Cam Newton is making Charlotte cool on a national scale

For a variety of reasons, this fall has been the Season of Cam, and as a result, Charlotte has spent more time than it’s used to in national headlines and as fodder for national narratives. It hasn’t just been his NFL MVP-caliber performance on the field — his off-field exploits have raised his profile throughout North Carolina, the mid-Atlantic and nationally.

Whether or not you like him on the field, there’s no denying that Cam is, well, really cool. He’s pushing the boundaries established by any Charlotte athlete before him. The Queen City has never had a signature celebrity quite like Cam, someone who represents the city at the ol’ USA Big City Dinner Table. You could make a case for Michael Jordan* or Billy Graham or Emily Maynard or (my personal favorite) Ric Flair, but I would argue that Cam’s reach has extended beyond theirs for a variety of reasons.

Let’s review Cam’s profile-raising moments over the last six months:

Kick it with Cam Celebrity Kickball Tournament

3,000 people came out to play kickball with Cam at BB&T Ballpark, as well as Bo Jackson, Kemba Walker and Chris Daughtry. That’s some pretty solid star power, especially considering this was the first year of the event.

Camtroversy #1 –”Gang” Instagram picture

This was the first of what will become many shots at Cam’s character in the coming months. There was hemming and haw-ing about how Cam was projecting an image as a “gangster.” Cam’s response was to post a picture of him with the same group of friends, this time wearing suits. Boom. Roasted.

Camtroversy #2 – Cam rips down Green Bay fan’s sign

In early November, a Packers fan who lives in North Carolina thought their living room extended into the friendly confines of The Bank and chose to hang a sign touting their Packers fandom. Cam took exception to this and pulled down the sign before the game, which for some reason spurred a national conversation about the Morality of Cam. He took the inevitable hot take blowback with grace, refusing to apologize for his actions and defending Charlotte’s honor in the process.

Camtroversy #3 – Tennessee Mom from the town in Footloose

You all know this story by now, and it lifted Cam even more into the national spotlight this year. Cam handled the controversy with his signature charm, which was so cool, calm and convincing that Tennessee Mom did a complete 180. After her apology, the focus shifted to the specific dance Cam was doing, The Dab.

After Tennessee Mom changed her mind and the Panthers rolled the visiting Redskins, Cam appeared at the post-game press conference wearing a fox tail attached to his pants as a fashion statement. If fox tails hooked to belts become a thing in offices around the country in the first half of 2016, we all know where it started.

It was at this time that the Cam Cool Factor moved into overdrive. The narrative about Cam’s dancing was still buzzing, and wouldn’t you know it, Cam’s charitable foundation once again took the stage at Cam’s Thanksgiving Jam where they fed 900 underprivileged and at-risk children. It was so perfectly timed as an answer to the hot takes on Cam’s character that it seemed almost like it was hastily thrown together as a clumsy PR move, but in fact it had been scheduled for months, and Cam was an integral part of its success.

From this outsider’s point of view, here’s a rundown of a few people who had a roles in making this event happen:

• Organizer: Cam Newton
• Financial Sponsor: Cam Newton
• Celebrity Server: Cam Newton
• MC of Entire Event: Cam Newton
• Dab Contest MC: Cam Newton

He seriously does it all.

So far, this all could be chalked up to just an NFL quarterback with a charismatic personality having a good year and the off-field attention that success accompanies. But then the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town with the co-star of Trainwreck and Oscar hopeful, LeBron James. Cam held court with LeBron, producing this Power Photo, and he even dabbed, much to the delight of the sell-out crowd. He sat next to the rapper Future, and afterward attended Future’s concert.

In mid-December, Cam had a celebrity-filled four day span as he, um, “partied” with Rick Ross less than 48 hours before taking on the division rival Falcons in Charlotte. A few days later, Cam delivered presents with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube in a Dabbin’ Santa sweater.

This series of events captures the essence of Cam. He’s able to hold his own with national icons while understanding the boundaries that come with his celebrity in a conservative city like Charlotte, but still not betraying Authentic Cam, perhaps with the help of some carefully crafted public relations work.

In 2015, that’s virtually impossible to accomplish. It’s so difficult to accomplish, in fact, that the only conclusion you can draw is that Cam Newton really is this superhuman combination of athleticism, charisma and charity that seems impossible. That’s so cool.

The sum of Cam’s talents, the image he’s crafted and Charlotte’s feelings toward him is this: when national celebrities come to Charlotte, an audience with Cam is almost always in the cards, as if not making an appearance to kiss his ring would be an affront the city’s honor.

And Cam, apparently, loves it. He could keep a low profile like many other successful athletes, but instead jumps headfirst into any opportunity to grab the mic to address a group of kids, say the right thing to appease the media and yogurt sponsors and flash that smile. He doesn’t shy away from controversy, willing to attract the attention of the nation and the adulation and criticism that comes with that.

Hitching your city’s star to a sports figure can be risky business (ask anyone wearing a #18 Colts jersey), but Cam seems to be just the right star at just the right time as Charlotte raises its national profile. He’s got the good looks, the trillion dollar smile, the swagger and — oh, yeah — the talent on a national level to put him over the top and take Charlotte with him.

In the realm of the New South, Cam is fit to be the King.

*Hornets owner version, of course.