The Brett Favre Job

We all know that Matt’s family is a bunch of football fanatics. They’re Texans, so when it comes to football they are all certifiably insane. And when you can’t make crazy people join the rest of the world you tend to have to join them. So this football season I was taking notes. I was asking (stupid) questions(ie “What’s a route?”) and little by little I was starting to understand the game that makes them seem like obsessed weirdos.

The relationship between Brett Favre and I started when I was in the 7^th grade. It was 1997, the year he took the Green Bay Packers to the Super bowl. At the time I knew far less about the game than I do now and when my friends were talking about their “teams” at the start of the season I decided to make the Packer’s mine. It was an entirely random choice, but I watched every one of their games right up to their Super bowl victory. That year I probably should have been picking race horses at the track for my dad. Never the less for one glorious, record making season I loved Brett Favre. Then, this year at nearly 40 he signs with the Vikings and suddenly I’m hooked again. I watched Brett Favre work his magic over and over and I was finally interested.

I wasn’t following the Vikings by any means this season, but I was elated when Matt told me they had made it to the playoffs. So Sunday we sat down together to watch them play the Saints. I didn’t realize it when it was happening, but suddenly Matt and I were actually bonding through something that he enjoyed. I held my breath as the ball flew through the air on every pass, I was yelling at Peterson through our TV every time he fumbled, I was livid at the horrible call giving the Saints a touchdown when they were clearly outside the end zone, and when the Vikings lost in overtime I was truly disappointed. It hadn’t occurred to me that being so emotionally invested in a game could be so much fun…but just when you’re doing it with someone you care about. I didn’t realize the turning point until Matt told me he had been talking about it to the guys at work. I didn’t think he’d noticed, but he was really impressed and that made me feel really good.