Dear Brett Favre, I’m Sorry
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Last season I was one of the many football fans who lambasted Brett Favre for his public game of “will he, won’t he” in regards to his plan to come out of retirement and quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. I thought Favre’s entire game-playing was ridiculous and the sports media followed along like simple lemmings to an athlete with a giant ego.
And then LeBron James came along.
James took an entire primetime special on ESPN (don’t ever dare call yourselves sports “journalists” again) to announce nothing but his choice of where he would sell his services as a free agent. This, after a hype machine that took almost equal billing with the league championship (a series the supposedly great James had no part in, I should note).
By comparison, Brett Favre’s silly “to be or not to be” act seems positively small town quaint by comparison. James is part of the #2 sport in the country, which is largely confined to cable tv. Favre is one of the top players of America’s #1 sport, whose games are all largely ratings giants on broadcast television. And yet, Favre easily took the more humble path to announcing his decision, in retrospect.
Compared to the LeBron James Signing Show & Stunt Spectacular, Favre’s press conference announcing that he was going to play with the Vikings at least conceded that Favre is not bigger than the sport he plays in. By last night’s farce one could be led to think that the league is called LeBron (with occasional NBA).
So while I still will jeer Favre and look forward to him throwing an interception in yet another conference final, I owe him an apology. Because while he’s still something of an arrogant jerk with an inflated opinion of himself… at least he isn’t LeBron James.
31 Responses to “Dear Brett Favre, I’m Sorry”
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Favre also has a title, something LeBron seemed to think he could more easily attain as a member of the Heat.
U r preaching the truth. I seriously could care less. I love b-ball but the lackluster play and play when I get ready stars have turned he off. I just I had the contract to manufacture t-shirts for the NBA.
http://madnesscounseling.blogspot.com/2010/07/only-thing-i-have-to-say.html
You know Brett was taking notes last night.
The way he did it was disgusting. His ego is a mile wide. Good on the Cavs GM for what he said today. Lebron may have done a lot for Clevland, but it was returned in full to Lebron. He gave up on Ohio and his loyalty turned to shit. I hope he and the heat never get a championship.
Brett Favre is not as bad as LeBron is like saying Paris Hilton is not as bad as Lindsay Lohan.
Are you kidding? Farve is solely responsible for the tea party movement somehow because of what he did last year.
Anyway, LeBron did raise money for charity or so I heard. Sure, he could buy Paraguay, but just sayin’.
I admit, I sat down to watch it, but I left to go eat dinner in disgust because it was taking so damn long. I had the volume up so I could hear it from the kitchen.
While a lot of the criticism is warranted, the Boys & Girls Club did get a nice plug and donations from this. Also, depending on the how the ratings go, Lebron can now increase his fee to Nike and other sponsors by pointing out how many millions of people tuned in just to watch him make an announcement.
#2 sport? Basketball? I think you forgot about AMERICA’S PASTIME, MLB!!!!!!!!!
Let’s Go Mets!
I think NBA outdraws MLB in ratings.
Oliver I totally agree.
One minor point, in terms of revenue or ratings (unsure which), NASCAR is the number one sport in the US. It shocked me too but it’s the truth.
Did LeBron do something yesterday? Was it anything I should care about? Something more interesting than the Tour de France?
I thought not.
‘Brett Favre is not as bad as LeBron is like saying Paris Hilton is not as bad as Lindsay Lohan.’
All too true; today’s spoiled, celebrity athletes are more about shameless self promotion than any they are about any kind of respect for the game that made them rich and famous, which says as much about them as it does about the shallow society which idolizes them to the point of obsession.
Still, as a free agent, James, Favre and other multi millionaire athlete is free to pursue whatever action, popular or otherwise, which will garner them all the
adulation and wealth that comes with the superstar status of winning a professional championship.
The downside of course, is that when James next visits his Mom in Ohio, he’ll be doing in under the cover of darkness in the dead of night, or risk the wrath of an embittered population.
The same is true, though admittedly to a lesser extent, of my city’s loss of CB4.
However, Gilbert’s claim that the Cavs will win a championship before the Heat do is going to be some tough sledding, because Miami has suddenly become the most imposing threat to Kobe and the Lakers in the league.
Actually I think NASCAR is only #1 in attendance. Not ratings or revenue. Definitely not more in revenue or ratings than the NFL.
Baseball is pretty clearly the second most popular sport. Harris does a poll on the most popular sports.
Football is way in the lead (35% say NFL and 12% college football is their favorite sport, for 47% total), baseball is next with 16%; the NBA is the favorite of a paltry 5%, with another 3% for college basketball. Auto racing (presumably including NASCAR) is at 9%, and hockey at 4%, so the NBA has only slightly more people who make it their favorite sport than ice hockey.
Baseball also has higher attendance, I believe. I don’t really know about TV ratings. I’d assume the NBA playoffs get better ratings than the MLB playoffs, but also that the MLB regular season probably does better than the NBA. But I’m in Philly, where bandwagoning has made the Phillies competitive with the Eagles for the city’s most popular team, and absolutely nobody cares about the 6ers, so my perspective may be skewed.
…but of course the most popular sport in the world is still soccer : ) I really couldn’t resist.
It doesn’t matter a whole lot which “sport” is #2 in ratings. It just doesn’t.
Baseball is #1 and football/basketball/NASCAR are trying, but they will fail, to catch up.
Go Brewers!
Never ever doubt the capacity of a star player (Favre, LeBron, Tiger Woods, Kobe, Pujols, Bonds, et. al.) to make ESPN lick their boots whatever they do.
Yeah, OK, fair point, but LeBron hasn’t yet whined so much that the league crafted a special, postseason only exception to the overtime rules just to shut him up.
Yet.
Farve just does his indecision act to avoid training camp. He’s old, he doesn’t need the two-a-days.
Are you guys kidding me?!!! Really?!!! We are having this coversation? In a world where quarterbacks are either raping college girls, beating up strip club owners, or having shoot outs at clubs, I don’t mind having a QB who’s only flaw is deciding whether or not he still can play the game he loves at high level or not. Do you guys know dick about his career?!! HE HAS NEVER MISSED A GAME!!!! Even the day after his father died, injuries, a wife with cancer, death of his brother in law, mother’s house destroyed by Katrina, he reported to sling an oblong object around the field for three hours. Most of you people will call into work if you have the sharts. The man single handedly brought relevance to an otherwise crappy state and team. Trust me, I grew up there. Yes I hate the media coverage and headlines like “Brett Favre is taking massive dump is he comming back?” And yes, he could do more to mitigate these things, however 1.) he doesn’t self-manufacture his hype (How do you think I found this blog? I sure as hell didn’t google Lebron what’s-his-face.) and 2.) he kinda deserves it. He is why people made the NFC championship game the second most watched Championship game in NFL history. Even if people watched to root for interceptions, they watched. But I believed most non-haters loved the storylines behind the two teams. Let’s face it the man plays the game with a child-like passion I wished existed again in all sports. So if we are going to write a letter to Mr. Favre, lets start with apologizing for not apologizing sooner.
Even the day after his father died, injuries, a wife with cancer, death of his brother in law, mother’s house destroyed by Katrina, he reported to sling an oblong object around the field for three hours.
Seriously, I love sports, especially football, but it’s a fuckin’ game. This is psycho behavior. Kids: don’t do this.
he doesn’t self-manufacture his hype
Take a vacation last summer, did we?
How do you think I found this blog? I sure as hell didn’t google Lebron what’s-his-face.
You googled Favre and dug down til you found this political blog? Kids: this is also psycho.
And you’ve got pretty low standards for QB’s… you know there’s a bunch of them in the league, right? They’re not all Rothelis… uh, Roethlis.. er, Date rapists.
@Awkward
First, a quick question? Have you ever played a sport? Ever? If you have then you would know how hard it would be to perform, at a high level at that, after any of these life altering events? Kids yes please do this. Don’t use the lemons life hands you as an excuse to quit on anything. Fight through, presevere and you may inspire more than just yourself. But then again to some it is “just a fuckin’ game.”
Second, Brett could die and the media would spin it into some sort of tactic to get out of training camp. It’s pretty much a lose-lose there.
The google thing, well I just happen to be in a discussion with someone about athletes and their hight and weight. It was on the first page. (Way to go Oliver! See Brett has brought you more than interceptions to cheer 4! Now you can cheer for unique hits on your blog.)
Lastly, pretty low standards for QB’s, really? Let’s look at the league as a whole. For every Payton Manning, there are 5 Albert Haynesworth’s. For every Drew Brees, there are 10 Terrell Owenses. For every Larry Fitgerald…..ah you get the picture. And that’s just Football.
Just remember the next time a city is re-invigorated post natural disaster ( ala New Orleans.) Or a man’s sanity is renewed ( ala Ron Artest….kinda) or a greatgrandfather gets to witness the lift of an 86 year curse with his greatgrandson (ala Boston Red Sox Fans) or a nation is brought together for a few weeks every four years (ala any country in the olympics or world cup) be sure to grab your mouse and keyboard and type on the largest jumbotron, in the biggest font you can find, “IT’s JUST A FUCKIN’ GAME!!!!!”
Have you ever played a sport?
Yes.
Ever?
Yes.
If you have then you would know how hard it would be to perform, at a high level at that, after any of these life altering events?
I dunno, I usually think that the appropriate place to be during tragic events is with my family, not “sling[ing] an oblong object around the field for three hours”. Then again, I’m not an ultra-competitive sociopath. Let’s ignore “game” for the moment, and call it a “job”. If you find out that Bob from accounting lost his father this week, but hasn’t taken a personal day because he’s gonna work out his grief by crunching numbers, do you think, “Wow, Bob’s got a determined, laser-like focus!”? Or do you think, “Wow, Bob’s kind of a weirdo…”?
Everyone is entitled to deal with grief/stress their own way, I guess, but I don’t think that an athlete who does so on the field is automatically demonstrating any sort of character.
Lastly, pretty low standards for QB’s, really?
Albert Haynesworth
Not a QB…
Terrell Owens
Last I checked, also not a QB…
Yes, I’m being a douche and intentionally ignoring your “league as a whole” statement. But, you made it relative to that position, and let’s face it, QBs are given less- eh, let’s call it, “moral flexibility”- than most other players in the league, since they’re usually the public face of their team. If Michael Vick played any other position, he’d still a starter. And just ask Big Ben if he thinks that QBs are held to a higher standard… so yeah, it’s pretty easy to find a QB who isn’t “raping college girls, beating up strip club owners, or having shoot outs at clubs”.
Just remember the next time a city is re-invigorated post natural disaster ( ala New Orleans.) Or a man’s sanity is renewed ( ala Ron Artest….kinda) or a greatgrandfather gets to witness the lift of an 86 year curse with his greatgrandson (ala Boston Red Sox Fans) or a nation is brought together for a few weeks every four years (ala any country in the olympics or world cup) be sure to grab your mouse and keyboard and type on the largest jumbotron, in the biggest font you can find, “IT’s JUST A FUCKIN’ GAME!!!!!”
Well, now you’re just taking my words out of context and slapping them wherever you want. I’m certainly not arguing that there aren’t transcendent moments in sports (Hell, I’m a huge Sox fan and I was in Boston for the 2004 World Series win…) … but using a few incidents off the top of my head- yeah, sometimes it’s nice to remember that it’s just a game.
Let’s agree to disagree on this one.
Football is way in the lead (35% say NFL and 12% college football is their favorite sport, for 47% total), baseball is next with 16%; the NBA is the favorite of a paltry 5%, with another 3% for college basketball. Auto racing (presumably including NASCAR) is at 9%, and hockey at 4%, so the NBA has only slightly more people who make it their favorite sport than ice hockey.
Just remember the next time a city is re-invigorated post natural disaster ( ala New Orleans.) Or a man’s sanity is renewed ( ala Ron Artest….kinda) or a greatgrandfather gets to witness the lift of an 86 year curse with his greatgrandson (ala Boston Red Sox Fans) or a nation is brought together for a few weeks every four years (ala any country in the olympics or world cup) be sure to grab your mouse and keyboard and type on the largest jumbotron, in the biggest font you can find, “IT’s JUST A FUCKIN’ GAME!!!!!”
I’m sure Saints fans loved winning the Super Bowl, but if you think it magically healed Katrina you’re an idiot.
I’m sure Saints fans loved winning the Super Bowl
You literally have no idea.
@ Oliver
Katrina’s a hurricane of course it can’t be healed. However, let’s look at the financial gains of the city of New Orleans post Super Bowl victory. Shall we?
Last month a study published in the journal Economic Inquiry found that success of the National Football League home team yielded direct economic benefits, resulting in about a $100 increase in personal income per resident each year. Not much but it’s a start.
The economic impact of the 2009 Mardi Gras season found the celebration resulted in a $145.7 million direct economic impact and an indirect economic impact of $322. 2010 saw an increase of 30% in attendance due to the Super Bowl win. Do you think those numbers rose?
Fox News New Orleans Article
We wont even begin to touch on the positive psychological effects of winning cities and the studies that support them. Idiot? Idiot……..like a fox Mr. Oliver, like a fox.
I find it a little hard to condemn what was essentially a fund raiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs. A worthy organization got some money.
The real bottom line on LeBron was in this week’s SI. He doesn’t want to be “the man.” He wants to be a piece. Dwayne Wade wants to be “the man.” And now he is.
And Chris Bosh is over-rated.