Let's try to decipher what's going on in this new Cam Newton Under Armour commercial.
OK, so Newton is in a dark place, literally and figuratively. Let's start there. In his most recent game, Super Bowl 50, we all know the Panthers laid a big ol' egg. Newton was buried by criticism afterwards, both for his performance on the field (Dive on that ball, man!) and an inability to keep his cool during his postgame presser. A bad day all around.
The criticism obviously stings Newton to this day. He feels like he can't escape it. Critics seem to follow him wherever he goes. I GET WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, but first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks. ... Prince with a Thousand Enemies never be destroyed."
Wait, that's Newton's real-life mom on voiceover duties? MORE LAYERS. Meanwhile, couldn't Prince with a Thousand Enemies easily be the title of a 2027 Cam Newton autobiography? It all checks out.
Aside: Does anybody remember Cam's first big commercial campaign with Under Armour? It was ... not like this:
That was a different Cam. A younger Cam. A more innocent Cam. That Cam is gone.
In his place is Cam Newton smack in the middle of his intriguing dark period. The smiling Superman is now a brooding Dark Knight. A man who will literally run through oak trees to avoid his demons.
This is a good commercial.
