A while back we talked about how narrative plays in sports media. In the continual search for intriguing plot lines, the media picks and chooses what narrative is going to be in play. They will usually try to make a story out of anything but as soon as Brett Favre chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, it was almost too easy. It was as if they were handed the Bible. The media, mainly Sportscenter but other media outlets as well, had a frenzy even when Favre was "retired". It was too much, taken to the extreme. Nobody had cared what he did and people were becoming sick of it. But when he decided to return to Minnesota instead of Green Bay, they had a feasible plot they could work around and spin towards the audience.
For those that don't watch much football, the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers have one of the most historic rivalries in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers are located in Green Bay, Wisconsin (two Midwestern teams). Brett Favre has been on the Packers for 15 years (1992-2007) and became a natural "hometown hero". Setting up this plot as Minnesota as the "villain" in this story, it is comparable to Luke Skywalker going to the "darkside".
So it is easy to see why the Packers-Vikings games got the highest ratings in television this year, instantly becoming one of the more anticipated match ups of the NFL. So when Brett came back to Lambeau Field (Green Bay Stadium) in a Vikings uniform, there were a lot of mixed reactions, some hated him and others still loved him as a person. These fans are some of the most dedicated and loyal fans in the NFL so when a franchise player that has been so loyal to you for so long leaves, how are you supposed to feel? Is your real instant reaction truly hate? Or is there only hate because the media portrays it as a hate relationship?