Unless you live a completely media-free life (in which case you wouldn’t be reading this), you’ve heard the latest Brett Favre news. Doctors have told the Minnesota Vikings quarterback that if he returns for a 20th professional season, he will need surgery on his left ankle.
According to multiple reports, Favre faces a choice: undergo the procedure and return to the Vikings, or retire and end his 19-year NFL career. The three-time NFL MVP is reportedly weighing his options.
Favre’s ankle, injured in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, is still swollen and still in pain. He has sent the results of the tests to the famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, who has opined that Favre cannot play without the operation.
“We have talked,” Favre said in an email. “To play again, he would need surgery, as he suspected. This decision would be easy if it weren’t for my teammates, the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year really felt like 10, much like Green Bay had for many years. That’s what was missing in my heart, I guess, a sense of belonging.”
how does this sound to you? Does it look like Brett Favre has finally accepted the fact that even he isn’t immune to the ravages of age and is seriously considering retirement? Or does it seem like he’s leaning the other way, considering another comeback, a legit shot at a Super Bowl, and a $12.5 million payday?
It seems to me that he will return. I think he’ll have the surgery, miss training camp (which he despises), and take one more hit in a Super Bowl victory. That’s my story, and I’ll stick to it.
However, what stands out to me most about this whole ordeal is not Brett Favre’s health or the difficult decision he must make in the coming months. What fascinates me is the fact that, in the NFL offseason, right after the highly publicized NFL Draft, with the NBA Playoffs in full swing, a 40-year-old quarterback still manages to get a big part of sports headlines.
Radio host and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith often refers to Brett Favre as a “media whore.”
I’m a big fan of Smith and hear his clever bombast almost every weekday on the radio. I usually agree with his take on things. But in this case, I think Stephen A. is wrong.
No doubt, Favre loves the attention. He is at the end of a stellar career, one that will rank him in the top 10 professional quarterbacks of all time. He’s been in the spotlight for almost his entire adult life, and he’s clinging to it tooth and nail.
But Brett Favre is not a media whore.
Brett Favre is a media pimp.
Let’s examine the pimp-whore dynamic for a moment. The pimp tells the whore where to go and what to do. The pimp uses the prostitute to increase her personal wealth. And if the whore crosses the line, the pimp imposes some punishment.
Brett Favre has led the media by the nose for at least the last three years. He has told them where to go and what to do when they get there. It is very likely that he used the media to increase his personal wealth. And if a reporter has the temerity to question Favre’s motives, the quarterback has no problem cutting off the reporter’s access, which amounts to punishment.
Favre is by no means the only media pimp in this country. Most members of that species seem to reside in the world of politics. Many people would argue that our president is one of them, and while I am one of Obama’s rapidly dwindling supporters, I would have a hard time finding fault with that argument.
Media pimps are rare in the world of sports, but they do exist. Tiger Woods is one. Michael Jordan, even in retirement, is one.
Brett Favre is one.
Just wait: This summer, Favre is having ankle surgery. He will appear near the end of training camp for the Minnesota Vikings. He will begin the regular season as the starting quarterback for the Vikings. And you will find out about every step he takes during this process, because the media will tell you everything.
Iceberg Slim would be proud.