A Glimpse Into The Future

Despite the fact that I will watch just about any two teams play football, I usually don't have a rooting interest in games in which I don't have a team playing. I want to see a good, close game and then usually I want to see the upset. But, I tuned in with extra interest to the Brett Favre return to Green Bay, because I wanted to see how he was greeted by the fans in Wisconsin. I wasn't sure which side of the argument to come down on, because neither the Packers nor Favre came off particularly well during this mess. But, I was looking to the Green Bay fans for guidance, because sooner or later every fan will have to go through this same scenario.

It's a well known fact that there is no loyalty in sports anymore and to see one guy starting and ending a career in one city should be considered the exception, not the rule. So, the question of "to boo or not to boo" is one that will be revisited time and time again over the next couple of years all over the country. For example, what kind of reception are Yankee fans going to give Jorge Posada when he's hitting .215 for Baltimore in a couple years? If Brett Favre can get booed in Green Bay, then I think everyone is fair game. I don't like it when sports reporters try and tell fans how they should or should not act in this scenario. Personally, I feel that every fan should only be held to 3 rules at every game:

1. Stand up and shut up during the National Anthem. It's two minutes out of your life and a stadium is not the place for a political protest.
2. Don't throw anything onto the field. Don't even know if I have to expound on this one.
3. Keep wives and children out of anything said in a player's direction. Just because you paid $40 for your ticket doesn't mean you can leave your common decency at the door.

In essence, the "to boo or not to boo" argument comes down to a couple factors: player's tenure with a team and team they currently play for. In the example of someone like Johnny Damon, he wasn't with the Sox long enough for fans to overlook his signing with the Yankees. But a guy like Ray Bourque, the fans were openly rooting for him to get traded to a good team and there was no ill will. Hell, he got a parade in Boston for winning a Stanley Cup in Colorado. Apparently to Packers fans, 16 years of service can be erased by signing with the Vikings. So, I guess if Tom Brady is wearing a Jets jersey in 6 years, I have my answer.