In many ways, athletics are like theater. Groups of people work together in practice by rehearsing complex movements in preparation for a performance. There is often considerable pressure surrounding these performances due to sizable audiences. Thus, emotions play a major role in both generating excitement, but also potentially creating unwanted anxiety in athletes, actors, and actresses. One major difference between sports and theater is that in sports, even the participants don't know the outcome. This adds an element of the unknown that can produce tremendous drama and emotion for both participants and spectators.
Brett Favre has been the protagonist in a different type of athletic soap opera the past several years. Favre has shattered NFL records for most touchdowns, interceptions and consecutive starts by a quarterback. He is a shoe-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, Favre had an ugly falling out with the Green Bay Packers two years ago, played for the New York Jets last season, and this year has decided to play for the Packers' archrival, the Minnesota Vikings.
What makes the story even more intriguing is Favre's inability to decide whether to retire or not. After a tearful retirement in Green Bay two years ago after leading the Packers within one game of the Super Bowl, Favre unretired to play with the Jets. Favre led the Jets to a tremendous start to the 2008 season, but they faded down the stretch losing four of their final five games. In addition, Favre injured his shoulder, leaving concerns over his ability to return to the NFL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kACbVGsWN74
Favre retired again, was nearly persuaded to unretire by the Vikings this summer, but decided to stay retired. The media was skeptical of whether this was truly a final retirement, and sure enough, Favre unretired again a few weeks ago. This latest unretirement coincided nicely with the conclusion of training camp, causing many to speculate that Favre simply didn't want to attend training camp. Through it all, Favre has received much criticism from the media, as well as fans nationwide (but particularly in that state just east of Minnesota).
The latest Favre soap opera raises a couple interesting questions related to three issues we have previously discussed in this blog: the media, motivation, and how to build team chemistry
1) The media is inextricably linked to the Favre saga. Fans and media alike express frustration, anger, and even rage that Favre apparently cannot make up his mind. However, if the media didn't provide so much airtime to this drama, fans would be far less likely to expend energy on it either. I have been amazed by the fervor with which people simultaneously expressed disgust with Favre's ambivalence, but also attended to every update in the soap opera that truly has no ending.
One would hope that if fans were truly tired of reading about Favre they'd stop clicking on links about him or put down their newspaper, and if they were tired of seeing him they'd change the channel. Similarly, if the media were truly tired of reporting on Favre, they would stop covering the story with up-to-the-minute updates on the latest rumors regarding Favre's return.
2) Favre's decision to unretire again strikes many as selfish. But let's pause a moment, forget about the annoying hype machine, and ask whether each of us might someday find ourselves in a similar situation. Picture that you love your job, but you're also fatigued and tired, physically and emotionally. You realize your days are numbered in this career, but you also know that three years from now, there's absolutely zero chance you could return. Now imagine that you love this job more than any other job you could find. Now add to that a salary of $12 million, camaraderie with a group of people with similar interests, passion, and a common goal, and throw in an adrenaline rush that will be tough to find anywhere else. It's not difficult to see why this occupation might be difficult to give up. It's also clear that people in other occupations don't have millions of spectators following their decision, nor do they experience millions of people chastising them because of ambivalence surrounding a difficult career decision.
3) Favre's decision in late July to not come out of retirement struck many as a way to avoid training camp. When he un-un-retired a couple weeks later, this only confirmed what many had believed: Favre wanted to play again, but didn't want to take part in training camp. This struck many as both dangerous for team chemistry and a bad example for children. Certainly, the decision to miss training camp made some sense, but also carried with it some risks. Let's examine this from multiple perspectives:
The Good: Favre has been injury prone and turns 40 soon. Keeping Favre healthy and trying to avoid wearing him down during the dog days of summer makes sense. Certainly, the Vikings would rather have Favre conserve energy and be healthy for the regular season and playoffs.
The Bad: Kids may very well interpret Favre's comeback as a sign that if a player is talented enough, he/she shouldn't need to go through training camp or other unsavory parts of training. This goes against the notion that athletics teaches persistence through difficult times.
The Ugly: It remains to be seen how Favre's late arrival will impact the Vikings. It is clear Favre is still motivated to play football, and based on his performance in his last preseason appearance, he appears to have something left in his tank. However, if the Vikings begin to lose games, sparks may fly as they did last year with the Jets when multiple players indicated that Favre was a prima donna and did not fully participate in team activities. Furthermore, does this send a message to Favre's teammates that he will get to play by a special set of rules?
In all three cases, it's important that parents discuss Favre's situation with their children so that kids appreciate (a) why Favre was able to miss training camp, (b) the personal risks to performance of not practicing hard, and (c) the risks to team performance based on Favre's absence.
How will the 2009 version of Brett Favre's soap opera, "Plays of our Lives" turn out? Will he get injured? Will he lead the Vikings over the Packers? Will he hurt team chemistry? Can he take the Vikings to their first ever Super Bowl victory? The NFL season kicks off this Sunday, and the one thing we can be certain of is that media and fans alike will be fixated on the unfolding drama that comes with Brett Favre.
In next week's edition of "Goal Posts", we will examine six factors that teams such as the Vikings can utilize to promote team unity and cohesion, and avoid some of the potential ugly consequences outlined above.
Until then, may your favorite football teams find all their kicks sailing through the goal posts.
