Read Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan‘s opinions.
Sports Geek, Bleacher Fan, and I are huge sports fans. As a result, we watch quite a lot of sports on TV, whether it’s an actual sporting event or a sports news show. So we thought we’d take time on Friday to discuss, in King of the Hill style, which sports story turns our collective stomachs – and turns our televisions – away from ESPN.
I can’t speak for the other two, but I watch a lot of ESPN – the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” And there’s one athlete that gets so much attention on ESPN that it often makes me turn the channel. He’s a future Hall of Fame quarterback, but in the past couple of years (especially the past two months) I have grown increasingly tired of seeing his gruff face on my 37-inch flat screen television. Who might this person be? I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that it’s Brett Favre!!!!
For years I always admired Brett Favre. He played for one of the more storied franchises in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. He set record after record with that gun-slinging arm. He had that “good ol boy” image that I enjoyed. He was never clean shaved. If you saw him at a press conference, he usually had on a t-shirt. He was, let’s face it, a roughneck. He doesn’t have the pretty boy look that other NFL players do. I even stuck by him when, in 1996, he admitted that he became addicted to painkillers. I justified it by saying, “He takes a beating every Sunday. I’d take them too!” But, my attitude changed in the middle of this decade.
It became a yearly ‘Will he or won’t he’ ordeal with Favre. Will he retire? Will he come back? In the spring of 2008, he finally decided to retire! Yes! Great job Brett! We salute you! Enjoy your ride off into the sunset!
But wait! What? You decide later that year that you want to come back? What about that tearful retirement press conference that got so much coverage on ESPN? What about you telling the Packers to move on and build around current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Was all of that for naught? Luckily, the Packers held their ground and traded you to the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS. After an up and down 2008 season, you decide that retirement is for real this time. Yeah, you stayed at least a year too long, but good riddance to you!
But wait! What’s this? A possible comeback to play for the Minnesota Vikings, who happen to be one of the Packers’ biggest rivals? Is this just to stick it to Green Bay? Why are you going to see Dr. James Andrews about your arm? I thought you were happy at your ranch in Mississippi!?
All of these are valid questions! And guess who is there to talk about these questions, and still come up with NO answers?
ESPN!
ESPN might as well become The Favre Network these last six weeks. Minute after minute, and hour after hour, you can get your Favre fix on ESPN. Turn on any of the channels in the ESPN Family of networks and you’re sure to hear about #4. Heck, just leave it on ESPN News and you’ll hear anything and everything about Favre. Guess what? Favre threw passes with players at a local high school. (This really happened and was documented!) Favre ate lunch at a local diner. Favre went to the bathroom today. Do we really need all this coverage?
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I don’t need this. It’s not ending anytime soon because he hasn’t made up his mind yet! So what do I do? I turn the channel! I hope you do too!
No more Favre news until he actually signs with a team or when it’s reported that he is permanently staying retired!
Define “permanent” ??
But then what will ESPN talk about?! It’ll be at least another month before TO winds up in the news again…
I agree completely about Favre!!I say no more Favre,and then no more Chris Berman!!