Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way
by Chad Ochocinco, Jason Cole
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Book Summary Information
Author: Chad Ochocinco, Jason ColeEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-10-27
ISBN: 0307460398
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Book Reviews of Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way
Book Review: 100% Unfiltered and Uncensored
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently decided to read Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way, by Chad Ochocinco. He's always been one of my favorite players in all of football, and since I love to read, this was a good as time as any to kill two birds with one stone.
The first thing about this book is it's pretty honest. He goes into detail about his journey through football, as well as the path he took to where he wanted to go. It certainly wasn't conventional, but it was the way he took, and thanks to some luck, supportive people, and the drive to get to where he wanted to be, he made it, and has thrived in the NFL. He's honest about his issues with the Bengals (past and present), and when it comes to him, he truly wants to win.
The balance that comes from this book is due to having his peers, his coaches, family members, and friends speak for him. He may be talking about his journey to Santa Monica College, and his old position coach would have a section in there where he speaks about him. Another thing I can appreciate about this book is when other people speak about him, they weren't excusing all of his behavior. You're able to see they all have their opinions of him, but they all root it in the fact that he's a good guy. It's not to say he's made the right choices. In the book, he talks about his challenges of being a better father to his kids. Even though he didn't grow up with his, there are no excuses on his part for a lack of a father in his life. He seems to know right from wrong (and honestly, it doesn't have to be looked at as wrong; maybe just not the best decision), but he usually finds a way to make the best decision, even if the road to get there takes longer than some people would like.
A theme that may be underrated is that people should have fun, and do what they enjoy doing. He's a football player, but not only that, he loves life, he works hard at his craft, and loves to have fun while doing his job. You'll see that as a continuous theme in the pages; people should love what they do every day, and have a blast while doing it. Some of the stuff is a little out there (the whole "Planet Chad" thing in the last chapter), but honestly, it aint no different than Wonkaland in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or whatever that place was at the end of 40-Year-Old Virgin, after Andy marries `ol girl. The dude just loves life and lives it to the fullest. The book doesn't come across as fraud, or self-serving, which is not easy to do when you're telling your own story. I will say that it's authentic, in the sense that you feel like you're having a conversation with him, and it can sometimes jump from topic-to-topic with no warning, but if you don't let it deter you, then it's all good. After reading it now, and seeing how his team having such a great season, it looks like this is all coming together, even though it wasn't as planned, but as it is with the dude, there's nothing conventional about him, except that he loves to live and have fun.
Summary of Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way
The moment I walked out of that tunnel that first time I was in the NFL and saw that 70,000 people, I said, "This is me, this is mine, this is what I was meant to do." Some people get scared that first time. Me? Scared my ass. I was loving it.NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco is one of the most feared weapons in football, having amassed six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made it to five straight Pro Bowls. And he does things his way?always big, always fun, always outrageous.
Take Ochocinco?s extravagant touchdown celebrations: performing the Riverdance jig, mock-proposing to a cheerleader, tossing presents into the crowd on Christmas Eve, performing CPR on the football, putting on a gold sport coat that says "Future Hall of Famer." Or his sense of style: the blond Mohawk, the gold teeth, the nude photo shoot for a sports magazine. Or his trash-talking: People tell me I have to tone it down. Man, do you know what I?ve been through to get here? You?re going to tell me to stop having fun? Sorry, it?s not happening. Or his unabashed self-confidence: I got six paintings of myself in the living room of my town house in Cincinnati. Why? Because I love me. I?m great and I know it.
In Ocho Cinco, Chad offers his blunt take on his life and career and on the bizarre game?and business?of football. He takes us back to his days growing up in a poor, dangerous section of Miami, where he was raised by his stern grandmother: You want to know how I turned out like this? Don?t talk to me, talk to my grandmom. A high school quarterback, he went to two junior colleges before landing for a single year at Oregon State. From there he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, a team he eventually helped lead to the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years.
Ochocinco reveals what really goes on in the locker room, on the field, and in the clubs where so many of his fellow athletes get in trouble. He talks about fights with teammates, coaches, and owners. He offers his honest observations on drugs, cheating, and women: You get all this money and you get all these women at your disposal. . . . You?re going to do your thing, trust me. You?re going to do it. And he deals frankly with his reputation as a malcontent and drama king: People want to be entertained, but the minute you open up about it and have some fun, they bash you for it. They want you to play inside this little box, and if you ever dare step outside this little box you?re in trouble. Well, there is no box for me. I am completely out of the box.
Ocho Cinco gives fans a rare inside look at pro football, presented by a singular athlete who?s not afraid to speak his mind: What I do may be funny, but nothing I do is a joke.
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