Player etiquette?

Was Cam Newton right to leave?

By Davie Wong, Sports Reporter

Super Bowl mayhem is finally ramping down, and as the dust settles, we look at what remains relevant. Ironically, it isn’t any of the winners that people are talking about. Is Cam Newton a sore loser?

Well the simple answer to that is, yes. Newton has previously admitted to media that he is a “sore loser,” but is it that simple? Nothing is ever as simple as it seems in the world of sports, and the same goes for this.

Newton, who was named MVP of the league this year, is in a lot of hot water for his behaviour after his team’s loss in the Super Bowl. Traditionally, when teams lose, they are still expected to be available for a post-game press conference. This year, Newton appeared at his conference, apologized to his fans for the loss, and abruptly left. His actions caused an uproar amongst fans, who were quick to call him out on his behaviour, labelling him as a child playing a grownup’s game.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Newton has received negative attention for his behaviour this season. Newton is known as one of the more colourful personalities in the league. When he wins, he ensures the whole world knows it. The fact that his team only lost once in the regular season did not help his seemingly inflated ego. That being said, it would be hard to argue against Newton’s dominance this season. The man earned every second of his short-lived media fame. But does that justify his actions in walking away from his press conference?

Many people feel like he wronged the entire league by disrespecting the culture of the post-media press conference. To that, I have to say, so what? If anyone put themselves in that position, having lost a maybe once-in-a-lifetime game, I’m sure that few people would want to face media questions asking them why they played so poorly.

On top of all of that, consider the fact that behind Newton, they were conducting an interview with one of the players on the winning team, and discussing how the opposition’s defence was able to overpower the league MVP. It was audible to Newton during his post-game conference.

To lose the championship game, and then hear the other team bragging about it while being expected to answer questions from a hungry media? It’s no wonder Newton left abruptly. I don’t know many people who would be able to stay in that situation.