One of the unavoidable consequences of living, as I did, in Wisconsin for sixteen years is that, regardless of one's place of birth or previous sporting affiliations, one will inevitably become a fan of the Green Bay Packers. The old sporting cliché about the team being "part of the fabric of the community" is an undeniable fact and everybody who spends more than a fleeting amount of time in Wisconsin becomes infected with some degree of Packer Fever.
It was with no small degree of interest that we followed the Brett Favre coming-out-of-retirement saga of the past few weeks. We were by turns hopeful, excited, confused, frustrated and ultimately disappointed to see our icon do the unthinkable and take his gun-slinging arm to New York to play for the Jets.
While the Favre story had multiple twists and turns and more than a little rancor between he and the Packers it was interesting to watch the actions of the person caught most squarely in the middle of the soap opera: Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy's charge is to lead the Packers on the field and put them in the best position to win not only on a weekly basis but also over the long haul of the NFL and playoff seasons. When Favre announced his tearful, apparently sincere retirement back in the spring, the sad reality was that McCarthy, and the rest of us, would have to prepare for a future without one of the most beloved players in NFL history.
Professional coaches are, by necessity, pragmatic people and although it is not easy to envision a future without an inspirational, Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback, McCarthy and the Packers did the only thing they could do; move on, name a new quarterback and start to prepare for the upcoming season. As fans of the team we were compelled to do the same.
How confusing then for Favre to reverse fields this summer and decide that he wants to return, but only if he can be the starting quarterback. McCarthy made the obligatory gestures and claimed he would be happy to have Favre in a back-up role but it was clear that he didn't want to undo months of hard work spent in preparing for the post-Favre era. As the fans ranted for the return of their hero and the organization stood firm, McCarthy ended up being at the conflicted fulcrum of a see-sawing emotional drama.
Standing firm in the face of extreme passion and refusing on principle to go back on the organization's plan to hitch their wagon to a new, unproven quarterback was commended in the eyes of some and vehemently scorned by others.
So it is for any coach, teacher, manager or leader when adherence to a matter of principle, whether long-standing or subjectively situational, proves unpleasant and unpopular. It is the point at which we are forced to wrestle with the conflict of doing what's right or doing what's popular in the eyes of others and these situations are the precursors to many a long, sleepless night.
Maybe Mike McCarthy was only doing what he was told to do by the people that employ him and both he and the Packers management will no doubt be equally applauded or vilified in the taverns of Wisconsin.
The unfortunate way in which this scenario was handled on both sides, the posturing and equivocation and the bringing to a grinding halt of a hotly-requited love affair between player and State, is fodder for question and criticism and ultimately nobody won, not the organization, not McCarthy, not Favre and certainly not the fans.
I suspect that even the most die-hard fan is fed-up with the soap opera and wishes, like I secretly do, more insomnia on its protagonists.
