The OCNN: The Sports Journalism Version of The nWo

Say what you will about Chad Ochocinco. Call him brazen, brash, bold, cocky or any of 1,000 descriptors. You cannot deny that the man is entertaining and, ultimately, good for business in the NFL.

His mouth gets him in trouble at times, but he’s yet to appear in the blotter other than his fines from the Commissioner. He celebrates his love of the game and of the camera. Ochocinco is unconventional, but he reminds you that this is a game.

I understand marketing and branding and the corporate machine that is the NFL. There’s a corporate image to be protected. Keeping sponsors, advertisers and partners happy is no small task. As the labor negotiations continue to heat up, those relationships will certainly need to be massaged.

If you spend 10 minutes on “Radio Row” for one of these big events, you’ll hear the names of countless brands. Some are your usual suspects (phones, snack foods — including Moon Pies, courtesy of Jim McMahon and myriad electronics among them). Some others have connections to contests or charitable events (more on that in a forthcoming post).

But, working the room hard on Wednesday was the “Ocho News Network” team. After taking over Media Day and dominating traditional media, this squad set its sights on “Radio Row” and held court on Wednesday. This squad provides an interesting perspective and spin on the usual reports.

Access certainly won’t be an issue. Honest approaches – they don’t exactly pull punches …

The only potential foe here is the league office. We’ll see where the proverbial line is drawn in the sand in short order. Until then, enjoy the mini-army of reporters being assembled by this budding media powerhouse.

Imagine having such a throng of potential applicants, willing to work for free and do your bidding. They are taking over Miami. What’s next?

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C’mon, can’t you envision a national “Kiss the baby” day?