Brett Favre, please go home

Well it appears once again, we've been had.

For the 17th time in five years, Brett Favre has decided that his talk of retirement was premature, and has officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, Favre, the gunslinger, the big kid, the Iron Man, the Wrangler spokesman, is back in the NFL.

...Again.

Only this time, the mood surrounding his return isn't about admiration or respect for the aging quarterback. While once upon a time fans were glad to have Favre return to the gridiron, that excitement wears off each time this happens. Now, people are finally sick of it.

We're sick of the mind games, the false promises, the crying at press conferences and sudden return without explanation. We're sick of the attention-hogging, the wall-to-wall media coverage, and the emotional tug-of-war.

Basically, we're sick of Brett Favre and ego.

For the past four years, Favre has openly discussed his retirement at the end of each season. Sometimes it was an emotional press-conference, sometimes it was to say that he "might" be coming back. And every year, Favre has returned to the NFL, without much of an explanation as to why he continues to ponder retirement and eventually come back.

"He just wants to play football," the analysts say. "And this is a difficult decision for him." "He's doing this because he loves the game so much." "Football is all he's ever known, how could he ever adjust to retirement?"

Well, by now, no one cares anymore.

Favre is like the friend in college that no one likes to invite to parties. Somehow he shows up, and he's fun at first, joking and partying with the group. But after a few drinks, he starts to get out of control; falling down, throwing and breaking stuff, calling too much attention to his antics and being more of a distraction than a fun addition to the party. He might get really emotional later and start crying, and everyone wishes that he would just leave so they could have fun again. Only he sticks around, disappearing every 10 minutes before coming back into the house and bringing the mood down.

Brett, if you want to play football, then play football. If you don't want to play, then retire. But you have to pick one.

Because this waffling back and forth is only turning fans off, and makes people feel that Favre is only in it for the attention. The rumors, whispers, and outright lies from Favre and team officials, followed by Favre signing just in time for the end of training camp (no sleeping on a bunk for Brett!), makes it all seem that Favre was planned all of this to get the maximum attention from the least effort. Roger Clemens did this by "retiring" and then returning as a savior at mid-season while picking and choosing when he played. He wasn't in it for the team, and, based on how this current situation has played out, it appears that the only thing Favre is in it for is himself.

No one cares anymore. The media, once to adoring of Favre, are yawning at the news. Vikings fans who were spurned by Favre earlier this summer are thinking "oh, so now he decides to show up." Jets fans are laughing that Favre and his 22 interceptions are Minnesota's problem now. Maybe the only guy who's truly happy (besides Favre, of course) is Michael Vick, who's thanking Favre for taking the attention away from him.

And all of this is happening because Favre needed his ego stroked. If he was really serious about playing in the NFL all along, then he should have become a free agent and go through the process like every other player. If he really wanted to retire, he would have realized that he'd had his day in the sun and leave the NFL gracefully.

But neither of those things happened. Favre seems to like having the media follow his every move. That's why he's pulled the same fake retirement stunt again and again and again; because he knows that he'll be back in the spotlight.

Only this time, he's being greeted with eye-rolls and sighs. Not again...

Everyone is tired of the shenanigans. Play or retire, it makes no difference; the Favre story has run its course. Now, all that's left is for Favre to spend the entire season bringing the mood down at the party, while everyone hopes that he never shows up to do it again in the future.