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When the Panthers qualified for Super Bowl 50 we knew we were headed for two weeks of garbage Cam Newton takes, and of course they came in as expected. Newton even stoked some of the flames when he addressed the race issue surrounding his haters at a press conference.
But for all of the reasons grumpy adults seem to hate on Newton, he’s a huge hit with the kids.
Charlotte Observer talked to a group of elementary schoolers in the Charlotte area and asked them what they thought about Cam Newton and his Panthers teammates, and their responses would make certain sports columnists’ blood boil.
Ten-year-old Mac McManus said he loves Cam because he actually seems to have fun while he’s on the football field (gasp!).
“He’s my favorite player because every time I see him play, he has so much fun, and I think that’s what leads to some our success on offense. He teaches me that if you have fun with what you’re doing, you can have great success.”
Fifth-grader Montario Davis had a unique way of describing Newton’s excitement when he gets into the end zone.
“I like that every time he scores a touchdown, it doesn’t matter what they say, he never puts a roof on his feelings.”
Newton also has been going out of his way to make sure he gives all of his touchdown balls to kids this year, something that is usually left out by those that criticize him. First-grader Jasmine Olivia-Villatoro spoke about how special she would feel if she was one of the lucky kids to receive a Cam Newton touchdown ball.
“I would feel special. I would keep it where I can see it, and tell my friends and people that I got it from him because that’s the person I like the most on the Panthers.”
When Newton scores his first touchdown in the Super Bowl this year, there are going to be thousands of kids in North Carolina all dabbing at the same time.
