Today is Tuesday, July 08th, 2008

All Posts Tagged With: "Green Bay Packers"

An Ode to Joy at Work: Thank You, Brett Favre

I had intended to post about something entirely different today, but as I came out of a staff meeting I caught a headline on the lobby TV:

“Brett Favre to Retire”

I didn’t expect my return to sports news after a very long sabbatical would be something like this, but there it was .

I sat back at my desk and went to the Internet and yes, Brett has let the Green Bay Packers that he is retiring from professional football after 16 seasons in the league.

While I felt a tinge of regret at this news, more than anything I felt thankful - thankful for the entertainment he provided me (and millions of others) on so many Sundays as a player who so clearly enjoyed what he did, and led by example by his dedication to his craft and unwillingness to point blame on anyone but himself.

More than anything, he was just a regular guy doing extraordinary things, but could always put it in perspective. I can’t tell you how many times I heard him say - “hey, everybody, this is just a game!” .

He spent countless hours volunteering for the Make-a-Wish foundation, and I remember a press conference where he said that leveraging his fame to really make a difference for children in need was more personally meaningful than playing a sport.

Brett has been a rarity for me - a public figure that I’ve spent a long time observing and actually learning from. His context is much different than mine, to be sure, but his consistent displays of joy, leadership, dedication and perspective are quite “portable” to my life, and how I go about every day practicing my craft.

Thank You Brett Favre, and see you in Canton five years from now. I look forward to that speech.

How Politics Has Become the New Sports (at Least for Me)

February 22nd, 2008 • Starbucker • 4 comments • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Personal Development • The Essence of Me • The Sporting Life

It’s now been over a month since my “relapse” of sports fever, when the Green Bay Packers made it to the NFC championship game. I had it pretty darn bad, I’m afraid, because as my wife can attest I watched the whole game a nervous and pacing wreck. Any and all perspective was totally lost.

I was acutely aware of what was happening to me, but yet I just couldn’t stop it. So by the time the game went into overtime, I was darned near hyperventilating.

As the Giants lined up to kick the winning field goal I finally sat back and promised myself if the game was to be over right then and there, I’d immediately turn the channel and go right back into a total sports embargo once again. I couldn’t handle it.

History shows the kick was made, and I have been totally true to my own promise since then. I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. I haven’t read a sports page, or watched a sports report on the news. And guess what? A month on, I’m doing this even subconsciously - not even having to catch myself peeking.

So I’m back on the wagon……..or am I??

I think what’s happened lately is a classic case of “transference” - the shifting of a irrational focus from one thing to another. What have I transferred to?

Politics. The 2008 Presidential election.

I now have a daily habit of devouring any and all information on the election I can get my hands (and eyes) on. I visit sites like Politico and Real Clear Politics regularly, as often as I used to visit ESPN.com and CNN sports.

The ups and downs of political campaigns utterly fascinate me - it kinda reminds me of………SPORTS.

Watching primary returns is like reviewing football scores - heck, there’s even post game….I mean post vote…. “expert analysis“.

Have I really let go of this thing? Do I simply have to be exposed to some kind of competition that stimulates my brain and provides great drama and excitement?

I suppose the answer is yes. But at least in this case, I’ve transferred it to something that actually does make a difference in my life. Who we have as President for the next four years is much more meaningful than if Brett Favre makes it to another Super Bowl (although I know quite a few people that probably would debate that one……..).

So, did you see that debate last night?

The Sports Gene Returns With…..Packer Fever!

January 18th, 2008 • Starbucker • 3 comments • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Personal Development • The Essence of Me • The Sporting Life

It was great while it lasted.

The suppression of my sports gene, that is.

This past summer I made some pretty good strides in controlling what I felt to be a unhealthy emotional attachment to certain sports teams - so good, that I managed to gingerly step back to the sports page without too many issues.

Well, it’s back, it a really big way - the Green Bay Packers are in the NFC Championship game, with a chance to go to the “Big Game” two weeks later (sorry, I can’t call it by its real name because I haven’t paid the NFL for that privilege).

This Sunday, I will be glued to the TV set. I’ll pace, I’ll fidget, I’ll throw up my hands, I’ll celebrate - all the stuff I was trying to avoid.

Here’s the thing - I’ve been doing this since I was 6 years old. I have a vivid memory of the 1967 NFL championship game where the Packers beat the Cowboys in the famed “Ice Bowl”.

When this happens, it’s in my blood - it’s part of my being.

It’s more than the sports gene - it’s the “nostalgic heart tug associated with childhood memories and attachment” gene.

Now THAT’s a real tough one to kick.

GO PACK!