Archive for Sunday, January 20, 2008
Conservative commentary: Tom Brady is no role model
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Steamboat Springs — On a recent Saturday night, I found myself cheering for the New York Giants in the hopes that they would defeat the reigning champion New England Patriots and end their quest for a 16-0 season. Afterward, I had to ask myself why I was hoping for a Patriots loss. After all, they are possible Super Bowl winners this year and are a very impressive team.
Other than the fact that I like to cheer for underdogs, I realized that a football team has a spirit and a soul. And the quarterback is the one that sets the tone for the image that a winning team projects.
My 6- and 8-year-old grandsons Ryan and Patrick have role models. They often look up to star athletes. They like nothing better than to watch Sunday afternoon games together, footballs tucked under their arms. Naturally, since they live in Wisconsin, they are Green Bay Packers fans, complete with green and gold No. 4 jerseys. But they do have other heroes, and despite his fame, I have never heard them mention Tom Brady.
As their grandmother, I too am a proud Cheesehead. We put our faith in a man who has led our team to two Super Bowls, is the only three-time MVP in the NFL, and who just happens to be the star quarterback of the team: Brett Favre. His young teammates put their trust in him, too. They want to live up to Brett's expectations for them individually and for the team as well. His receivers often say that when one of his bullet passes come their way, they feel obligated to catch it no matter what!
The word that comes to mind when I think about Brett is humility. He has not changed from the scrappy young kid who played football with his brothers and father, Irvin, in the "back 40" of his rural home in Kiln, Miss. He wasn't coddled or pampered when he hurt himself. But more important, he was raised with an ethic that would stay with him throughout his life: Play hard, be part of the team, have fun.
Today, he embodies all of these values and more. His life has not been without hardship. He lost his beloved father to a heart attack, and he has fought and conquered an addiction to pain killers. Many of us would struggle with modesty if we had won as many awards as Brett has during his exciting career. A nine-time Pro Bowl attendee, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2007, the player having the most passing touchdowns of all time, and the player having the most consecutive starts in the NFL, to name a few.
But he takes his fame in stride and he remains, at heart, a family man. Married to Deanna, he has two young daughters to whom he is devoted. And when Deanna was diagnosed with cancer, he was there at her side during the whole ordeal. He even shaved his head when she lost her hair. Ultimately, he planned to end his career if she needed him. Lucky for all of us fans, he didn't have to do that. And fortunately, Deanna is now cancer free and, in keeping with the Favre family tradition of helping others, she is an avid spokesperson for cancer prevention.
One wonders what the legendary Packer coach Vince Lombardi would have had to say about an East Coast QB who leaves his longtime pregnant girlfriend for a Hollywood model. Lombardi was a deeply devout man who made his players go to Mass before games. And what would he think of Brett Favre today? I can see that famous grin on his face right now.
Mary K. Allen lives in Steamboat Springs and Mequon, Wis. She is a long-time conservative activist and enjoys working in the campaigns of conservative candidates and attending functions by the Leadership Program of the Rockies. Mary is a director of the Conservative Leadership Council of Northwest Colorado.
Comments
fish (anonymous) says...
Funny thing my grandmother used to say if you can't stand the heat stay our of the kitchen. If Grandma can't take it then she should not be writing editorials.
January 21, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bog (anonymous) says...
Why is there a conservative commentary forum every week so unknown part-time residents can recite their beliefs about how conservatives have all of the "correct answers" in life? Vince Lombardi made his players go to mass before games, wow, that is what America is about.
Two kids growing up in Green Bay idolize Brett Favre, that is a surprise. Any adult with any sense knows sports stars should not be our society's main role models.
In my opinion, if "conservative activists" want to promote their agenda, they should pay for an advertisment. Editor, lets show some balance and get this weekly editorial drivel out of the paper and put worthy news in its place.
By the way, I am religious and independent, so no agenda here.
January 20, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
colowoodsman (anonymous) says...
So Mary K......Who asked YOU ????? Brady is a young bachelor give him a chance. And I agree that this space could be better used for something like exposing those that hire illegal aliens. Or would that cause Stinky Springs to shut down???
January 20, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
I have no problem with the content of her letter, per se; just with the Slackers! I think it's an...ummmmm...interesting look at how to cheer on your team, but to each football fan, their own. Go Pats! Well...Go Broncos, next year!!
January 20, 2008 at 1:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tombedell (tom bedell) says...
how can you not love Favre? the mans an icon. its a bummer that Strahan and Umeniyora are going to make a sandwich out of him today.
January 20, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spukomy (anonymous) says...
I love cheese sandwiches. Go Big Blue.
January 20, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suckerfreeforlife (anonymous) says...
If Brady was addicted to pharmies, as Farve was, would mary kay see his struggle as valiant, or just more debauchery from an "east coast qb", whatever thats supposed to mean. Wasnt it a Packer who not long ago was busted for hooking up with a highschool girl? Talk about divorced from reality. This cheesehead takes the cake. Why does the pilot run this delusional, hero-worshipping, spin laden tripe?
January 20, 2008 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bluntman (anonymous) says...
i'm sorry Mary. i would be very, very mad at the sp&t for printing your drivel if it were merely an attempt to annoy good socialists such as myself. what is really unfortunate here, is that the patronizing buggers haven't had the heart to tell you that you ain't getting any smarter with your most recent attempt at "editorializing".
so i will. you should just give it up already... really.
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/20...
January 20, 2008 at 6:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JazzSlave (anonymous) says...
Wow. Mary K is on a first name basis with "Brett." The Pilot must be hard up for material.
January 21, 2008 at 6:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
I guess the Role Model just became Last Year's Model. 23-20 Giants OT win.
Go Broncos!
January 20, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rokboat (Neil O'Keeffe) says...
Sounds like an Ann Coulter wana-be!
Thanks for all of the comments above, you took the sting out of my thoughts regarding more judgemental/sanctimonious (?) conservative thinking. We can only look forward to a year from now (1-20-09 ) when we will finally will be rid of the greatest conservative embarrasment our country has ever seen. Believe!
January 20, 2008 at 9:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slapper (anonymous) says...
when is sobvor going to save the day?
January 20, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ColoradoNative (anonymous) says...
Proud Cheesehead huh? Are you the same proud cheesehead that thought your hero was going to destroy the Broncos in Superbowl 32?
The arrogance of Brett Favre, their fans, the media was unbelievable that year.
This is Colorado sweetheart. We don't care about the Packers.
January 21, 2008 at 5:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flotilla (anonymous) says...
Amen ColoradoNative. This is pure crap, through and through.
January 21, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackthroatedwind (anonymous) says...
You know what? Many of the above comments are pure crap! What is wrong with you guys? Here we have a grandmother writing a somewhat boring article about the a guy with undisputably high moral character (Favre), and dissing Tom Brady for leaving his pregnant girlfriend for a model. Do any of you disagree with her that Favre is the better man, and more worthy of hero worship by 8 year olds? Then why are all of your undies in such a bunch? And why have none of you any respect for a grandmother, for chrissakes! You should tone your comments down out of respect, in my opinion!
January 21, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
Blackthoatwind- Maybe the problem is that this is about 2 quarterbacks, 1 going to the Super Bowl, and it's listed as "Conservative Commentary" for an op-ed piece. It honestly has nothing to do with the game itself in any way, shape or form. If it did, Green Bay would have won thanks to high morals. Plus, Patriots played the Chargers and the Packers lost to the Giants. Morals didn't seem to matter.
January 21, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suckerfreeforlife (anonymous) says...
BTW
Its a GIVEN that an op-ed is fair game for criticism.
The author could have just praised Favre, and left it at that. Instead she chose to hate on Brady who, while not a saint, is hardly the NFL poster boy for bad behavior.
That'd be former Packer tight end, Mark Chmura, who, after self rightously refusing to meet President Clinton due to "slick willies" well known moral shortcomings, was embroiled in a hot tub sex scandal with a 17 year old highschool girl. Chmura was married at the time.
Further, the author makes a not so veiled diss at the East Coast, not taking care to inform readers that Vince Lombardi was an East Coast guy through and through.
Whether it was sloppy research, or blind admiration, that article was not fit to see the light of day.
January 21, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
Hey Bore: Who won the frickin' games, eh? What counted there? Coming from you, it may not be juvenile, but just plain idiotic. That's what's sad: turning a game into a political forum. This is why you have no life outside your computer. Some of us care about the game. And the game has nothing to do with being at war.
For you, having no life is the norm. Plus, you can't prove you even have character, right? Or should I just go ahead and reveal you to everyone? ;-)
As for morals being singularly a conservative agenda...what party was Sen. Larry Craig from Idaho, who was caught with his...ahem...pants down in the airport bathroom...looking at a male??? Not very conservative there...well, I guess it was conservative since he was spying thru the stall door crack.
Plus, comparing Brett Favre to Tom Brady...isn't that one of your prime examples of Moral Equivalence? One plays for Wisconson, a BLUE state at the top of the heartland, and the other plays in the BLUE state of Massachusetts, near the center of BlueLand. You LIBERAL, you!
And then, there's Druggie Limbaugh. Or O'Reilly the Perv asking the Beauty Queen about his photo fantasies when it was clear the pics were nothing out of the ordinary.
How many televagelists (God-fearing Conservatives) in the 80's were caught cheating, stealing, etc.?
Yep. Way to make a point! LOL!
January 21, 2008 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rfj0401 (anonymous) says...
Do you know Tom Brady? Do we know the reasons he left his girlfriend? No, all we know is he did. Everyone has had a tough relationship in there time. How can we judge him on his? The women could have been the Antichrist. Shame on you to judge him by whats on the cover of a check-out line mag.
January 21, 2008 at 12:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flotilla (anonymous) says...
The article is about Packer's Brett Farve being a wonderful role model because he is 1. a great QB, 2. a family man 3. has good catholic coach. Um, mary, if you lived in boston, guarantee those grandchildren of yours would not be wearing the packers jerseys... unless, of course, you taped it to them (from the news... not me). So, what exactly is the point of this article? That Tom Brady is a, as scott sanford might put it, yahoo? that your grandchildren are so intectually advanced that they discuss sex before marrriage and then deduce that clearly, Farve is the better role model? or that you love the packers are hoping that this letter gets you some tickets to next year's game... because, yet again, the Packers couldn't quite get it done this time? this article is soo cheesy i bet no one in wisconsin would have even printed it.
January 21, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
corduroy (anonymous) says...
Brett needs to retire, get the new blood flowing. Yes he's great, yes he's done a lot for that team. That doesn't mean Brady is bad! Go Pats!!
UNDEFEATED!
January 21, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
Cord- I agree, except I don't think Favre needs to retire just yet. He's had one of his best seasons after a couple really mediocre years. He might have 1 more in there. One of my best friends is a Slackers fan, so I have to give them crap.
Go Broncos!
January 21, 2008 at 1:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Beanie32 (anonymous) says...
Mary K writes like she knows Brett Favre personally. If not, then she's just been reading information about him from some of the Green Bay media. I don't understand how anyone knows that Brett was brought up so ethically that he wasn't coddled when hurt. Who cares? Brett Favre would have retired a few years ago, but he couldn't give up the limelight, at least, that's the way it looked to me. I could force a role model on my children too if they were sitting on the couch alongside of me with their (my choice) jerseys on and a football under their arms. What a way to spend Sunday!
Just for kicks: It's almost politically incorrect to have an article in a Colorado newspaper praising any football team other than the Broncos.
Mary K, would you care to reveal your sources for all this information about Brett?
January 21, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bikegirl (anonymous) says...
Football brings out the best in folks!!!!!!!!!!Personally,I enjoyed watching Eli last night.
January 21, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
Mary K...is your back yard clean mine sure isn't someone posted eariler that no one knows why brady left ...Tom Brady,Tony Romo and Brett Farbe seem like stand up guys and will all(except Romo dating Britny)make good role models they are smart,act responcibily(sp)..OH and by the way Brett and his now wife(no disrespect intended had a child out of wed lock)..check your sources Girl
January 21, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bluntman (anonymous) says...
perhaps next time (if there is a next time, that is) the team will do a more convincing job in beseeching the invisible cloud being to intervene on their behalf to deliver a more favorable outcome for their athletic jiihad.
January 21, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
God is a Bronco's fan...he was just napping for the last year.
January 21, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
steamboatsconscience (anonymous) says...
oh darn, I'm late on this one but I'll say it anyway
No rfj0401,
Ann Coulter is the Antichrist!
January 21, 2008 at 6:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
Tom Brady knocked up Ann Coulter??? I thought transgenders couldn't get pregnant? You'd think the Adam's Apple would give it away.
January 21, 2008 at 7:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bubba (anonymous) says...
Now that is even funnier than the article was...
January 21, 2008 at 7:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
colowoodsman (anonymous) says...
Hey Granny, why don't YOU be a "good role model" and apologize for dissin' Tom? That is if you can get your foot out of your mouth!
January 21, 2008 at 8:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bikegirl (anonymous) says...
While I appreciate your admiration for your beloved team Mary,Brett Frave,Tom Brady,Eli Manning are all simply human beings.When my son was little,he too wore his Bronco jersey every sunday,he has played football since he was six,and has admired the good guys in sports,he also understands that putting these guys above the rest of us is unrealistic.When we place too much emphasis on sports "heros" we lose sight of the real heros in the world.I must add we enjoy our Broncos and Nuggets,and we never miss our Sailors,but my kids role models have become every day people in thier lives just doing the right thing everyday.
January 21, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bikegirl (anonymous) says...
oops -Favre.always get that one wrong-
January 21, 2008 at 9:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ijustlookhi (anonymous) says...
Rock on Bike Girl...
I don't like this article being in my hometown paper...really there is nothing better to fill the space? It's useless and pisses me off.
January 22, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nikobesti (anonymous) says...
I'm just glad this was written by a conservative. What a great illustration of what's an important issue to an average conservative thinker. How embarrassing.
January 22, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
usually you can contact the author/reporter wonder why you cann't on this one
January 22, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
At least Tom Brady didn't die of a possible suicidal/or/accidental overdose.
Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger found dead at 28 in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by pills.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movie...
January 22, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
read that to bad.God rest his soul
January 22, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rakin (Rick Akin) says...
Like Bubba, I have neither the time nor inclination to keep up on the private lives of NFL players, or much of anyone else for that matter. While I don't know if the Bubba's research is accurate, he/she responds in the logical fashion, which is, "I disagree with the editorial/comment and here is why...." What has bothered me is what seems to be the premise of a lot of these comments, which is that it is improper to criticize others' conduct, period. Jallen3011, rokboat, and colowoodsman pretty well say this straight out. This kind of reasoning is troubling. There are times when private conduct is relevant, like with people in positions of trust, role models, etc. Also, this position smacks of the argument that, "If I disagree with you, you should not be able to talk."
I wondered if they really meant it. In asking the question about Vick, I was trying to trying to see if they really meant this and, if not, what they really did mean.
I am still interested.
January 24, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rakin (Rick Akin) says...
For those of you who think this editorial was improperly judgmental, do you think would it be proper to criticize Michael Vick for his dog fighting/torture/killing exploits?
If so, why would that be different?
Just curious.
January 23, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seabirth (anonymous) says...
rakin, are you comparing killing dogs and running a dog fighting operation to a man who broke up with a pregnant girlfriend (and who as far as we know supports the woman and child)?
January 23, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rakin (Rick Akin) says...
I am just asking a question and am curious about how these folks see it.
January 23, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
One was illegal; the other was not. Vick can go buy soap-on-a-rope.
January 23, 2008 at 3:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JazzSlave (anonymous) says...
I don't think the essay was improperly judgmental. I think it was breathtakingly vacuous and irrelevant.
January 23, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rakin (Rick Akin) says...
Kielbasa,
If the dogfighting had been in Argentina or Peru (where it is legal), is it your view that it would be improper to criticize Vick's activity?
I am trying to understand your thoughts on the dividing line as to when it is proper to criticize conduct. Is legal vs. illegal really the line?
January 23, 2008 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bluntman (anonymous) says...
it's a mental health issue- the guy needed help. hopefully he is getting it now.
January 23, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Beanie32 (anonymous) says...
rakin, take your pick: Michael Vick, or Tom Brady? Be a little judgmental yourself. You are wanting us to stick our neck out so that you can criticize our opinion (I think) and your comment about Vick having dogfighting activity in Argentina or Peru is strictly hypothetical---not even relevant. But I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the dividing line is wide. Furthermore, Brady didn't even try to lie to avoid being criticized. I'm sure he's paying through the nose.
I believe that if the article had been in praise of Brett Favre without the unnecessary dissing of another party (Tom Brady) this conversation would not have happened.
I wonder if the fact that Brady is a member of the New England Patriots (home of the known-liberal family Kennedy) has anything to do with the writer's animosity towards him?
January 23, 2008 at 7:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bubba (anonymous) says...
I looked up the story about Tom Brady, as I normally dont follow player's personal lives, so I was unaware of this story. When the author states that he 'left his longtime pregnant girlfriend for a hollywood model,' the news stories I found indicate that a few months after an amicable breakup with his longtime hollywood actress girlfriend, Brady had subsequently started dating a model and his ex announced she was pregnant.
Is that really the only thing that makes him a worse role model than a recovering drug addict?
And Rick, I fail to see how anything Brady did was unethical or immoral perhaps the writer here would have liked him to drop everything and marry his ex when he found she was pregnant, but that's making the assumption that she would take him, which I really am not interested enough in the story to research. I think the line between that and killing and torturing animals for enjoyment is pretty wide, regardless of whether some countries don't have laws on the books strictly forbidding it.
January 24, 2008 at 7 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
colowoodsman (anonymous) says...
rakin, I think you and MK are probably both blondes. Maybe you two should get together and try to get a clue!!!
January 24, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kielbasa (Matthew Stoddard) says...
Wasn't in Argentina, so it's a moot point.
January 24, 2008 at 10:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seabirth (anonymous) says...
thanks for the research bubba. i guess the editorialist just got caught in a blatant lie to further her agenda.
oh well, it's a sign of the times. both sides of the political spectrum think that if you state a lie often enough it becomes the truth.
January 25, 2008 at 2:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paddlefisher (anonymous) says...
breaking news jessica Simpson is sueing Tony Romo..lol..it only gets better..as much as I respect favbe for his accompishments both on and off the field..this so called editorialist paints him as the second coming of Christ and he can walk on water..kudos to you Brett but brady is the real deal
January 25, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
andymanout (anonymous) says...
I deleated my first draft. (for my own good)
This discusion is better suited to a sports page. The Op/Ed style of the article is more suited to that type of column. The first words in the tittle indicate this a conservative commentary. It is that and nothing more.
With that being said, I would love to see Lil' Eli and his mythical Giants topple the perfect Patriots. If only to avoid another Super Bowl blowout!
January 25, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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