Brett Favre
Today was a very sad day for me. My favorite sports figure, the only famous person I’ve ever felt to be a hero to me, Brett Favre has retired. A lot of people don’t get why I would be upset about it. It leaves me feeling empty and sad knowing I will never see #4 on the field again.
Sundays in Wisconsin during football seasons are something else. Perhaps I only feel it because I participate in it, but there’s always an electricity in the air, grocery stores are packed with people decked out in green, trying to buy their beer and bratwurst to get home in time for kickoff…. You can even find Packer jerseys in churches. Driving is intimidating because you never know when an opposition touchdown is going to turn into road rage. There is nothing like the smell of dead leaves and grills fired up on a crisp autumn Sunday, I always look forward to that.
Packer football is more than that atmosphere to me however. Just like with any sports fans it’s a way to escape the everyday problems and daily grind we all face. For three hours on Sundays nothing matters except the game on TV, it sounds ridiculous, but between the games, and the anticipation, it’s gotten me through a lot of hard times.
Even beyond that, no matter how busy I am, and how little bit of time I get to see my mom, we always spend time to watch games together, it’s something we’ve shared since I was a little kid. My father lives across the state, but we’re on the phone at least 5 times a game, celebrating, arguing, discussing… and just having a great time being father and son.
I’ve been enjoying this past time since I can remember. Coming home from church and running inside to turn on the TV to participate in my second religion. When the Packers would score a touchdown, I would run across the room and give my mom the biggest hug I could, and when they’d lose I’d get angry to a comic level, I’ll admit it, I still do.
Brett Favre has been at the helm of the team that I’ve loved for so long, he represents some of my best memories. He’s made the games all that much more exciting, whether its an underhanded pass that saves a game, a long TD pass in overtime on the first play from scrimmage to win the game, or breaking yet another record. He’s made the games so exciting to watch. I can’t even describe why I idolize him so much.
He’s been a hero of mine since I was very young. He’s such a real person, he’s gone through making terrible personal decisions, deaths in the family, and other tragedies, and he’s played through them all, it’s made him feel like someone I know. Perhaps that’s why, despite breaking every major passing record, he doesn’t have an ego. I hate listening to most athlete’s talk because they’re so caught up in how good they are, but Brett is down to earth, he feels like the neighbor that I have a weekly barbeque with. Yeah, maybe it’s stupid, but it’s a connection.
There’s nothing I can say to express how important he is to me, or how I feel today, but I’m glad to see he had one more good year before leaving the game behind. Mr. Favre, thanks for all the memories.
