This is great—Kevin Butler on the Chicago Power. What excitement! Shots on goal again and again. Now Chicago has an alternative to the Bulls and Blackhawks.

Nonsense Robert. What am I thinking? This whole thing is one of the biggest promos in sports. Butler has no intention of playing seriously for the Power. The risks of injury are too great. This whole scenario reeks of promotions.

Why would an NFL placekicker, a good one I might add, join an indoor soccer team with the intentions of being a significant part of the organization? It’s not the pay. It’s not the glamor of being on the team—some people don’t even know what the Power is. Some people would believe the Chicago Power is the crooked politics in the Windy City.

Let’s take time and look at what’s going on. The Power suffers from lack of exposure. Not many people in the “Big City” follow the Power. Not many people from the suburbs follow the Power. Well, not many people follow the Power period.

So, in an attempt to capture the attention of sports couch potatoes, the Power contacts Butler during the off-season and asks him to join the near-invisible indoor soccer team. They tell him, “Hey Kevin, I know you want to relax a little bit during the off-season, but we have an idea we think you’ll like.

“Come join our team. We’ll pay you a decent sum of money to sit on the bench during games and kick a penalty shot once in a while. However, you have to come to practice in order to make this whole thing look legitimate. You’ll be getting a good workout during the practices instead of sitting around the house redecorating your living room for the fourth time.”

Now Butler likes the idea, and so do the Chicago Bears—who have first rights to the former Georgia Bulldog.

I don’t blame Butler for this at all. Its a great opportunity to remain in the public eye. But one has to wonder if “Iron Mike” Ditka thinks this gimmick smells like roses. Isn’t this like making a commercial?

Remember, many critics pointed fingers at the Bears during the floundering season saying the players were being distracted by outside influences and the lure of money. Anyway, I don’t think this thing will be too much of a hastle for Butler. After all, he’s still using his foot.

Now with Butler’s name attached to the Power, and Butler’s behind glued to the bench, the Power can sell the team around his name. Soccer fans, semi-soccer fans and Butler fans will show up to watch professional indoor soccer. Right? I don’t think so. After awhile, the gimmick will wear off and indoor soccer will return to the state it has been in for years—limbo.

Get the sport back outdoors where it belongs, get players who want to play professional soccer only, and cut out the gimmicks like “Butlerism” in order to seriously establish soccer as an American sport.

By the way, if Butler scores a goal, does it count as three points?