Brett Favre vs. AARP

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He's Brett Favre. He bleeds football. He’s a good ‘ole boy from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and his middle name is Lorenzo - who knew?

Well, unless you’ve been stuck under a rock somewhere, you already know that he’s re-unretired, and will be QBing for the Minnesota Vikings. As mentioned previously, the NFL season always seems to provide some sort of “soap opera-esque drama,” and by former Green Bay Packer Favre joining the Packers’ NFC North division rival Vickies, you can bet that I’ll be microwaving some popcorn for the match-up set for 10/5 at the Metrodome (and, subsequently, 11/1 at Lambeau.)

So, I will go on record as saying that I have been conflicted by his return, again, to football. After having been a Favre fan for years, because of his love for the game, but mostly driven by his looks, there – I said it, I was sad to see him retire. I was moved by his tear-filled retirement announcement, sad to see the end of an era, but grateful that I could be counted among a generation who could say they saw Favre play in his prime.

Then, he un-retired and played for the Jets. Then, retired, again. Now, he’s re-unretired and playing for the Vikings. I’m getting dizzy.

Who knew the range of emotions that Brett’s indecision would elicit from the general public, myself included? There are a lot of people out there with a lot of strong opinions, but mostly I’ve noticed that they all boil down to the two very divided camps of: “WTF, Just Stay Retired, Brett” and “I’m Just Happy I Get To See Him Play More.” I’ll admit, I have been a staunch advocate of both viewpoints at various times throughout this whole saga.

But, then, after a thought-filled conversation with a good friend of mine about the subject, debating both sides of the retirement controversy (nod to Prince's “Con-tro-ver-sy,”) it dawned on me – wow, Brett Favre is coming back! Why in the world would I NOT be excited about this?!! I want my six-year-old godson, Sean, to watch him, and to understand that Brett Favre is someone who will be spoken of in the world of football until the end of time. When he’s grown-up, I want Sean to be able to tell his kids about watching Brett Favre play! Sean’s a Titans fan at the moment, but he can still admire a legend from another team, right? (The commish is actively trying to recruit him to the Chargers side, but Daddy’s a Bronco lover, so that might be a challenge.) Regardless, at six, Sean just may be old enough to remember watching Brett Favre play football – how cool is that?!!

So, bottom line: Look, if Brett wants to re-unretire, why in the world would I feel so invested in his decision? What a waste of emotion, really. I don’t think Brett would care if I were to waver on any retirement decisions I were to make, and I’m a living legend, too, right? I can assure you that if I had retired then someone came to me waving $10 million in my face to do what I’d previously loved to do, I would jump back in the saddle faster than you could say, “A.A.R.P,” too, so who am I to judge?!!

Do what ya’ gotta do, Brett. Get in that Vikings uniform, hop into that shotgun formation, and make it happen! You know, we’ll ALL be watching ... with popcorn in hand!