FAREWELL TO A LEGEND
For the last 28 years of my life I’ve enjoyed watching NFL football. We’ve all seen the greats of the past and tried to compare every imaginable player and position we possibly can. Brett Favre has recently announced his retirement from the NFL and I can’t help to feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I have seen some great players since 1979, players like Lawrence Taylor, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, and Dan Marino. These players and many more like them have had outstanding careers and retired in the past but never have I felt like something will be missing when the next season resumes.
Favre brought a kid’s heart to the game that we can all relate to which made our player/fan relationship with him genuine. His love for the game was authentic and validated by sprinting down the field after he threw a TD and often you would see him tackle his own player or jump onto their back celebrating like we as kids did back in the day. Although his star power was as high as any major celebrity his humble character and funny sound bytes humanized him and allowed us as fans to embrace him even more.
His statistics are mind blowing and I could speak forever on the numbers alone but I’d like to keep this short and simple and say, “Thank you Brett.”
Thank you for…
Your never-ending devotion to your skill, including the crazy number of hours in the film room, training room, and locker room.
Leaving everything you had on the field, regardless of the score or your team’s record.
Playing 275 consecutive games, including most of the 2003 season with a broken thumb on your throwing hand.
Playing the game with a child’s energy and a love and passion rarely seen in modern professional sports.
Playing long enough so that my two boys, Jimmy and Derek, could watch you play so I can tell them “that’s how you should always play the game.”
Being human–not only on the field but off it as well.
Teaching us all the importance of hard work, humility, and family.
We’ll see you in Canton in 2013.
Very nicely written. You show your true passion for the sport in your writing. These will be memories that you will one day share with your boys as you tell your stories of all the greats you saw play. Know that when you put your feeling into words it some how makes it so real for everyone when they read them and sometimes the words that one writes to express their feelings always seem to touch someone, somewhere and sometimes the words will stay with a person. I am sure, that as you enjoy sharing your words and feelings with people, people enjoy reading them. As always, you make me very proud to call you my son.
Mom
And now he’s back….