You won't find too many people who will admit that they are a Chad Ochocinco fan. I am one of them. I don't know what it is about him, but I don't seem to have a problem with anything he does. In 2007, when he was at the top of his game, many thought he was obnoxious and self-promoting. He wore a Future Hall of Fame jacket, made a checklist of the cornerbacks he embarrassed, danced in the endzone and was single handedly responsible for the league changing it's celebration rule. At the time, the me-me-me stuff was over the top and yet I never thought what Chad did was anything of harm. He always just seemed to be having a good time.
When he changed his name I thought it was ridiculous, but hey, it was his decision - not mine. When he then went on Dancing with the Stars, got his own reality dating show and co-starred with TO in the T-Ocho Show, I thought he was simply doing what all red-blooded Americans would do...he took the opportunity to have fun and better his life. You see, I actually think that Ochocinco is a brilliant man who realizes that his football career will come to an end someday. I think he realizes that in order to stay in the spotlight he needs to explore other avenues and extend his 'brand'. I think he realizes that throwing himself into the entertainment circuit will assuredly help his chances to land an analyst gig or to have his own show. Simply put, the guy knows how to market himself.
When I heard the news that he was going on trial with Sporting KC of MLS, I didn't have any time to form an opinion because all the major news outlets were shoving theirs down my throat. "This is all a publicity stunt I heard." In a way it made sense. KC has always been one of the least popular teams in the league, but with a new owner, a new stadium and a new name, the tide appears to be turning. What a great way to get some attention than to bring Ochocinco in. For Ochocinco, it was a great way to stay in the spotlight with the NFL lockout currently ongoing.
When interviewed, Ochocinco said that he loved the sport when he was a kid and that playing professional soccer has always been a dream of his. I'm unsure how the relationship between the player and club came to be, but he was apparently very excited to be there. The plan was to have him on trial for 4 days after which the club would then decide to keep him in camp, offer him a contract or let him go. The skinny on his first two days was that he might be the most athletic guy on the field, but that he lacks the skill to be a professional. This is not saying he was a joke (actually his skill was fairly decent, if anything, rusty) , it was just apparent that he had no future with the club. Still, after the first two days, I started to hear a reversal in opinions. Slowly the words 'respect', 'serious', 'professionalism' started to creep into the discussion.
At the end of the trial, the following video came out. Go ahead and watch. Then tell me with a straight face that this was all a publicity stunt. The guy was clearly excited to be there. He was definitely humbled by the experience and was very aware of his own limitations. I loved that he took the guys out to dinner and he just seemed to be well liked. At the end of the video he is offered the chance to play in a reserve game and he is straight up excited.
The game didn't go very well, but SKC offered him the chance to continue training with them as an Honorary Member of the team. Head Coach Peter Vermes said that “he’s been a pleasure to have here. He’s progressed in the days he’s trained with us. We feel his stay here has been so good in so many ways that we offered him an opportunity to continue to work on his fitness while he’s waiting for the lockout to finish, and we made him an honorary member of Sporting Kansas City...he has been fantastic in all ways. In the locker room with the guys, and just with the staff and everyone else, it’s been a real pleasure.”
Obviously he had no chance of making the team. No matter what people think of MLS, the fact is that it is a professional soccer league. No way he could just leave the football field and make the team. However, it does sound like he was an asset during his time there. SKC is not risking anything by having him train with the team. As for Ochocinco, he gets to fulfill a dream and stay in shape until the lockout ends. It's a win-win for both.
I am happy for Ochocinco. I'm happy that a lot of sports fans have gotten to see another side of him and I'm happy that he is bringing some positive attention to soccer rather than the crap that is highlighted on Sportscenter. For that I thank him.
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