He is rich, famous and idolized by millions. His face is on TV, billboards and magazines. He is the face of a franchise that is desperate to win. However, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are simply the worst examples for youth to look up to. Their actions are bad for the sport, and similarities will soon be seen in youth all across the country.
Favre is known for playing the game of football with child-like enthusiasm. Yes, he does jump around and sprint to pick up his teammates after a touchdown. However, Favre’s recent actions over the last three years have been nothing but childish, most notably this past summer with the Vikings.
Earlier this month, Favre allegedly sent out text messages to some teammates saying he was “done.” The desperate Vikings organization did everything possible to convince the quarterback in his 40s to come back because they knew their other quarterbacks would not win them the Super Bowl. Head Coach Brad Childress even visited his home in Mississippi and it was not enough.
The Vikings’ next move? Offer the millionaire more money. Twenty million sound good to you? Not to Favre. Finally, it took three of his closest teammates to skip practice, hop on a private jet, and fly to Favre’s house before he caved in and agreed to come back for a 20th NFL season.
Yes, Favre did have a bum ankle. Did he really not want to come back? No one, especially after the season he had, would want to leave on such a sour note. The simple fact of the matter is, Favre did not want to go through the rigors of training camp like everyone else.
Sorry Favre, you are no exception. The quarterback is suppose to be the leader, the one who sets a prime example of how to do things right. Yet he skips training camp and shows up when the games matter most. Favre gets away with murder with the Vikings, but is that a reflection of him? Or does it reflect how far an organization will go to win?
Favre should rise above this pampered treatment he is receiving from the Vikings. If he truly is coming back to win, then why was he at home instead of being with his teammates? If you’re hurt, I respect that — but that’s why NFL teams pay millions of dollars in medical equipment and professional care. Favre chose not to use that; instead, he decided to sit at home and wait until they crawled on hands and knees begging him to play again, because he knew he was better then the rest.
Favre used to make the game of football fun to watch; now, he wants to be the whole show. What a sad end to such a legendary career.
The simple fact is Favre doesn’t need to go through the training camp to achieve similar numbers to every (*MUCH* younger) “elite” QB in the league. Perhaps you should be complaining that, despite attending training camp, virtually all of today’s QB’s are unable to post numbers *FAR* superior to a selfish, 40+ year old QB. The lesson is simple…excel at what you want to do in life and let everyone chase after you. Yea, bad lesson to teach the youth of today.
Few things to point out:
He never sent a text that said “done”. Since you have quotes around that word you are making a reference to quoting the text message. The text he sent was “This is it.” This has many different meanings. Secondly, you say “No one, especially after the season he had, would want to leave on such a sour note.” That is an odd statement. He had arguably his best season ever. They way the post season ended was sour, but his season was spectacular. Comparing murder to skipping training camp is pretty ridiculous as well. Also, your headline is a little misleading. You never really say why it is a bad example for youths. You explain that he should be at training camp, but never explain why. Considering he already has played a full season with this team, understands the playbook better than his head coach, and is a true gamer skipping training camp is not that big of a deal. Why is Revis given a pass for skipping mini-camp because of a contract dispute? He has a signed contract that no one forced him to put his John Hancock on, yet he is holding out for more money. That is a bad example for youths, even worse if the Jets cave in and give him what he wants. You also state “Favre used to make the game of football fun to watch…” it is obvious by ratings, that people still love to watch him play still.
You say what a sad end to a legendary career…why is it a sad end? What if he wins a Super Bowl this year, is it a sad end then? What if he has a great season but the team does not make the playoffs, is it sad then? Listen I am not a fan of Favre waiting to make a decision on whether or not he will play. But the media is at fault here not Favre. If the media would only report when he has made a decision then you would not have all this BS.
I would suggest in the future to do some research on an article before you post it. Otherwise they are just words on paper or in this case on the internet. But this is definitely an opinion piece which is where it should be listed.
Leave Favre alone. He’s the leader on the Vikings & puts excitement & buzz in their game. Rosenfelds should be Favre’s backup, not Jackson. Jackson should be traded and we could get a great cornerback or someone really good for him now while he is fairly young.
Go Vikings!
How refreshing to see the Vikings playing at a level where experts are predicting they could be in the Super Bowl this year!
I was so upset when they were rooked out last year by the officials bad calls and non-calls. Although they also had 3 fumbles in the red zone going in for scores, they should have won that game. Officials were told to go against them, because it was a good story for the Saints to win, due to the hurricane. Sad day for America. Even Obama made a commercial with the Saints winning before it even happened.
Now, it’s Vikings turn to even the score with Favre.
The media is totally at fault for all Favre hype that some people are complaining about.
My son is 10 and adores Favre. We are completely happy with Favre as a role model. He plays hard, plays hurt, has fun and is his own man. Whatever off field issues he has had, he has faced like a man, admitted like a man and corrected like a man. In the real world, producers get perks and leniency from boss. The media has causd the hoopla, not Favre. I would definitely NOT like my son having a member of media as a role model, someone who tears down others with outright lies or over the top innuendo in order to get “a story” to hopefully help her own career. Brett Favre has not ever tried to tear someone down to build himself up. He produces.
Show me the money!!!
You have proved it is impossible to argue that Brett Favre is not a role model for youth, yet you have reiterated the argument that feckless Packer fans cannot move on from the Brett Favre era, even when they have a Top 5 QB on their current roster.
How about showing up to work every day, even when others would not? Favre certainly does that after setting the NFL record with most consecutive starts, even though he was injured for many of them.
How about loyalty? Favre repeatedly said that the biggest reason pulling him back to play again was that he “loved” his teammates. This is exhibited in his locker room antics (see post-Cowboy game), and his tackling of teammates in the endzone after a touchdown.
How about dealing with your problems like an adult, rather than letting them get worse? It was no secret Favre had an issue with painkillers and alcohol. Both were made public, he dealt with them, and he moved on.
How about standing side-by-side your wife with cancer? In a time when infidelity among pro athletes dominates news coverage, one has to respect this.
You could’ve saved everyone the time of reading this garbage by providing a disclaimer that said, “I’m a bitter Packer fan.”