Brand Favre

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.

King Kobe

Is Yao Ming the most popular NBA player in China? Going by jersey sales, the big Houston Rockets center doesn't even make it into the top 5. In fact, Yao is even being outsold by Rockets teammate Tracy McGrady. Yao's injury plagued season didn't help his popularity as he slid to #10 in the rankings down from sixth place a year earlier.

That said, jersey sales are often a reflection of the most recent events in the sport. There is no better example than the mad rush to buy Brett Favre jerseys the second his trade to the Jets was finalized. This is shown in an NBA context by the surging popularity of Kevin Garnett's Boston Celtics jersey, climbing to #2 in the rankings on the back of the Celtics' memorable playoff triumph.

So while helpful in gauging a player's ephemeral popularity, jersey sales are not a true representation of a franchise's brand strength in the long term.

It its fitting then that for the second straight year, 2007-08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant has the biggest selling jersey in China. Now Kobe was close to being traded prior to start of last season. Had he been at a new club and won the MVP award, it is safe to say that sales of that team's jersey would have been through the roof as well. This highlights the challenge in building a strong brand for basketball franchises. As the Celtics have just demonstrated, in just one short season a team can go from cellar dwellers to championship contenders. And as quickly as success comes, it can disappear pretty suddenly. The Chicago Bulls' years of struggling following Michael Jordan's second retirement is a good example of this.

All the more reason for a team to stand for something deeper and more meaningful than the mere functionality of winning games.

Is The Green Bay Brand Favre-Proof?

Since 1992 Brett Favre had been the public face of perhaps the most storied franchise in American football - the Green Bay Packers. From Superbowls and MVP awards, to alcoholism and vicodin addiction, the shy boy from Mississippi endured the triumphs and hardships to finish his career as Wisconsin’s favorite son. Or so we thought…

After a summer spent chopping wood on his ranch in Mississippi, Favre decided there was still some fuel left in the rocket arm. But the Packers had other plans and after a much hyped media circus, the two decided to part ways. Favre was then traded to the New York Jets where his preseason presence is generating more media hype than any Jet since Joe Namath.

From a brand perspective, Favre and the Packers have been so inextricably linked for so long that imagining one without the other is like McDonald’s without a Big Mac. After 253 consecutive starts, many younger fans will have never known life with another quarterback.

During his 16 seasons at Green Bay, there was not a player that came close to Favre’s popularity. Sean Gregory’s March article in TIME Magazine captures it beautifully. Perhaps it was because the guy was human – he wasn’t perfect, he got excited, he threw interceptions – but he could never be accused of not trying to win.

But the Packers have proven themselves pretty capable of dealing with high profile departures over the years. After replacing icons like Lombardi, Starr and Nitschke, what is one more legend to replace? It won't be easy, but if this whole saga illustrates anything, is that it's rare that a player or coach is ever bigger than the team. Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, Kevin Garnett at the Minnesota Timberwolves or David Beckham at the LA Galaxy could probably make fair claims to this statement - the three of them brought unprecedented fame to franchises without previously strong brands. But the Green Bay brand was well and truly established before Favre arrived, and will be equally strong and resilient now he's gone.

I have plenty of Packer fans as friends and I have been told by some that Favre's departure shook many households as much as a death in the family would. Be that as it may, I'll be willing to bet that come the cold winter months, the cheeseheads will still paint their torsos, brave the cold and turn out in their droves at the frozen tundra with as much passion as they ever have. After all, the Packers are still the Packers. Up in Green Bay no one is irreplaceable. Not even Brett Favre.