Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sounds the drum prior to Carolina’s Wild Card game on Jan. 10.
Courtesy of AL.com
In 2011, my dad bought my brother and me Cam Newton jerseys. It was his rookie year, and I did not fully understand football yet—but I knew one thing: this guy was different.
I wore my No. 1 jersey everywhere. Summer training camps, to games, even to school. Growing up, I was one of the only Panthers fans in my class. But I didn’t care. People might have had the Legion of Boom or Peyton Manning. I had Cam.
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I will never forget the 2015 NFC Championship. Snow fell outside our new house as the Panthers dominated the Arizona Cardinals. We were headed to Super Bowl 50. And it all started with one man: Cam Newton.
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Cam was not just a quarterback. He reset Charlotte. He made our city fun, swaggy and impossible to ignore. Suddenly, Bank of America Stadium was not just a stadium—it was the place to be. He put Charlotte on the map, on every sports highlight reel, in every conversation.
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He even brought out the celebrities. Future. Metro Boomin. Charlotte native Stephen Curry. The energy was unmatched.
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Cam’s first chapter in Carolina ended abruptly when the Panthers released him in 2020. The city felt it. It was more than football—it was losing part of our identity.
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Then he came back in 2021. The record may not have told the story, but the energy did. Watching him run out of the tunnel, seeing every seat filled with fans wearing No. 1 jerseys again—it felt like 2015 all over. His infamous Superman celebration reminded us why we loved him, why we believed in this team.
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And in 2026, for the Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, I witnessed it again. The electricity, the noise, the sheer thrill of hearing a pounding drum that was bigger than any one play—it was Cam. It always was.
Despite what critics might say, you cannot deny what Cam Newton did for Charlotte—and for its people. He did not just play football; he gave a city its swagger, its pride, its Sunday magic.
And the city will never forget the culture he built, the joy he sparked and the energy he brought back with the “Keep Pounding” drumbeat before the 2026 playoff game. I hope he continues to be a guiding light for Charlotte and the Panthers’ new chapter.