Within the first 48 hours of his signing with the Jets, 20,000 Brett Favre jerseys were sold. Jersey supplier Reebok was unable to keep up with the unprecedented demand. This begs the question, are these jersey buyers Jets fans or Favre fans? Sure, the man is a lock to be a Hall of Famer, but this sort of fan hysteria for a guy about to turn 39 in October? Why such a groundswell of expectation and excitement? NFL headline makers can be broadly split into two groups. Square jawed, All-American heartthrobs (Think Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Brady Quinn); or controversy-courting bad-boys (Terrell Owens, Randy Moss or Pacman Jones). While landing firmly in the heartthrob category, throughout his career Brett has not always been the perfect boyscout. As mentioned in a recent post, Favre’s bouts of alcoholism, pain-killer addiction and infidelity have helped to sully any chance of maintaining a cookie-cutter image.
However, perhaps these mistakes are really what help drive the appeal of “Brand Favre”. Not a homecoming king like Brady, or from football royalty like Manning, Favre’s many foibles and mistakes remind us of his inescapable humanity. Yet over the course of his career, he's managed to bounce back from several personal tragedies and perform when it matters. In an era when sporting figures are expected to be emotionless, bulletproof, superhuman deities, Favre's enthusiasm for the game remains his greatest appeal. While the Bradys of the world treat a football game like a high-stakes poker match, Favre has always retained the unbridled enthusiasm of a 6-year old running out for his first throw of the pigskin. To use a Top Gun analogy, Favre is Maverick to Brady's Iceman - a talented, passionate thrill seeker facing off against the cool, level-headed and cunning alpha male.
Perhaps It's this underdog "everyman" appeal that makes "Brand Favre" so likeable. Perhaps it's the reason for the unprecedented jersey sales. Perhaps it's the reason that while they are sorry to see him go, even dyed in the wool Packers fans will wish the man well come September.
