As Green Bay turns...

Ashley and I have had many a conversation about the ridiculous amount of money athletes and entertainers make. It's a heated topic for Ashley that gets her blood boiling much like the mention of No Child Left Behind or Fox News or shopping carts left in the middle of parking lots does for me. Too often, I slightly defend the rich people by putting some of the blame on the consumer as well.

But after the month-long fiasco in Green Bay with Brett Favre, I might have to reconsider. I used to admire this guy. I loved his child-like demeanor on the field. He looked like he was having fun out there. Like it wasn't his job to play quarterback for the Packers. It was just something he did because he loved it. His ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat on the football field left me chuckling at his brilliance.

And everyone knew he was nearing the end. His retirement had been speculated for several years. He even left Green Bay management in limbo as he decided whether to play or retire. And for several years, he decided to come back. Then comes 2008. A press conference. Tears were shed. It was the end.

Or so we thought.

Evidently, he contacted Packers management months later stating he may want to come back. They set up a private plane to pick him up from his home in Mississippi. Two days before his supposed return, he called back the Packers and said nevermind.

Now the past month has taken place. Brett Favre wants to come out of retirement and play. He wants to start again for the Packers (even though Aaron Rodgers has been groomed for this job for years and was given it the moment Favre retired). If they won't let him play, he wants to compete for the job amidst a media circus posing as what's supposed to be training camp. And if that's doesn't work, he wants to be released, free to go wherever (including a division rival that would face the Packers twice a year). And don't trade him unless he agrees with the destination.

Boy, does this guy think the world revolves around him?

First off, his "will I or won't I retire" routine at the beginning of every off-season is enough to make Green Bay want to sever ties like a fickle relationship on its last legs. Second, the NFL is a business and the Packers own the rights to Brett Favre. He understood that when he signed a contract. And contracts are made to be honored. If this guy had a job in the real world (and, no, the NFL is not the real world) his fickleness would've worn thin during the final years and he might have been asked to leave sooner. He surely wouldn't have been given back his job like he's expecting the Packers to do now. If the Packers are now committed to Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, then that's their call (and I happen to agree with them). The Packers don't have to release him so he can make their rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, contenders. The Packers don't have to ask Brett Favre first if he'd prefer this place or that for a trade. The price of making multiple millions each year is that your rights are owned by the business you work for.

Sounds like a tough gig if you ask me. But what do I know? I'm just a teacher that could never support my family on my salary alone.

Over the past month, Brett Favre has turned into every other whining athlete who believes they deserve more than they make. That they're somehow worth more than any other individual in the United States of America (including the President). That the world revolves around them and their selfish demands.

I was a little sad when Brett Favre retired. I thought that one of the good guys of the game was gone forever. Too bad this past month will leave a lasting legacy of him in my mind that will do nothing to distinguish him from the rest of the millionaires who play sports or entertain.

And as much as it pains me to say this: Ashley, you were rrrrrrr...rrrrrriiiiiiiiii...rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiight.