Chad Javon Ochocinco – A Man of Many Cultures

Chad J. Ochocinco

Surprising to some, Chad Ochocinco is indeed one of the foremost and most popular Latino entertainers in American society today. Unknown to many, he is in fact one quarter Mexican as his father is both African-American and Mexican. Many individuals simply assume that because of his dark-complexion that this cannot be so, but it indeed is.

Throughout his entire life, Ochocinco has pushed beyond stereotypes and broke past traditional rules, and this is exactly why I am so infatuated with him a entertainer.

In today’s society, I think it is important for Americans of all types, especially Latinos, to realize and understand why exactly he so famously changed his name a few years back. Many today believe that Ochocinco disgraced the Latino culture by legally changing his name from Chad Johnson, but in fact it is quite the opposite. In actually, he did so to embrace and highlight the Hispanic culture during the Hispanic Heritage Month in September 2008. Many Latinos did not see it this way, but then again, Ochocinco has never really played by the rules or been a fan-favorite.

The main reason that I find this particular individual so entertaining is simply due to his erratic behavior, especially on the football field. I believe that in recent times, the game of football is becoming increasingly strict and uniform in that more and more, there are heavy penalties for celebrations of any kind. I believe that this is taking away from the game as a whole.  Ochocinco feels this same way and therefore refuses again and again to follow these guidelines. In doing so, I believe that he brings something incredibly different and entertaining that many athletes simply do not offer. Ochocinco is simply expressing himself to his fans and critics. It also needs to be noted that he did so while never once displaying inappropriate or directly offensive behavior. Although the commissioner might not be a fan, the crowds certainly are. This fact cannot be ignored as the fans are truly just as important, if not more so, than the actual players.

Although in recent months, Ochocinco football production and effectiveness have begun to rapidly decrease, signifying an end to his Hall of Fame career with most athletes, I can only hope that this will not be the end of the great Chad Ochocinco. I certainly wish that he as an entertainer will simply take his gifts to another arena…. sports broadcasting on television.