Bad sports, good sports: Brett Favre, the sunset called. It wants you back.

Posted on June 8th, 2009 by Alan Spoll

Time for me to complain about Brett Favre again. “Will he or won’t he??” For a second straight off-season, we are inundated with constant news coverage of Brett Favre’s every move, thought, and, in this case, surgery. I am not sure when professional football became such a soap opera. I am so tired of hearing speculation about whether or not this old, past-his-prime player will un-retire yet again, that it makes me want to stop watching ESPN. I am not a professional athlete. I have never had to deal with the idea of retiring from the NFL, or had to consider what life will be like if I no longer can expect the sports world to have a conniption every time I sneeze or scratch my butt. The thought of leaving the spotlight must be a challenging one. But at what point do you lose all credibility? I know I have written about this before, and I don’t know that I am adding much new to it this time around. I have admitted that I have never been a huge Favre fan. Very talented and exciting player, but one who was as likely to lose the game for you as win it, in my opinion. He has now retired twice, officially. There was one near-retirement that I am not counting, although it did involve crying.

This time around, Favre had to consider having surgery in order to be ready to come back yet again. He has now had the surgery. He seems sure to come back and play with the Minnesota Vikings this season. He’ll be 40 years old shortly after the season starts, and has made millions of dollars in his career. He played for the New York Jets last year, and after a strong start, tailed off so badly that many feel he caused the Jets to miss the playoffs. He then discussed this arm injury, suggesting that was responsible for his performance, as opposed to age. The “gunslinger” game is a lot harder to play when you no longer have the reaction time you once had. And as I stated earlier, he was always prone to the big mistake, even when he was at his best.

Boxers used to do this all the time… retire and un-retire, over and over. Evander Holyfield must have done it six or seven times. I figured that boxing was always such a circus anyway, it didn’t matter if its athletes weren’t taken seriously. Maybe Brett Favre should have been a boxer. He would have fit right in. Except for all the crying.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Another Memphis basketball player has questions asked about his SAT exam. Sure looks like John Calipari jumped ship at the right time, doesn’t it?

3) Being a fan of Philadelphia sports teams has not always been easy. We have felt a lot of pain over the years. I can’t imagine, though, what it must be like to be a fan in a small market city where the team regularly gives away its best players because it can’t pay them. The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Nate McLouth, and the team is now trying to explain to its fans that the move was not a money decision. Yeah right.

Good sports:

1) It’s hard to be good enough in a sport to be among the best in your state. Imagine going to a state track meet as the only representative from your school. You are the whole team. Oh yeah… by the way, you win the title. The team title. For the whole state. Bonnie Richardson, you are amazing.

2) Ever have someone tell you they could beat you in basketball with one hand tied behind his back? Kevin Laue can improve upon that. he can beat you with one hand… because that’s all he has.

3) Maybe the greatest tennis player of all time, Roger Federer had somehow never won the French Open. Not anymore.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02