I was never a fan of Brett Favre, or the Packers, or the whole hoopla when Favre was in Green Bay. I don't care one way or the other what is going on with the Packers, but I do notice that there are a lot of people who do, that anyone who says anything negative about Favre or the Packers, at least in the 90's would be ridiculed and aggressively shouted down and usually called some form of an idiot. I think the pinnacle of my irritation with the Packers and the majority of the state of Wisconsin's adoration of anything green and gold was Superbowl Sunday in 1996 when my friend Kathie and I went to a Joann's Fabric store at Bayshore and was promptly told that they were closing because of the football game. Huh? A fabric and sewing store was even closing for the game. Now, I understand that they were fans and I respect that. I certainly have unusual hobbies that I've been made fun of or ridiculed for and I would never berate someone for being a football fan. But, I would have expected a sewing and fabric store to be one of the few stores that would have stayed open. Oh, well.
I can't help but notice however, the recent venom and hatred toward Favre after he left the Packers. I'm stunned by the level of animosity between some fans and their attitude towards Favre. As I stated, I'm not a fan, and I don't really like Favre, but it seems to me that even though he is playing for a different team, why is there so much hatred? I think the worst example of fan hypocrisy I've seen is the tee shirt stating "Judas Favre". Really? Is the maker of this tee shirt so arrogant to believe that Favre is on the same level as the person who sold out Jesus Christ? The two situations aren't even comparable, and it's offensive to me to see that level of trivialness related to Christ's Crucifixion.
And Favre did nothing to deserve that branding. He did nothing different that any other NFL player does. They all move around to different teams, and I'm not an expert here, but didn't he play for the Atlanta Falcons before coming to Green Bay? Shouldn't those rabid fans be trashing Favre for having the audacity to play for Atlanta before Green Bay. Shouldn't he have just known that it was expected he play here? Why was it expected that he would end his career here? If he wants to play, so what? If you are a Favre fan, you'll follow him no matter where he goes. If you are a Green Bay fan, so what? Are Green Bay fans so stupid to think that new players aren't always coming and going on this team? And, if you are both a Green Bay and a Favre fan, we'll you're in luck because the local news media will cover both. Forever.
So what? Why do some fans think that Favre should retire and never play for another team again? How would they like it if they were told that the first place they worked for, no matter how crappy or unlikeable, had to stay there until they retired. Think about that. You could NEVER leave your workplace. Year after year, you'd be doing the exact same thing for the exact same employer. Or, if you are like Favre, your second job. For decades you'd never be able to leave. Or get a promotion or move to a different department. Year after agonizing year. At what point do we owe "allegiance" to our workplace?
Let Favre alone. He has every right to move on to a different employer just as much as the rest of us do. Just because it's sports doesn't mean that the people who play on these teams owe ANYTHING to anybody. The only difference between a professional sports player and the average schmo (well, besides money and fame) is that they usually really enjoy their job.
And to the fans who feel betrayed and angry: Stop making Favre a god of some sort and his leaving will be easier to take. He's gone, face it and move on. I'm tired of hearing about it already.....
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