Brett Favre's consecutive game streak of 297 games starting at quarterback came to an end Monday night. It did not lack the drama we expected: a collapsed Metrodome roof gave him one additional day of rest to try and come back from his injury. Before the game started, all you had to was look at his swollen purple and blue right hand and you knew the streak would be over. There was no way he could game through this one, even for a token series, as some Brett-Lovers would have liked. His streak was over.
Now, two almost inevitably things have happened: First, a new streak watch has begun in the NFL to see who is in the lead (I believe is a Manning). Second, comparisons begin as to whose streak was more impressive - Cal Ripken Jr's MLB streak of 2,632 games or Brett Favre's. I don't really care about the debate, but it brings up something that has bothered me ever since Cal Ripken's streak ended Sept 20, 1998:
Cal Ripken is a bum. He should be ashamed of the way his streak ended.
Favre - love him or hate him - could not play on Monday; no one has argued that point. His shoulder and hand were a mess; he may never play football again. Lou Gehrig, the former Iron Man for MLB, played in 2,130 games, until his body, ravaged by the disease that now bears his name, would not let him play anymore. He died two years after his streak ended. Cal Ripken didn't play on Sept 20, 1998 because.....
Yeah, there is a reason you if you can not remember why: there was no reason. He wanted the day off. According to Ripken, "I think the time is right." Click here for full story.
Did Cal Ripken deserve a day off? Yes. Unquestionably, yes. He played hard every day and every game, in a position with a very high injury rate. He played the game with class and decency. Very few players have his character and appeal.
Except on this one point.
On the day his streak ended, he disappointed us all. For 16 years he put his head down, worked hard, and showed us virtue was its own reward. That is until Sept 20, 1998. On that day, he proved he was just as lazy and worthless as the rest of us. He showed us it was okay to wuss out, give up, and think of yourself instead of the team. Worst yet, he was praised for this behavior. No one every questioned why he stopped. He was celebrated for the next three years until he retired in 2001, and he is still considered a baseball god today.
All of this for giving up because he didn't feel like living up to the obligations of his teammates and fans. For this blatant show of laziness, he was praised. It was decision that set a very bad example for all athletes. Should it be any surprise today that we now have a generation of athletes, who only think of themselves (and the money) like Randy "I play when I wanna play" Moss.
It is an unfair double standard for Ripken (and Favre); other players routinely take off games with no consequences. But when you are the focus of a streak, you are held up to another standard. For better or worse, you are made into a role model. Your actions are scrutinized far closer then is fair, but this is hardly surprising news for athletes. They know what they are getting into when they sign the contract for all that money. They have an expectation they have to live up to, and Ripken blew it with the way he ended his streak.
Yes, the O's were 1000 games out of first place when Ripken ended his streak. So are the Vikings. Favre is no saint. His is hated by 98% of Wisconsinites (the 2% is probably a sampling error). He is a prima donna, who loves the attention and will give it - either to a willing public, or unwilling one (via text pics). He won a big game, and he has lost them, too. But the guy loved to play and he was willing to do so had it been possible.
It is a shame it wasn't possible for Favre. This will (most likely*) be his last season, having left it all out on the field, unable to continue his streak any further, setting a new record for endurance and a new standard for perseverance for the NFL. I wish I could say the same for Ripken.
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