Comeback Man

With football season approaching, perhaps Brett Favre's memories of roaring fans and high profile athletic competition were too sweet to abandon. After a month of sensationalized attention to the former Green Bay Packers quarterback's announcement that he wished to return to the NFL, he is both reinstated and competing for a starting position that was confirmed to belong to his teammate, Aaron Rodgers (at least as of 10:00 am ET, August 5th, 2008).

It seems to me that Brett Favre's return to the NFL is motivated by a lack of his to move beyond his days of athletic glory. His is an attempt to linger forever in days of the adornment of fans wearing his name and number. His desire to recapture his celebrity is powered by nostalgia and an inability to move past his super-stardom. It seemed that just as buzz grew around the new Packers QB and fans began to move past the days of Favre, there he was, through every major sports news outlet, annoucing his plan to restart his career.

While I understand a change of heart, Favre's was a selfish act. His announcement came at a most inopportune time, diverting the attention of the Packers from preparing for the upcoming NFL season to himself and jeopardizing the careers of Green Bay's QBs, specifically disturbing Aaron Rodgers and his preparation for what was to be his first starting season.

Favre received his media-hyped goodbye; and his desire to return, and further, his reinstatement, have hindered and disturbed the plans of the Packers and proved him inconsiderate of his teammates.

Favre had his time, and he chose to leave the NFL to pursue other opportunities. It should have been a time to introduce new players to the game, to move past history and allow someone else to gain experience and excel.

Packers fans may be happy to see their all-star back on the field, but Favre's was not an act of loyalty to Green Bay; it was and is a grown man's attempt to cling to his past, and his refusal to be replaced.

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