The Ocho Factor

The highly numeric Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals is many things: gold-toothed, hilarious at times, one of the better pass catchers in the NFL, a member of Drew Rosenhaus’s knucklehead stable of locker room distractions, and a robust knitting assistant.

Like him or not, give Chad 85 this: he backs up a lot of his drama.

That’s why it shouldn’t be taken lightly when the Ochonymous one said this week that he plans to form his own social news network on Twitter — where he already has 300,000 followers — using his league-wide player contacts to provide NFL insight.

The idea grew out of his partnership with Motorola, which will provide the technology and no doubt is paying Ochento a handsome sum.

Side note to Motorola or your outside PR or Advertising firm that developed this idea: you are welcome.

Regardless, the notion that Twittering Ocho will report through the venture he’s dubbed OCNN — Ochocinco News Network — has striking implications.

Consider what Rupert Murdoch said about the power of blogs and new media: “Technology is shifting the power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it’s the people who are in control.”

Indeed, Murdoch is right. If you’re reading this little project we call JoeSportsFan.com, you know exactly what I mean.

Solid ESPN programming like “The Doug Gottlieb Show,” the new “SportsNation,” and other mainstream sports outlets will always be leading sources of sports information. But as technology provides us with more options to get our information, consumers are watching and listening to less TV and radio, reading fewer newspapers and magazines (except Nun’s Life – I love that), and more often than not spending a good part of their work-day on sites like this, Deadspin, HallOfVeryGood.com, or HenryCottosMustache.com.

Immediacy, access, and authenticity are the keys.

• Immediate: Search an NFL topic on Twitter and it’s up seconds after it happens. Then Steve Berthume tells you about it five hours later on SportsCenter.
• Authentic: If anything else, Chad provides actual thoughts — often too much so. And it’s not the glossed-over soft pedaling we get from many ex-athletes.
• Access: If the execution is there, the Ochinator’s deal could bring a level of NFL access that a sports network would struggle to offer. Many athletes and coaches are resentful of reporters for reasons that would take too long to explain. But with another player — someone still in the game who they feel they can trust and will carry their message with the understanding of a peer — the game changes.

Maybe that’s why OchoPoopyPants says his new slogan is, “If I break it, you might as well believe it.”

“I am that source now,” he said. “I’ll be the leak for all 32 teams.”

Chris Mortenson, Adam Schefter, Peter King: watch out… seriously.

Carry on.

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