It's over, folks. "The dab," an Atlanta-based hip-hop dance popularized by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton during his MVP 2015-16 NFL season, is dead.
In a Thursday morning interview with Charlotte radio WFZN-AM, Newton made a stunning declaration about his favorite touchdown dance: "I have to put that aside," he said.
Don't fret, Newton fans: He claims he's working on a new way to celebrate touchdowns during the 2016 season.
"I have time. I have until September to find out [a new celebration dance]," Newton continued.
Less than a year old, the dab had a strong, if controversial, run from fall 2015 up until February 2016's Super Bowl 50. Yes, the viral dance managed to stir some NFL fans last season, who were abhorred at Newton's dancing and apparent lack of sportsmanship. Newton, however, kept on dancing while respectfully understanding his critics, and eventually the rest of the NFL caught on. Newton's individualism in the face of critics was later celebrated.
Newton's Panthers made an amazing Super Bowl run earlier this year, causing dabbing to reach peak popularity and mainstream reach. Meaning: It started to become lame. A few events that precipitated its downfall: A Fox affiliate thought the dance was named after Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson showed off a weak dab, newscasters around the country tried it out on air, and a young San Antonio Spurs fan managed to dab 38 times in one NBA game.
By Newton's Super Bowl 50 appearance (his team lost to the Denver Broncos), the dab was at peak saturation. Predictably, interest for the dance fell off a cliff right after February's big game.
New season, new teammates and a new dance — Cam Newton's quest to repeat as NFL MVP is already off to a fresh, promising start.
