Deserving Sports Fans

I read a blog on Yahoo! about Green Bay Packers fans and how they didn't deserve to lose to Brett Favre twice.  The post goes into really no detail about why they did or did not deserve to lose to Favre twice.  He does say, though, some things....

"Most of us will never see our hero, arguably the best player in the history of our franchise, come back in the colors of our arch-rival and then destroy us, cementing the fact that his new football team is now clearly better than his old one."

This might be true.  But what other things will most of us never see?  Let's see.  The Detroit Lions, from 2007-09 lost 19 games in a row.  Not many cities get this privilege.  The Pittsburgh Pirates currently hold the record for most consecutive losing seasons at 17.  This record is ongoing and I don't see an end in sight.  Most fans won't see this happen, either.  So, who really cares what most of us will ever see.  In sports, anything can happen.

"Karma failed us. After everything that's happened, all the breathless media reports, all the spin, all the lies, all the hurt feelings ... Brett Favre gets to come out on top, both times? This time, in your own front yard? That is not right. That is not just."

Karma does not care about Packers fans or Vikings fans or Yankees fans.  Justice and karma and 'things working out right' don't exist, especially not in sports.  There is no justice in sports.  There is just sports.  Karma doesn't help out a franchise.  Things just happen.

"I guess "deserve" is a concept that doesn't apply here, though. Things happened the way they did because Minnesota has a better football team. They have a better defense and a better running attack. In this case, that means they win. It sucks, but that's how it works."

This last quote negates the entire article.  If only the author would have come to this realization at the beginning of the article, he could have stopped writing.  He finally understands.  The Red Sox were never cursed.  They had inferior teams.  The Cubs are not cursed.  They might be a bit unlucky.  But overall, they have not had the best team.  In sports, justice, fairness, karma, 'getting what's yours' and whatever else do not exist.  The best team usually wins, no matter the colors on the uniform.

Re: The Best of The Best

Some of you may remember a little while back, I posted a piece about Brett Favre coming back. While I agree it is annoying how he constantly changes his mind, I don't see how anyone would not want to see him play again. The TD pass he threw in the final seconds of the San Francisco game was enough for me to get past the annoyance of his constant wavering in retirement. That was awesome and totally worth it. That is all.

The Best of the Best

Every time I watch golf, no matter what tournament it might be, I root for Tiger Woods. I do. There is the extremely rare circumstance where I will root for another golfer but these come in the even rarer circumstance when Woods is not near the top of the leader board. But, about 99% of the time, I root for Tiger to win everything, every time, no matter what. It's just how I feel. I love to see the best of the best win it. Tiger has been on top for a long time. Ever since I saw him destroy the competition at the 1997 Masters for his first major title, I have wanted him to win. When I was in 7th grade, right around the time of that triumph at Augusta, I got a Tiger Woods shirt. It was a white t-shirt that simply stated "I am Tiger Woods." I was in love and still am.

I was even younger when the best basketball player of all time was dominating everything. MJ. Michael. Jordan. #23. Michael Jordan. The best ever. He won 3 straight and retired. He came back and then won 3 more. When he came back as owner/player of the Washington Wizards, I wanted him to win it all. Every time.

There is a new 'best player ever' named LeBron. People give him standing ovations in New York. And that's not just because he's rumored to be going there in June 2010. They give him standing O's and chant MVP in other cities because he is universally loved. The whole country loves LeBron. They all want him to win. I am part of that group.

There is another player, in another sport, who is considered 'The Best of the Best.' His name is Brett Favre. For some reason, the love is lost on Favre. I understand the annoyance that comes with his faking on retirement. It seems like he's done it every year for the last decade. But how can you blame him? If he does not try to do it now, he will never be able to for the rest of his life. It is literally now or never. He is the best QB of all time, so why would you not want the opportunity to see him play one more season, especially with the two games against Green Bay - one at Lambeau. This is great entertainment. You better believe the world will be watching Favre this season. When Favre was deciding whether or not to come back last season, Green Bay GM told him that they did not want him on the Packers and they did not want him in the NFC North. They said he was not good enough to play on the Packers but also could not play for another North team. Why do that? Whatever the reason, it got Favre fired up. He's pissed. He wants to show the Packers what they lost. He gets this chance now, with the Vikings. And we get to see the best of the best for one more year. Or two. Or three.

So let's give some love for 'The Best of The Best'. Woods. Jordan. LeBron. Favre. Everyone is a fan. Consider yourself lucky for getting the opportunity to see Brett Favre in the NFL.