By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

As a society we love our polls. As sports fans polls have almost become as important as the actual sports themselves.

There are preseason polls, in-season polls that entire shows are built around, way too early to predict polls, and numerous ones polling who is the best such and such at whatever. I’m pretty sure there’s even a poll that polls which polls should be polled.

So, it’s not at all surprising that the NFL not only released a poll of the Top 100 NFL Players going into this season, but that Cam Newton was at the top of the list. When you’re a quarterback who is about to enter your prime and are coming off an MVP season, it’s kind of hard to go with anyone else.

Instead of arguing the validity of his ranking though it got me thinking about a different poll that Newton would undoubtedly be at the top of: Most Polarizing NFL Player.

You are either of fan of Newton’s and think he’s the heir apparent to Michael Jackson’s dancing skills, or you stood and applauded the crazy lady from Tennessee who got her feelings hurt when Cam showed off those skills in the end zone after scoring. There doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room in between.

Look, I completely understand why people aren’t fans of Newton. He brash, cocky, and the press conference after the Super Bowl certainly didn’t help him gain any fans that may have been on the fence.

On the surface he seems to be the poster child for a spoiled generation that many people over a certain age just don’t relate to.

Plus, if your team happened to play the Panthers last year there’s a pretty good chance he did his best “American History X” interpretation and curb stomped them on the way to a Carolina victory.

What I don’t quite understand though, is how deep the hatred seems to go. As far as I know Cam has never been arrested, or even sniffed any type of legal trouble since joining the league.

His antics may be a little over the top on the field, but he’s never been caught cheating on the field and has a healthy respect for current players and those who came before him. His teammates and coaches love to be around him and he does an awful lot of charity work in and around the Charlotte area.

He may be a little more outspoken or flashy than we as fans like our quarterbacks, and leaders of our teams to be, but for all intents and purposes he is a great representative of the NFL.

I was a little surprised a while back when Cam said he was going to tone down his celebrating on the field. For one, I don’t think passing on doing the Ickey Shuffle after scoring is going to make that much of a positive impact on his image, if that is what he in fact trying to do.

Also, playing with emotion is such a huge part of his game that trying to reign that aspect in may become more of hindrance than anything.

Cam has a lot on his shoulders coming into the season and will be under immense pressure for not only what he does on how field, but how he handles himself.

Of course, if he wants to know how he’s doing, and where his popularity is at, he can pick up any paper across the country and simply read it. I’m sure there will be a poll that will have an answer for him.