Why Brett Can't Quit

As soon as the news flashed last January I made the prediction to my wife: “I don’t care what he says, he ain’t retiring.” She didn’t seem to care one way or the other, sharing the view of most marginal football followers who have other concerns in life distracting them from incessant worrying about an NFL quarterback hanging it up. The rest of us couldn’t help but be interested; if the Olympics hadn’t provided a reprieve, we’d be on our fourth straight week of persistent Favre updates. Sports fans commit themselves to following other men’s lives…

Athletes don’t retire with gas in the tank unless another life awaits that both outweighs the grind and offers sufficient challenge to get them up in the morning (see Tiki Barber and Anika Sorenstam), especially when injury isn’t the main prompter for retirement. The athletic psyche stalks challenge, seeks goals that push beyond barriers posed by “normal” life. Athletes crave this bar-raising lifestyle and can become addicted to it--and like other addicts, it usually happens without their knowledge or consent. A few other possible reasons for the "un-retirement":

Idolatry: Not a word we’re going to hear through media outlets, but idolatry engulfs an athlete’s heart the moment all activities in life begin orbiting the sport itself. Remove the idol, and suddenly they’re left with nothing to worship, nothing to organize life around, nothing that offers a fixed point for meaning and purpose.

Seduction of attention: Fans can be annoying, and avoiding the masses outside the lines becomes an art, but the heart grows fond of being a hero. When does being loved for one’s performance grow old? “You know, I’m really worn out seeing beautiful women wearing a jersey with my name on it. Come to think of it, all these kids looking at me with that mesmerized look before an autograph has to stop.” Once you retire, you’re no longer headline news, a bigger deal than mortals like the rest of us realize. Think: any Jordan highlights recently on “Sport Center” ?

Elite competition: Sure, Favre looks like he’s having a blast on the Wrangler commercials, tossing a football in the backyard to a guy struggling to catch and run at the same time. Don’t buy it. After 20+ years playing with elite-level players, chumming around at the local YMCA with Angry Church Softball Players hurts the spirit (and endangers the body!). Retiring to backyard pick-up ball, while a romantic notion, reeks.

Routine: My dad just retired after 40 years of teaching/coaching. We’re all excited for him, but he talks with me like a man on death row approaching his execution day. He isn’t sure what to do with himself. Rhythm in our schedule brings comfort, especially when it’s set by the NFL: pre-season, regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, off season workouts, training camp, etc. The camaraderie, the routine, the comfort of knowing where one fits in—retirement is the death of an entire scheduling and relational lifestyle.

Whether it was handled well or not is another discussion, but we all understand why you can’t quit, Brett. Even if my wife doesn’t care one way or the other…

Editorial