Brett Favre Has Quitter's Remorse
Packers Quarterback Seeks to Come Out of Retirement to Play Again
It’s now pretty clear that Brett Favre is having quitter’s remorse. Okay, the word “quitter” is inappropriate when it comes to Favre, but it’s obvious that the former Green Bay Packers quarterback is regretting his decision to retire in March of this year after a 17-year career as a quarterback that ranks among the best in NFL history.
This week (July 10, 2008), it came to light that Favre made an attempt to come back to the active roster of his former team. Apparently, he was not given a warm welcome, but was told by the Packers' management, in so many words: “Thanks, but no thanks.” Favre then asked for his release from the team (who still owns his rights) so he could pursue a job with another NFL squad. Obviously, Brett is having trouble saying goodbye.
But he isn’t alone is struggling with the decision to retire. There have been other great athletes, many others, who tried to come back after hanging up the cleats, the gloves, or the racket. Some regained their former greatness; others struggled mightily, but their courage exhibited a dignity that probably bettered their sport on some level; and some guys just didn’t have anything left in the tank.
Here is an example of each. Let's call them the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good – Michael Jordan
Of course it’s Jordan. The guy retired after leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight NBA titles from 1991 to 1993. His reason? To play baseball. But after almost two seasons in the minors, Jordan retired from that sport and came back to the game he once dominated – and then he dominated even more.
In three seasons, Michael led the bulls to another three consecutive straight champsionships, won three straight scoring titles, and two more MVP awards. Then he retired again. It was amazing.
(Let’s pretend that Act III, with the Washington Wizards, never really happened, okay?)
The Bad – Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali should have retired for good after his 1978 defeat of Leon Spinks. With that victory, Ali became the first Heavyweight fighter to win the title on three separate occasions, and arguably, proved that he was indeed The Greatest of All Time.
But Ali couldn’t resist the lure of the spotlight and the promise of a fourth title. So, in 1980, he came out of retirement to face the new champion, Larry Holmes.
Although Muhammad put together some nice combinations in the early rounds, it became obvious as the fight wore on that the 38-year old had virtually nothing left in the tank. In the final three rounds, Ali had trouble defending himself against Holmes’s deadly left jab. The former Cassius Clay looked nothing like the fighter he had once been. Thankfully, the referee ended the bout in the tenth round, and Ali retired again.
Then he came out of retirement once more in 1981 and lost to Trevor Berbick.
The Ugly - Bjorn Borg
Bjorn Borg was the best tennis player of the 1970s and the early 1980s, when he won six straight French Open titles and five consecutive Wimbledon trophies. Then, more than a decade later, when he was in his late 30s, Borg attempted a comeback. It was anything but pretty.
Borg played with his old wooden rackets against bigger, faster, stronger players using better technology, and it showed. He lost his first comeback match to Jordi Arresse amid much hype at the 1991 Monte Carlo Open. Over the next two years, the once great Borg lost a series of first-round matches to some of the lowest ranked players on the circuit. The closest he came to winning a match was a 1993 contest against Alexander Volkov, which he lost in a final set tiebreaker, 9–7.
After that match, Bjorn retired from the tour for good. He then went on to star on the ATP Senior Tour, using a modern racket, where he renewed his old rivalries with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.
Should Favre indeed come back, one hopes that his return resembles that of Jordan's, and looks nothing like Ali's or Borg's attempts that were, quite frankly, tough to watch.
