The NFL's pearl-clutchers and couch-fainters got upset Sunday because Cam Newton did a dance.
Cam Newton GOAT pic.twitter.com/YEO877WRQi
— Football Is Life (@FootbaIl_Tweets) November 15, 2015
The most upset person was Titans LB Avery Williamson, No. 54, who saw Newton dancing and sprinted over to Newton to yell at him.
Hmmm ... Titans LB Avery Williamson? Where have I heard that name before?
Oh, yeah, from earlier in the game when Williamson sacked Newton and did Drake's dance from the "Hotline Bling" video:
So, let's get this straight. Williamson made a big play, then turned to the crowd, did a fun dance craze the kids are doing these days, and nobody made a big deal about it. It wasn't an affront to humanity. It was just a player celebrating.
A few minutes later, Newton made a big play, turned to the crowd, and did a fun dance craze the kids are doing these days. Williamson made a HUGE deal about this, and now it's a topic for discussion on talk radio and ESPN.
The things they did were almost identical. The only difference is that one of them happened after a good thing for Williamson, and the other happened after a bad thing for Williamson. This isn't about Cam Newton being a disgrace to the integrity of the game. This is about Williamson having hurt feelings and acting on it.
It's one thing if you just don't think athletes should be allowed to celebrate things ever. I don't agree with this viewpoint, but I respect your right to have it. I love when athletes celebrate. I think it's the most human part of sports. I enjoy watching people express joy. If you don't enjoy watching people express joy, I think you're a weirdo who takes sports too seriously, but at least I appreciate that, intellectually, you have a consistent viewpoint.
Avery Williamson apparently does not have that viewpoint. He likes celebrating, but also gets offended and upset when people celebrate after beating him. It's not actually a coherent argument about "doing things the right way" or "acting like you've been there before." It's just sour grapes, and making a federal case out of it is just hypocrisy.