You can be beautiful and powerful at the same time.” This year we really wanted to bring out a powerful woman and a strong woman, like I said. Around the time of the 2015 Australian Open, she said of her backless neon tennis dress, “Throughout the years we went for a more conservative look. Serena Williams frequently comments on her attire. Except in sports, where it’s apparently more acceptable for women to attract attention for their wardrobe. Women take issue - and rightly so - when their outfits and appearance are noticed more than their job performance. So what is it about Newton that consistently elicits such faux outrage? He simply wears unique clothes, expresses a robust range of human emotion, and doesn’t like to lose. His attire isn’t Dennis Rodman-level absurd his outbursts aren’t the second coming of John McEnroe and his poor sportsmanship is not anywhere near the level of Hope Solo. Newton isn’t in the news for beating up a girlfriend, driving drunk, or skipping drug tests. Slowly, and not a little strangely, Newton’s attitude and attire have replaced past NCAA eligibility concerns as red herrings du jour. Though he won the Heisman and a national championship, his 2010 season was marred by controversy over his NCAA eligibility, a topic that followed him into the NFL. Off-field distractions haunted him through much of his college career. Of course, none of this is new for Newton. The New York Post was even harsher, writing that he “sulked like a baby.” A Yahoo article quipped that he went from Superman to “Incredible Sulk.” “Newton, however, takes sulking to an entirely different level when things don’t go his way.” “It’s one thing to be dejected after a defeat, media columnist Jeffri Chadiha wrote. ![]() Then, at the end of the season, after Newton’s Super Bowl loss, he was criticized again - this time for being too sullen at the post-game presser. Is that what your coaches and mentors modeled for you, Mr. A mother even lamented, in an open letter written directly to Newton, “Unfortunately, what you modeled for them today was egotism, arrogance and poor sportsmanship. Somehow, people were more offended by Cam’s post-touchdown dancing and dabbing than they were enthralled with his stupendous athleticism. Distracted by his football and fashion celebrations, it took many analysts months to realize that the Panthers 2015 performance was no fluke. Last year, Newton’s post-game attire was less ridiculous, his game-play Pro-Bowl stellar, and yet the press and general public still found ways to ignore his performance on the field. His outfits certainly provide a convenient distraction from his poor performance, but is it fair that coverage of his sartorial choices tend to trump discussions of his on-field performance? Or is there something more insidious - even sinister - at play? ![]() Newton is in the midst of a decidedly lackluster season, having completed a dismal 53.5 percent of his passes with nine interception and winning just five games through Week 14.
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