I like Brett Favre. Of course, this is not an uncommon sentiment in Minnesota these days, as he has led the Vikings to a 7-1 record, which without him would be, in my opinion, 3-5 or 4-4. So it's only natural that as a lifelong Vikings fan, I would like Brett Favre now...but this is nothing new for me. I have always liked Brett Favre. Now before I get booted out of the state for being a heretic, I do not like the Green Bay Packers. I admit to cheering for them in the Super Bowl in the 90's, but other than that, I love it when the Packers lose, especially at the hands of my Vikings. But I still have always liked the guy from Mississippi whose last name isn't spelled or pronounced correctly.
I've heard all the arguments against him over the years, but they never convinced me before, and they certainly won't convince me now that he is wearing purple. As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed sports since I was old enough start throwing a ball in my crib, I cannot dislike an athlete who clearly enjoys playing football. I've never seen a player that looks like they are having more fun on the field. And now he is on my football team.
Now if someone could explain to me why I am supposed to give another "second chance" to the guy who drowned, strangled & electrocuted dogs for fun, but I am supposed to dislike Favre because he "only thinks about himself" and had problems deciding whether to retire or keep playing, I would appreciate it. My concussed brain gets confused sometimes...but I digress.
I can promise you that I haven't seen my mom this excited about watching the Vikings since the Randall Cunningham/Randy Moss/Cris Carter days (but I'd like to stop thinking about that now before the memory returns of me lying on the floor staring at the TV in January of 1999, wondering how that possibly could've happened). There is something simply joyful about watching a person having so much fun, and being so good at it too. I believe my former employer's (Best Buy) motto of "Have Fun While Being the Best" would apply in this case. Running down the field to throw a block may be stupid for any quarterback, especially a 40-yr old one, but it's just fun to watch. Seeing him smirk to fight back a smile while boos were encompassing him on the field where he played & set records for nearly two decades, was fun to watch. And witnessing him racing down the field to tackle & hug one of his receivers after a touchdown or a big play, is fun to watch.
This being said, I didn't enjoy the 24-hour Favre network on Channel 206 on DirecTV, nor did I care to read a daily update about his thoughts about retirement. I didn't enjoy the announcers gushing over him (like I am now) all those years when he was on the other team either. Besides, he isn't Derek Jeter & didn't play in New York (until last year) so he certainly wouldn't deserve the praise normally only given to players from the top few TV markets in the country. What I do enjoy, is watching him on the field, and it's a bonus to be able to watch him wearing purple, rather than green. Now I just hope I'll be watching him lead the Vikings all the way to their first ever Super Bowl Championship!
(I will now do my best to stop drooling over Brett Favre as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, but in my defense, we're talking about a team in which Gus Frerotte was better than the coaches' chosen quarterback of the future; a team that considered career back-up Sage Rosenfels to be the guy who could lead them to the promised land. We deserve an opportunity to drool a little bit...)
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Rosenfels may be fine when given the chance to play full time. He actually played well at times here in Houston when Schaub was hurt (repeately) in the last few years. However, your post is not about Rosenfels, it's about Favre. I love the Sears commercial of him waffling on a purchase at the end. Classic!
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