someone like former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton who truly gets it. During a phone interview with Peter King of SI Tuesday, Newton said “I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.”
That’s the exact sort of mindset all athletes should have. And to prove that Newton is fully aware of how advanced his perspective is a young player, he offered this up to Yahoo!’s Dan Wetzel.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant but I did something in one year people couldn’t do in their whole collegiate careers,” Newton said. “We had a chance to do something great and we did it.”
Cam is exactly right. If more players had his desire and winning attitude, this country wouldn’t be full of as many losers as it is right now. I don’t get what all the negative backlash for Newton’s comments is all about. This kid is a winner and knows how to win. You think Vince Lombardi would have had a problem with this guy’s attitude? He would have been the first coach trying to pull a Ditka in order to move up and take Newton. So would I.
It’s amazing how many young players enter the NFL with a foolish team-first attitude. It’s not about pleasing your coaches and teammates — it’s all about entertaining the fans. What’s the point of having sports if the players involved aren’t putting a smile on the face of the people watching it?
