Chad Ochocinco Shared How He Picks His Partners, and the Internet is Divided
Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco is at the center of some major internet chatter after sharing his dating preferences in a newly resurfaced clip. Now, his comments have divided Black folks online.
The resurfaced clip is from an interview on “The Pivot Podcast,” where Ochocinco discussed what he looks for in the women he’s dating and considering having children with. He revealed that he wasn’t interested in things like hair type or complexion, but whether they possessed qualities that could guarantee his future kids would be good athletes.
“It wasn’t about having a woman that’s fine… I wanted athletes. So, therefore, those that I chose to deal with, that’s all I cared about,” Ocho explained.
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He went on to say that, before having kids, he asked the women he was involved with if they had been athletic growing up. He then mentioned that he would also check their ankles, noting that the foundation of an “elite athlete” was footwork.
“If she had bad ankles, there’s no way I could procreate with you,” he said.
Once his words began making the rounds on social media, many Black folks took issue with his stance and called him out for his “breeder” mentality, with some expressing disgust and disappointment.
“Didn’t mention personality, intelligence or health at all,” someone commented on Instagram.
Others expressed their disappointment in Ocho for a choice they believed to be demeaning to Black women.
One user on X/Twitter wrote: “You’re so wrapped up in your own ego and self-image as a successful athlete/breeder that you don’t recognize how closely the mentality you’re describing mirrors a historically dehumanizing way of viewing people (especially Black women) as breeding stock. And by stating it so openly and proudly, you’re helping keep that kind of thinking in circulation without any apparent awareness of the weight it carries.”
Added another, “This is so vile. He manages to objectify all his baby mamas and his children. And the men around him are just laughing instead of calling it out. “Oh, you’re a breeder HAHAHAHAHA” as if this is a normal way to think about yourself and your family.”
However, some people saw the validity in Ocho’s logic and were quick to defend him.
“I don’t blame him not one bit. A lot of sons are short with child bearing hips because their fathers sought out a thick 5’2 baddie and thought their offspring would miraculously be and athletic built 6’4 instead of pro creating with an athletic built woman 5’11 or taller,” wrote one user on Instagram.
One user said: “[It’s] all about genetics. Now I got two champs.”
Added another: “I’ve got to admit at the end of the day, especially as you get older this is something that really matters because at the end of the day, genetics and all these things really really matter so I can understand where he’s coming from and luckily I got really lucky because I was definitely got blessed with the ones I have but I definitely understand where he’s coming from.”
