There’s nothing to ruin things for a family outside of a nasty divorce, when one person is pushed out it can make for some very awkward situations. It’s never easy on anyone but some people take it much harder than others, it gets more difficult when the person you once loved takes up with someone who is a natural enemy of yourself. I know, this seems a bit heavy for one of my articles, but you have to follow me here, sometimes things that happen are much deeper than you would assume on the surface. You wouldn’t think to search for a deeper meaning in most sports stories, but I’ve managed to find a way to do exactly that, tonight.
When you think of the National Football League you don’t typically equate things that occur in said league to a family dealing with a bitter divorce, but in some cases that’s exactly what it seems like. There are times when a player becomes so synonymous with a team that even the fans start to feel like they know him personally, like he’s a member of their own family, at that point they become more than a player, they are your brother. You can’t stand to see certain players in another uniform, it just doesn’t seem right whenever it does happen, in some cases it could very well turn your stomach. While we understand as fans that it’s a business and sometimes moves have to happen, it doesn’t make them any easier to handle, while I love the Panthers I’m still beyond upset at the loss of Steve Smith, it’s a natural feeling.
One of the greatest examples of this treachery is the saga of Brett Favre, the man who was the face of the Packers franchise for so many years until he was shown the door in favor of a younger player. I grew up as a fan of Favre as I was a big Packers fan for a long time, I hated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so much that I gravitated to Green Bay in retaliation. Favre was a great player, he had a ton of talent and was quite the charismatic star for the Packers, a man who many didn’t think had a chance took over for Don Majkowski and never looked back. He became the man most closely associated with the Packers organization, the number four IS Brett Favre, especially on a green jersey.
When Favre was finally forced out in Green Bay he wound up in New York and everyone pretty much dismissed him, everyone assumed his career was over and he didn’t really set the world on fire, which did nothing to change the general opinion. After leaving New York Favre wound up taking a position with the Minnesota Vikings, that position was starting quarterback, the hated rivals of the Green Bay Packers. This one move angered Green Bay fans so much that Favre has all but been brushed aside in their eyes, many going so far as to burn his jersey and swear him off as ever being a Packer. With the final retirement it seems as if cooler heads are prevailing and the Packers faithful are willing to forgive Favre, with a chance he could finally have his number retired soon. If this happens, anything can happen, who knows maybe one day Cleveland can immortalize Art Modell at their stadium…or, maybe not.
