Photo by Robert Seale/TSN /ZUMA Press.

The NFL Draft is usually a time when teams make selections that can shape their franchise for years. There are also selections, aptly dubbed busts, that can leave a team, like the Lions, in as rough shape as the city they call home.  While teams and their general managers have been lambasted in the media for poor choices, the league escapes criticism for some of their poor choices on players. Now I am not talking about discipline, but rather selecting players for growing their brand. Think about it, NFL commercials are usually graced with the face of Peyton Manning, his younger brother Eli, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson or Larry Fitzgerald. They are all great players who have marketing value, but they are also safe choices who fit in with the old-fashioned thinking of the NFL and won’t help grow the game’s reach. To do that, they need to embrace someone who gets it and can make fans feel like they are a part of the game. They need Chad Ochocinco.

As a Ravens fan, I hate seeing him twice a year, but as much as it pains me to say it, he gets it. He has fun, interacts with fans and works in the community. Perhaps what scares the league so much is that he understands the game too much. Mike Schaffer may have put it best in our conversation the other day, “Chad Ochocinco is the antithesis of the ‘No Fun League’.”  He celebrates touchdowns (my favorite is when he performed CPR on a ball…and the ball didn’t make it). In a league filled with gangsters, thugs and criminals, the worst thing Ochocinco has done is ask for a trade 2008 – and he honored his contract when the Bengals kept him.  Oh yeah, he also owns every major receiving record in team history.  So he’s a showman…so what?”

The league prides itself on sportsmanship and tradition, but has become increasingly corporate and the moniker of the “No Fun League,” is clearly evident. They need to take a deep breath and get what the game is really – a child’s game that men get paid a boat ton of money for – and they should be happy to have a player who realizes this. Ochocinco fully understands the value of fans and loves to interact with them, at times on an one-on-one level in an open forum, something that I couldn’t see any of the aforementioned NFL poster boys doing.

So NFL, if you are listening, here are some reasons to embrace Ochocinco’s gold grill and make him your poster boy in the digital age that we live in.

@OGOchocinco – If you didn’t know, this is the Bengal receiver’s Twitter handle. His account has approximately half of the followers that the NFL’s official page has. Unlike their feed which reads more like an RSS of NFL.com, the receiver is just like anyone else on the popular social networking site, give or take a couple zeros and commas on his pay stub.  He interacts with fans and has held an impromptu Tweetup at a Cincinnati-area restaurant.

The Ocho Cinco Show – Yes, sites like the NFL Network and ESPN give nearly 24-hour coverage of the league, but how many players will invite you into their home? Now I can’t say that I will watch this weekly, but it was kind of funny seeing how he let a smoke detector beep and instead of changing the battery calls someone into fixing it. He’s a character that lets you know what he’s thinking and offers life tips like: Don’t forget your mom or wife’s birthday and other important dates.

iPhone App – Maybe narcissistic, but it keeps folks laughing and connected. This application has gotten mixed reviews in the press for its $5 price tag, but here are the four reviews from the iTunes Store :

1. Dope App   by Vbizzle4shizzle – At first I was saying $5 for an APP!!! “CHILD PLEEEEZ!!!” I bought it anyway an it is Worth every penny- every aspect about is cool from the funny sayings, what would ocho do-(WWOD)?, to the fan pics are very cool. One of the best apps I’ve bought
2. Ocho Cinco  by Jeffrey Lange – He is a great athlete and good entertainer with his social media engagement.
3. -DigiJeff – Very entertaining!
4. by neiljcrump -Has lots of videos from his webcasts, which are usually hilarious! ‘where’s ocho’ accuratly [sic] shows where he’s at, has updated Twitter posts! If you’re an ocho fan, it’s must have!

Volunteer tour bus – While this is not a social media application so to speak, it does show how the receiver is giving back to his community and inspiring them to do the same.  This three-day tour to Miami was very cool and it shows how willing he is to put himself out there and give 10 fans a trip of a lifetime with some great work done.

You decide, is the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson another blowhard egomaniac or should the NFL embrace him as the face of football 2.0?

Photo by Robert Seale/TSN /ZUMA Press.

The NFL Draft is usually a time when teams make selections that can shape their franchise for years. There are also selections, aptly dubbed busts, that can leave a team, like the Lions, in as rough shape as the city they call home.  While teams and their general managers have been lambasted in the media for poor choices, the league escapes criticism for some of their poor choices on players. Now I am not talking about discipline, but rather selecting players for growing their brand. Think about it, NFL commercials are usually graced with the face of Peyton Manning, his younger brother Eli, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson or Larry Fitzgerald. They are all great players who have marketing value, but they are also safe choices who fit in with the old-fashioned thinking of the NFL and won’t help grow the game’s reach. To do that, they need to embrace someone who gets it and can make fans feel like they are a part of the game. They need Chad Ochocinco.

As a Ravens fan, I hate seeing him twice a year, but as much as it pains me to say it, he gets it. He has fun, interacts with fans and works in the community. Perhaps what scares the league so much is that he understands the game too much. Mike Schaffer may have put it best in our conversation the other day, “Chad Ochocinco is the antithesis of the ‘No Fun League’.”  He celebrates touchdowns (my favorite is when he performed CPR on a ball…and the ball didn’t make it). In a league filled with gangsters, thugs and criminals, the worst thing Ochocinco has done is ask for a trade 2008 – and he honored his contract when the Bengals kept him.  Oh yeah, he also owns every major receiving record in team history.  So he’s a showman…so what?”

The league prides itself on sportsmanship and tradition, but has become increasingly corporate and the moniker of the “No Fun League,” is clearly evident. They need to take a deep breath and get what the game is really – a child’s game that men get paid a boat ton of money for – and they should be happy to have a player who realizes this. Ochocinco fully understands the value of fans and loves to interact with them, at times on an one-on-one level in an open forum, something that I couldn’t see any of the aforementioned NFL poster boys doing.

So NFL, if you are listening, here are some reasons to embrace Ochocinco’s gold grill and make him your poster boy in the digital age that we live in.

@OGOchocinco – If you didn’t know, this is the Bengal receiver’s Twitter handle. His account has approximately half of the followers that the NFL’s official page has. Unlike their feed which reads more like an RSS of NFL.com, the receiver is just like anyone else on the popular social networking site, give or take a couple zeros and commas on his pay stub.  He interacts with fans and has held an impromptu Tweetup at a Cincinnati-area restaurant.

The Ocho Cinco Show – Yes, sites like the NFL Network and ESPN give nearly 24-hour coverage of the league, but how many players will invite you into their home? Now I can’t say that I will watch this weekly, but it was kind of funny seeing how he let a smoke detector beep and instead of changing the battery calls someone into fixing it. He’s a character that lets you know what he’s thinking and offers life tips like: Don’t forget your mom or wife’s birthday and other important dates.

iPhone App – Maybe narcissistic, but it keeps folks laughing and connected. This application has gotten mixed reviews in the press for its $5 price tag, but here are the four reviews from the iTunes Store :

1. Dope App   by Vbizzle4shizzle – At first I was saying $5 for an APP!!! “CHILD PLEEEEZ!!!” I bought it anyway an it is Worth every penny- every aspect about is cool from the funny sayings, what would ocho do-(WWOD)?, to the fan pics are very cool. One of the best apps I’ve bought
2. Ocho Cinco  by Jeffrey Lange – He is a great athlete and good entertainer with his social media engagement.
3. -DigiJeff – Very entertaining!
4. by neiljcrump -Has lots of videos from his webcasts, which are usually hilarious! ‘where’s ocho’ accuratly [sic] shows where he’s at, has updated Twitter posts! If you’re an ocho fan, it’s must have!

Volunteer tour bus – While this is not a social media application so to speak, it does show how the receiver is giving back to his community and inspiring them to do the same.  This three-day tour to Miami was very cool and it shows how willing he is to put himself out there and give 10 fans a trip of a lifetime with some great work done.

You decide, is the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson another blowhard egomaniac or should the NFL embrace him as the face of football 2.0?

Photo by Robert Seale/TSN /ZUMA Press.

The NFL Draft is usually a time when teams make selections that can shape their franchise for years. There are also selections, aptly dubbed busts, that can leave a team, like the Lions, in as rough shape as the city they call home.  While teams and their general managers have been lambasted in the media for poor choices, the league escapes criticism for some of their poor choices on players. Now I am not talking about discipline, but rather selecting players for growing their brand. Think about it, NFL commercials are usually graced with the face of Peyton Manning, his younger brother Eli, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson or Larry Fitzgerald. They are all great players who have marketing value, but they are also safe choices who fit in with the old-fashioned thinking of the NFL and won’t help grow the game’s reach. To do that, they need to embrace someone who gets it and can make fans feel like they are a part of the game. They need Chad Ochocinco.

As a Ravens fan, I hate seeing him twice a year, but as much as it pains me to say it, he gets it. He has fun, interacts with fans and works in the community. Perhaps what scares the league so much is that he understands the game too much. Mike Schaffer may have put it best in our conversation the other day, “Chad Ochocinco is the antithesis of the ‘No Fun League’.”  He celebrates touchdowns (my favorite is when he performed CPR on a ball…and the ball didn’t make it). In a league filled with gangsters, thugs and criminals, the worst thing Ochocinco has done is ask for a trade 2008 – and he honored his contract when the Bengals kept him.  Oh yeah, he also owns every major receiving record in team history.  So he’s a showman…so what?”

The league prides itself on sportsmanship and tradition, but has become increasingly corporate and the moniker of the “No Fun League,” is clearly evident. They need to take a deep breath and get what the game is really – a child’s game that men get paid a boat ton of money for – and they should be happy to have a player who realizes this. Ochocinco fully understands the value of fans and loves to interact with them, at times on an one-on-one level in an open forum, something that I couldn’t see any of the aforementioned NFL poster boys doing.

So NFL, if you are listening, here are some reasons to embrace Ochocinco’s gold grill and make him your poster boy in the digital age that we live in.

@OGOchocinco – If you didn’t know, this is the Bengal receiver’s Twitter handle. His account has approximately half of the followers that the NFL’s official page has. Unlike their feed which reads more like an RSS of NFL.com, the receiver is just like anyone else on the popular social networking site, give or take a couple zeros and commas on his pay stub.  He interacts with fans and has held an impromptu Tweetup at a Cincinnati-area restaurant.

The Ocho Cinco Show – Yes, sites like the NFL Network and ESPN give nearly 24-hour coverage of the league, but how many players will invite you into their home? Now I can’t say that I will watch this weekly, but it was kind of funny seeing how he let a smoke detector beep and instead of changing the battery calls someone into fixing it. He’s a character that lets you know what he’s thinking and offers life tips like: Don’t forget your mom or wife’s birthday and other important dates.

iPhone App – Maybe narcissistic, but it keeps folks laughing and connected. This application has gotten mixed reviews in the press for its $5 price tag, but here are the four reviews from the iTunes Store :

1. Dope App   by Vbizzle4shizzle – At first I was saying $5 for an APP!!! “CHILD PLEEEEZ!!!” I bought it anyway an it is Worth every penny- every aspect about is cool from the funny sayings, what would ocho do-(WWOD)?, to the fan pics are very cool. One of the best apps I’ve bought
2. Ocho Cinco  by Jeffrey Lange – He is a great athlete and good entertainer with his social media engagement.
3. -DigiJeff – Very entertaining!
4. by neiljcrump -Has lots of videos from his webcasts, which are usually hilarious! ‘where’s ocho’ accuratly [sic] shows where he’s at, has updated Twitter posts! If you’re an ocho fan, it’s must have!

Volunteer tour bus – While this is not a social media application so to speak, it does show how the receiver is giving back to his community and inspiring them to do the same.  This three-day tour to Miami was very cool and it shows how willing he is to put himself out there and give 10 fans a trip of a lifetime with some great work done.

You decide, is the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson another blowhard egomaniac or should the NFL embrace him as the face of football 2.0?

Photo by Robert Seale/TSN /ZUMA Press.

The NFL Draft is usually a time when teams make selections that can shape their franchise for years. There are also selections, aptly dubbed busts, that can leave a team, like the Lions, in as rough shape as the city they call home.  While teams and their general managers have been lambasted in the media for poor choices, the league escapes criticism for some of their poor choices on players. Now I am not talking about discipline, but rather selecting players for growing their brand. Think about it, NFL commercials are usually graced with the face of Peyton Manning, his younger brother Eli, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson or Larry Fitzgerald. They are all great players who have marketing value, but they are also safe choices who fit in with the old-fashioned thinking of the NFL and won’t help grow the game’s reach. To do that, they need to embrace someone who gets it and can make fans feel like they are a part of the game. They need Chad Ochocinco.

As a Ravens fan, I hate seeing him twice a year, but as much as it pains me to say it, he gets it. He has fun, interacts with fans and works in the community. Perhaps what scares the league so much is that he understands the game too much. Mike Schaffer may have put it best in our conversation the other day, “Chad Ochocinco is the antithesis of the ‘No Fun League’.”  He celebrates touchdowns (my favorite is when he performed CPR on a ball…and the ball didn’t make it). In a league filled with gangsters, thugs and criminals, the worst thing Ochocinco has done is ask for a trade 2008 – and he honored his contract when the Bengals kept him.  Oh yeah, he also owns every major receiving record in team history.  So he’s a showman…so what?”

The league prides itself on sportsmanship and tradition, but has become increasingly corporate and the moniker of the “No Fun League,” is clearly evident. They need to take a deep breath and get what the game is really – a child’s game that men get paid a boat ton of money for – and they should be happy to have a player who realizes this. Ochocinco fully understands the value of fans and loves to interact with them, at times on an one-on-one level in an open forum, something that I couldn’t see any of the aforementioned NFL poster boys doing.

So NFL, if you are listening, here are some reasons to embrace Ochocinco’s gold grill and make him your poster boy in the digital age that we live in.

@OGOchocinco – If you didn’t know, this is the Bengal receiver’s Twitter handle. His account has approximately half of the followers that the NFL’s official page has. Unlike their feed which reads more like an RSS of NFL.com, the receiver is just like anyone else on the popular social networking site, give or take a couple zeros and commas on his pay stub.  He interacts with fans and has held an impromptu Tweetup at a Cincinnati-area restaurant.

The Ocho Cinco Show – Yes, sites like the NFL Network and ESPN give nearly 24-hour coverage of the league, but how many players will invite you into their home? Now I can’t say that I will watch this weekly, but it was kind of funny seeing how he let a smoke detector beep and instead of changing the battery calls someone into fixing it. He’s a character that lets you know what he’s thinking and offers life tips like: Don’t forget your mom or wife’s birthday and other important dates.

iPhone App – Maybe narcissistic, but it keeps folks laughing and connected. This application has gotten mixed reviews in the press for its $5 price tag, but here are the four reviews from the iTunes Store :

1. Dope App   by Vbizzle4shizzle – At first I was saying $5 for an APP!!! “CHILD PLEEEEZ!!!” I bought it anyway an it is Worth every penny- every aspect about is cool from the funny sayings, what would ocho do-(WWOD)?, to the fan pics are very cool. One of the best apps I’ve bought
2. Ocho Cinco  by Jeffrey Lange – He is a great athlete and good entertainer with his social media engagement.
3. -DigiJeff – Very entertaining!
4. by neiljcrump -Has lots of videos from his webcasts, which are usually hilarious! ‘where’s ocho’ accuratly [sic] shows where he’s at, has updated Twitter posts! If you’re an ocho fan, it’s must have!

Volunteer tour bus – While this is not a social media application so to speak, it does show how the receiver is giving back to his community and inspiring them to do the same.  This three-day tour to Miami was very cool and it shows how willing he is to put himself out there and give 10 fans a trip of a lifetime with some great work done.

You decide, is the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson another blowhard egomaniac or should the NFL embrace him as the face of football 2.0?