2008 Woodie Awards
Favre's farewell meant more to Packers fans
Letter to the editor
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Opinion
I agreed with him when he suggested that election days should be national holidays. I bit my tongue when he urged the Whitewater bars to go smoke-free. But this time, Jake Zinsli has gone too far. Upon reading his opinion in the March 12 edition of the Royal Purple entitled, "It's just a game… not life and death," I was saddened and a bit outraged.
To begin I should note, for the most part Zinsli was respectful of Brett Favre and his retirement, and I commend him for that. However, I feel his being "sick of hearing about it [Favre retiring]" is simply a case of apathy and a lack of understanding from said writer.
The man played for our beloved Packers for 16 seasons. Along the way, he broke records left and right. 160 wins, 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 passing yards and yes, even 288 interceptions (all earning him top spots in the record books). We loved him for most plays, maybe cursed him for the INTs, but still cherished and respected Favre on AND off the field.
Most importantly to us fans was how relatable and loveable a character Favre is. We felt rejuvenated every time he threw one of his rocket-ball touchdowns and then would proceed to run down the field and fireman-carry his receiver, high five the refs and even slap his linemen on the rear end. We (at least I) cried for nearly the entire Green Bay vs. Oakland game the day after his father died in 2003, and laughed during almost all of his post-game and Wednesday press conferences. You see, Favre lived his life the way we wish we could. And that's something special that probably will not be replicated. He didn't care about the records or the accolades. He just cared about winning, and maybe more importantly, having fun. That's a breath of fresh air. And exactly why, at least here in Wisconsin, we will always care more about Brett Favre, no matter what he does, than whether we'd prefer Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain to be the next President.
Politicians have and always will be phony men and women pleading for our vote and perpetually raising taxes. That's simply a fact of life. But the great thing about Favre is that he was and continues to be that real voice that's down-to-earth and that we can actually relate to. When he announced his retirement that Tuesday, it left a hole in many people's hearts. Sure, Aaron Rodgers might be a great replacement for number 4. However, we will never forget those fantastic 16 seasons where, even for just three hours on Sundays, Mondays and sometimes Thursdays we could escape our worries concerning gas prices, terrorism and the concept of Clinton actually running our country. We could actually feel like a little kid again, watching Favre do the exact same thing. That's America. That's Wisconsin. And that's precisely what made Brett Favre so special in our hearts. Thank you Brett, you're the man.
Lane Kimble
UW-Whitewater sophomore
To begin I should note, for the most part Zinsli was respectful of Brett Favre and his retirement, and I commend him for that. However, I feel his being "sick of hearing about it [Favre retiring]" is simply a case of apathy and a lack of understanding from said writer.
The man played for our beloved Packers for 16 seasons. Along the way, he broke records left and right. 160 wins, 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 passing yards and yes, even 288 interceptions (all earning him top spots in the record books). We loved him for most plays, maybe cursed him for the INTs, but still cherished and respected Favre on AND off the field.
Most importantly to us fans was how relatable and loveable a character Favre is. We felt rejuvenated every time he threw one of his rocket-ball touchdowns and then would proceed to run down the field and fireman-carry his receiver, high five the refs and even slap his linemen on the rear end. We (at least I) cried for nearly the entire Green Bay vs. Oakland game the day after his father died in 2003, and laughed during almost all of his post-game and Wednesday press conferences. You see, Favre lived his life the way we wish we could. And that's something special that probably will not be replicated. He didn't care about the records or the accolades. He just cared about winning, and maybe more importantly, having fun. That's a breath of fresh air. And exactly why, at least here in Wisconsin, we will always care more about Brett Favre, no matter what he does, than whether we'd prefer Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain to be the next President.
Politicians have and always will be phony men and women pleading for our vote and perpetually raising taxes. That's simply a fact of life. But the great thing about Favre is that he was and continues to be that real voice that's down-to-earth and that we can actually relate to. When he announced his retirement that Tuesday, it left a hole in many people's hearts. Sure, Aaron Rodgers might be a great replacement for number 4. However, we will never forget those fantastic 16 seasons where, even for just three hours on Sundays, Mondays and sometimes Thursdays we could escape our worries concerning gas prices, terrorism and the concept of Clinton actually running our country. We could actually feel like a little kid again, watching Favre do the exact same thing. That's America. That's Wisconsin. And that's precisely what made Brett Favre so special in our hearts. Thank you Brett, you're the man.
Lane Kimble
UW-Whitewater sophomore
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