Like its viral dance
cousins the Whip, the Nae Nae and the Quan, the Dab recently became a sensation
around the world. From musicians to politicians to folks in a retirement home,
everyone is hitting the Dab. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton might
just be the most famous of those dabbin' as the move has become a signature
part of his and the Panthers' season. Newton is one of seemingly thousands of
athletes to do the Dab during a game. College football players -- and coaches
-- have done it, NBA players have done it, MLB players have done it, tennis
players have done it, even golfers have done it. Newton isn't the only, and
wasn't the first, NFL player to break it out. He's simply the most popular. He did
it during the regular season, he's done it during the playoffs, and he will
surely do it during the Super Bowl. Cam Newton keeps making plays and thus
keeps dabbin' on them folks.
What is the Dab?
The Dab is an extremely
simple dance move that essentially amounts to extending one arm while leaning
into your opposite elbow almost like you are sneezing. For some, it's hard to
tell whether they are dancing or literally sneezing. Let's let college football
coaches break it down a little further:
Although sports have
been obsessed with the Dab, it wasn't Newton or any other athlete who invented
it. The exact originator of the move remains up for debate, but a couple things
are clear. The Dab craze started in Atlanta among several rappers. Some say the
group Migos is responsible for creating it. Others argue Skippa Da Flippa is
the originator while others give some credit to Rich The Kid. Essentially there
are two consensuses. It started in Atlanta and Bow Wow's explanation for how it originated is wrong.
Was Cam Newton the first athlete to do the Dab?
No, not even close
really. There is already enough debate over who created the Dab, so there is no
sense in getting into a debate about which athlete did it first. Let's just say
there is visual proof that several athletes did it before Newton. The first
notable Dab from Newton came during a game on Nov. 15. As Sports Illustrated noted, Bengals running back Jeremy Hill was
dabbin' on Sept. 13. Here is LeBron
James doing it during a preseason game on Oct. 5.
So why is Newton credited with helping it go viral?
While others were
dabbin' before Newton, he happened to do it on a bigger stage. As one of the
most popular players in the NFL and the QB of the NFC's best team, there was an
extra spotlight on Newton's every move. It also didn't hurt that his first
foray into dabbin' came with a bit of controversy. Newton first did the Dab
after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. No one may have noticed
if Titans defenders didn't notice, but Titans defenders definitely noticed.
Newton dabbed and did a couple other moves in the end zone and Tennessee
defenders took issue with it. That led to a confrontation and a whole lot of
attention on Newton doing the Dab.
Why did Newton do the Dab in the first place?
Newton's 16-year-old
brother Caylin was critical of his older brother's celebrations. So prior to
the game against the Titans, Cam asked what he should do instead and Caylin's response was simple,
"Dab on them folks." Cam did just that and then kept dabbin' on them
folks and now here we are.
