Brett Favre

Why bother to watch a championship football game? You either love watching football or you are rooting for a specific team. I love football and decided to watch the game between the New Orleans Saints and "Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings." You either love Favre or you hate him. I don't hate Favre. I can't stand him and I was sick and tired of hearing about Brett Favre this and Brett Favre that, etc. So of course being that I love football, I rooted for the Saints to win. The Saints won, 31-28, in overtime.

I know Favre isn't a Baby Boomer. He is 40-years-old, and the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings football team, who played in the recent NFC playoffs. His team, the Vikings was one game away from playing in the Super Bowl. He and the Vikings didn't make it. Up until the game ended I couldn't stand Favre. I thought that he should have retired and quit playing football. Quit vacillating and coming back after training camp and showing up with an entourage of reporters. I felt sorry for Aaron Rodgers, who was his backup quarterback, and rode the bench behind Favre on the the Green Bay Packers team.

But I decided to watch "Brett Favre and his Vikings," (as the sports commentators kept repeating) play the New Orleans Saints. I watched a 40-year-old man play like a 30-year-old athlete in his prime. Favre still showed his enthusiasm, his determination, and his competitiveness. Toward the end of the game with a number of bruises, he sustained an ankle injury only to have it taped and come back in to finish the game.

Granted, I made fun of him. I was sick of him. I was the one who joked with my son about Favre pulling the quarterback for the Saints, playing in his place, and winning the game. But in the end, I came to respect Favre. He is a man, who loves football and can't quite walk away from the game.

As a Baby Boomer, I learned a big lesson from Favre. Do what you want. If you love it, just do it and enjoy it. Life is too short and too fleeting and even though our bodies know how old we are, even as we pretend that the 60s are the new 50s, the 50s are the new 40s, the 40s are the new 30s, and so on. It is never to late to try something and enjoy it. I am not going to try out for football, but I am going to try to let of my fears and try some new things.

When I become too disillusioned, or too bored, or too afraid, I will remember January 24, 2010, when a 40-year-old man stepped on to the field and played with joy and abandonment. Watching Favre play changed my whole attitude about him, and about taking chances.

Everyone has an opinion on Brett Favre - what's yours?