Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What no one else wants to admit

No one wants to say it. They are afraid to. They think making a big deal about it will upset the powers that be in the NFL. But I am not on anyone's payroll and there is no way I can be threatened directly or indirectly to not say what I am about to say. Brett Favre needs to leave. For good. Forever. It is time for his legend to be put to rest, and for the record, he was never that great to begin with.

Now I am going to get the inevitable argument from most football fans reading this. Brett is a gunslinger, the last of a kind. Brett holds the NFL record for touchdown passes. Yeah, so what? He also holds the record for most interceptions and is notorious for having many of his seasons end on his arm. In big time moments you can put money on it! Brett Favre will throw an interception. He will disappoint you. You will be going home empty handed. So let's stop this legend talk now. He was great in his prime, but he hasn't been in years. Don't dare point to his numbers last season as a defense that he still has something left in the tank. Regular season numbers may be impressive, but it's what you do in big moments that defines careers and Brett ended last season in similar fashion to the way he ended most of his seasons this decade...an interception.

We are not even half way through the 2010-2011 football season, but I am watching an old Brett Favre right now. I am watching Brett Favre single-handedly ruin any chance that the Minnesota Vikings have of winning a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, there is another story regarding Brett Favre that is somehow going under the radar. The Brett Favre-Jenn Sterger Scandal. No one seems to want to talk about the allegations swirling around that Brett Favre was sending nude pictures of himself to Jenn Sterger. Not only do we now have the picture evidence, but we have voicemails that Brett left on Jenn's phone. Say it ain't so Brett
Hand caught in the cookie jar?
Here comes the question that is sure to stir the pot, because no matter what anyone says this country is still racist and people are still oblivious to their own subconscious prejudices. Why is Brett Favre being treated differently in the media in comparison to someone like Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, or even Lebron James? Had Brett Favre been black, wouldn't we be hearing about him and the alleged scandal every single second on ESPN or the local evening news? Of course we would. It is undeniable. The only difference between Brett Favre and all of these athletes is color. You can't tell me it has anything to do with giving him the benefit of the doubt because he has never been in trouble because that's just false. During the 90's Brett Favre was in trouble quite often for his addiction to pain killers. Yeah that's right, I didn't forget that one even though the rest of the sports world apparently has. Besides, last I checked Tiger Woods had a spotless record before it was learned he was flying strippers and porn stars all over the country to have these secret trysts. Michael Vick had never been in trouble either (well there was that whole Ron Mexico incident). Yet when Tiger Woods and Michael Vick got in trouble it is all America spoke about. Race was a major part of the conversations people were having.

What about Lebron James? The guy goes from being loved by America to being public enemy #1 all because he left his hometown team for a better chance at winning a championship ring. All of a sudden he's a coward, he is selfish, he doesn't care about his fans, etc. He is now a marked man and all of the talk regarding him has turned from highly positive to degrading. Is it fair? No. It isn't. Not even a little bit. Brett Favre deserves to be ridiculed and embarrassed just like any other athlete. But he's white. He deserves the benefit of the doubt. All because of the color of his skin.
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