Category Archives: Carolina Panthers

8itorials, Carolina Panthers

Cam’s “Bad Look” Is a Welcomed Sight for Panther Fans

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At this point, nothing needs to be recapped about what happened after last night’s Super Bowl. None of it should have come as a shock, either. Cam, like most athletes, really hates losing. On the flip side, sportswriters really love talking to athletes who just lost. For some, it’s the opportunity to reach athletes when they’re most vulnerable. For others, it gets them off to see larger-than-life idols forced to be humbled by becoming the same sorry failures “normal people” see in themselves. Those people were about to have their Super Bowl. The mighty Cam Newton was going to have to sit and take it, until he decided he wasn’t going to do that. It was predictable, it was childish, and to be completely honest, incredibly reassuring for Panther fans.

If you thought Cam was going to be humble, you played yourself. That’s not Cam. In fact, had Cam taken the podium with an opening statement expressing his disappointment in the loss, congratulating his competitors, promising to come back even better, and spouting off any other cliches other quarterbacks pluck from Bing searches to use in post-game interviews, it would be a safe bet that we’d never see Cam in another Super Bowl.

The “if you don’t like me dancing, don’t let me score” mentality works both ways, and it was again quite obvious that Cam lacks the ability to process defeat. If he doesn’t like dealing with questions after a loss, then don’t lose. And he’s probably not going to lose all that often moving forward because of that mentality. Lack of leadership? That is leadership. At least it’s Cam’s version of it, and the consistency is admirable. He is going to spend no time thinking about how to handle losing better because, in his mind, he’s never going to lose again.

The personality of this Panthers team drew everyone in this season. You either loved them, or you hated them, and both opinions were entirely acceptable and understandable. That must continue in order to be successful. The team is in real trouble if the first touchdown next year ends with Cam handing the ball to the back judge and jogging back to the sideline. The Panthers played tight twice this past season: first in Atlanta, coming off of the New York Giants game where there was incredible external pressure to reel in their personalty, and again in the Super Bowl, where there’s such an inescapable myth that you have to respect the magnitude of the game. For Carolina to make it back to the Super Bowl, the fun has to be there.

Be prepared, though. You think the hot takes are bad today? Just wait until the first time we see a first down celebration next year. The inevitable “Cam learned nothing from the Super Bowl” takes will be so vicious they’ll make today seem like constructive criticism. In reality, Cam learned plenty from the Super Bowl. He learned again how much it sucks to lose. Here’s to hoping he never matures enough to handle it with grace.

Carolina Panthers, Music Videos

Stat Boi’s Track of the Week #8 (Super Bowl Edition)

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The last two weeks — since the Panthers whipped the Cardinals in Charlotte — have been a blur. I watched just about every second of the 2015 season for the Panthers. You don’t have to be a scout to see why this team is good; it’s painfully obvious; the formula really isn’t that complicated. With the Panthers, though, it’s not just about the eye test — check the numbers (this team led the league in point differential), too, including some of the deeper analytics. There’s no questioning how good this team is, and yet…somehow I still can’t believe we’re here.

Ever since Carolina drafted Cam Newton No. 1 overall back in 2011, I’ve defended him to my friends. There have been peaks and valleys with this scenario, but I carried that goddamn water. I realize that at times I was probably also trying to convince myself: Cameron Jerrell Newton is The Franchise. It just always seemed like if he could correct a few small things…my god, could you imagine? He’d be the perfect player: a bored teenager’s created player from Madden who has come to life. Oh, and he happens to play for your favorite team. How did this happen? What did we do to deserve this?

Well, here we are now. Later tonight, he’ll almost certainly be named the league MVP, and with a win tomorrow, he could cap one of the five or ten best team seasons in the history of the NFL. The Panthers are 17-1, and favored to win the Super Bowl. Turn up the LCD Soundsystem — this is happening.

I was lucky enough to be at this year’s NFC Championship game; it was amazing to watch Cam in person. You simply can’t take your eyes off of him — even in warm-ups. If you brought a person from Latvia who’d never seen football before — KRAPSNAPS PAZINGAS, perhaps  — they could take one look at the pitch and know immediately who the best player on the field is; it’s the dude with the Superman t-shirt on under his No. 1-stiched jersey. There’s an aura surrounding him; he projects energy.

My favorite act in the history of music is Outkast — the pride of Atlanta, which also happens to be the city Cam hails from. At the 1995 Source Awards, these two dudes were named Best New Rap Group; when they went to the stage to accept their award, famously, they were booed. Everyone cared about the two coasts — East, West. Who in the hell were these country boys from the South?

Twenty years later, however, we know exactly who Outkast is: they’re the best group in the history of rap music. I won’t hear any other answers. Nowadays, we look back on the Kast as being visionaries ahead of their time — a paradigm shift. They were from the future. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, though, we can all agree: the future is now, too, with Cam. You want to deny that, or try to tell me otherwise…nah, hush that fuss.

Stat Boi’s track of the week: “Rosa Parks” by Outkast.

The genesis of this gif is from those 95 Source Awards. Take it away, 3 Stacks, we know what the deal is. Enjoy the game tomorrow, everyone. Go Panthers.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers Inspire More Letters to the Editor from “Offended” fans

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Yet again, Panther fans have taken to the Charlotte Observer website to submit emotionally charged letters to the editor. First, it was Tennessee Mom who wrote about Cam’s dancing negatively impacting her ability to be a successful parent. Then, it was the announcement of the birth of the unmarried quarterback’s child. Now? It’s Panther fan Lang Maddox’s horrible homemade rap video.

Just like everyone else around the Carolinas, I’m extremely excited about the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl. I’m not so excited, however, about Panther fans like YouTube content creator Lang Maddox posting viral rap videos on the internet. It’s bad enough to make fun of people with speech impediments with her hook “Panther Nation, P-Panther Nation”, but to just so openly flaunt her white culture with wack lyrics like “I look down in my hands and I see this skin of pig” to describe holding a football, it’s completely inexcusable. Musicians are role models, and I hope Lang can take a good, hard look at true hip hop artists like Petey Pablo who do things the right way. How can I even explain Lang to my kids?

Okay … full disclosure … we wrote this one. We’ll see if the Observer has the courage to run it. And we hope to see you at the SportsChannel8 Super Bowl Pre-Game Show at Trophy Brewing on Sunday from 3 to 5PM.

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Carolina Panthers, NFL, Video

Cam Newton’s Band-Aids For Feelings

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SportsChannel8 proudly presents our Super Bowl ad for Cam Newton’s Band-Aids for Feelings. Enjoy and be sure to join us at the Panthers Trophy Party before the Super Bowl!

Carolina Panthers, Food, NFL

Event: SportsChannel8 Panthers Pre-Party At Trophy!!!

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Will the Panthers win Super Bowl 50? Will they lose? Is it odd people are talking more about Cam’s race than Peyton being investigated for HGH use? How will we feel after the game based on the outcome?

These are questions we don’t have answers to.

What we do know: by Sunday afternoon, Panthers fans will be jacked up and looking for a way to kill the remaining hours before kick-off (that hopefully will stay in bounds).

WE HAVE A PLAN.

What: Panthers Pre-game Party with the SportsChannel8 crew. We’ll have televisions with pre-game coverage on, and we’ll be staying at the bar to watch the game.

Where:  Trophy Brewing on Maywood in Raleigh (map here)

When: Super Bowl Sunday, 3pm-???? (We’ll be watching the game at the bar)

Who: I said, the SportsChannel8 crew, who else?! Some of the good folks from Trophy will be around as well so you can check out their huge new brewing facilities.

What else:  man, you’re demanding. There will be food trucks, contests for prizes (Garth Brooks tickets, ACC hoops tickets, Trophy gear), maybe even a free beer if you can prove to the SportsChannel8 crew you’re not a bandwagon fan of either a) the Panthers or b) SportsChannel8

Monday morning, hopefully, we’ll be fans of the SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Carolina Panthers. Monday afternoon/evening you’ll probably just want a beer to calm the nerves and the fellowship of other Panthers fans.

Please join us.

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8itorials, Carolina Panthers

The most annoying fanbase in pro sports gets what they deserve

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Nobody hates Russell Wilson, Seattle fans. Well, aside from maybe during a football game when the most ridiculous play ever happens and he’s on the positive end 99 times out of 100. That’s not why this is funny. This is funny because everyone hates you.

For a solid two weeks, ever since the Carolina Panthers bounced you from the playoffs with a historic 31 point first half explosion, you’ve taken to the internet to tweet through it, to post video blogs, or to pen letters to national sportswriters just to work through your feelings about your favorite team losing.

 

Look, truth be told, Panthers fans would probably be doing the same thing if the Seahawks had knocked Carolina out of the playoffs … again. But it’s the general tone of “right vs. wrong” and “classy vs. classless” that makes you the worst kind of fan in all of sports. All of your angst orbits one simple core belief that Russell Wilson is a better person than Cam Newton. Russell is genuine and humble, and Cam is flashy is self-serving. The punchline is that Cam’s flash and enjoyment of the game is far more likely to be genuine and come from a good place than the act that your quarterback puts on.

And yet none of you are in on the joke, which makes you the mark. So when stuff like this comes out, where your quarterback Googles how to tweet public compliments to his celebrity girlfriend, it’s hilarious. Not because it make Russell look silly. It just further confirms your role as the mark.

 

 

Carolina Panthers, NFL

Gr8 Deb8: Does Cam Newton Need To Apologize to Lil B?

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Headed into the Super Bowl you want your team to be in optimal condition: physically, mentally and, yes, cosmically. It is the third category we address here. No one wants their team or favorite player suffering from jinxes or curses beyond their powers to control that will hinder their performance in a big game. At the same time, one needn’t offer undue respect to half-way prophets and wannabe hexers.

This week it was suggested that rapper Lil B “invented” the Dab dance move–undoubtedly made popular to the masses by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton–back in 2010. The question arose: does Cam need to pay reverence, or even apologize, to Lil B for using his move in order to avoid the dreaded “Based God’s Curse?” We asked Really, Really Lil B (Brett Thompson) and Stat Boi (Brian Geisinger)  to look at both sides in a Gr8 Deb8:

YES: Cam should apologize

by Brett Thompson

I am a huge fan of Cam. I wear a blue #1 jersey with pride on Sundays. I have a sticker of him dabbing on my laptop. I’ve watched his NFL Network mic’d up segment at least 20 times. I’m a firm believer that he currently embodies what the likable star athlete should be: Successful, exciting, fun and real. He’s about to play in the biggest game of his life: Super Bowl 50. He’s on top of the world.

It takes just one man to bring it all crashing down, and he need to make amends with that man immediately.

It’s not Roger Goodell, who actually probably really appreciates what Newton is doing for the NFL’s #brand right now. It’s not Seahawks fans, who are currently trying to ban Newton from their stadium so they never have to lose to him at home again. It’s not even John Kasay, who the team should probably avoid like the plague, just in case.

Cam needs to make things right with Lil B The Based God right now.

This fall, dabbing swept the nation by storm thanks to Migos’ banger, “Pipe It Up.” It’s a fun song and dabbing is really easy and cool, so naturally once Newton did it, everybody started doing it.

This week, Vice dropped a bombshell: Lil B might have invented the dab.

This is the biggest deal, Cam.

For those who didn’t know, Lil B is known as one of the rawest rappers alive, using an eclectic blend of sharp lyricism and sensational beats to establish himself as one of the few songbirds of this generation. His most recent mixtape, “Thugged Out Pissed Off,” was a three-disc collector’s set, a concept album that explored life on the streets of the Bay Area through Lil B’s eyes.

He’s more famous, however, for his past issue with superstar athletes.

Has Cam ever heard of Kevin Durant?

Durant was once in the conversation with LeBron James as the best player in the NBA. He even won the MVP trophy in 2014. He was well on his way to becoming the new face of basketball itself.

Then he called Lil B a “wack” rapper.

Lil B, as any sane and righteous human being would do, cursed Kevin Durant and dropped the hottest diss track of 2014 on KD. Durant missed large chunks of last season due to injury, and has been usurped by Russell Westbrook as the best player on his team as a result. He has never been the same.

Are you not convinced yet?

Enter James Harden.

Harden, like Cam, developed his own signature dance as he hit the prime of his career. Instead of dabbing, Harden did the “cooking dance” after hitting shots.

Unfortunately for Harden, Lil B invented the cooking dance IN THE SAME MUSIC VIDEO HE INVENTED THE DAB IN back in 2010. Lil B found out about this in May of 2015 and told Harden to pay respect. Harden denied awareness of The Based God’s existence, and Lil B cursed him, too. Harden’s Rockets flamed out in the Western Conference Finals.

The Based God’s Curse is real, and Newton needs to pay homage to Lil B before it’s too late. Cam has hung out with Young Jeezy and Future. He’s eaten Bojangles with DMX and Mike Epps. He’s listened to 2 Chainz in your legendary Beats by Dre commercial.

It’s time to let Lil B into his circle before it’s too late. Before the Super Bowl dream turns into a nightmare. Before Cam possibly never scores a touchdown again, and for once, think of the children when they don’t get those touchdown balls.

NO: No Band-aids for Lil B’s feelings

by Brian Geisinger

While SportsChannel8 would never want to offend a person with the cosmic reach of one Lil B, something has to be said in Cam’s defense here. This will be sweet and short, unlike a Based God record (in 2011, he released a 676-track mixtape), because I don’t want to waste too much time on this foolery. You’re the Dab Daddy, and you don’t owe anyone jack, man.

I know you’re not concerned with this comedy. Trust me, I don’t forget that you’ve stared the Sports Illustrated cover jinx in the face and laughed. You even made a made viral attempt to become the face of Madden. We all kunnamednow you’re too busy hoverboarding (that’s a verb, right?) around Charlotte, and taking pictures with buddies Young Jeezy and Future before the biggest game of your life to be worried about the genesis of the dab.

Do people actually think you should be sweating where you got a certain dance from when this is your crew? Nah, homes. Nah.

If there’s any party who actually owes the Based God an apology, it would have to be the aforementioned Migos. However, I’m guessing no one really wants to start stuff with them, because this is a trio that’s not afraid to literally get in a freaking highway shootout. No, seriously.

I have no issue if Lil B wants to join the Panthers bandwagon; we welcome aboard just about anyone, especially if they have a good ear for beats and extraterrestrial powers. Steph Curry can play intermediary, too, if need be. But just to reiterate: you’ve done nothing wrong. Please continue to score touchdowns and dance and dab and laugh at fools who can’t stop you. Questions about who invited the dab may exist, but there’s no confusion surrounding who’s made it popular: that’s you, Cam. This is precisely what the kids refer to these days as #based.

Also, Cam: how quickly do you think Lil B would reverse his stance on if The Servant found his way to the Bay Area this offseason? this offseason? Just saying.

#KeepPounding, and thank you, #BasedCam.