Here I thought my brother and I were the only psycho Favre fans??

Vikings' fan Ben Nelms (from western WI) took out a full page, full color ad on the back of the sports section of the Hattiesburg American newspaper.

Click on READ MORE! to read the text of the ad.

As a young boy, I had two favorite football teams. One was the Houston Oilers (because once I saw the great Earl Campbell running over people, I was hooked) and the other was the Minnesota Vikings. Why? Because I had this one toy football helmet (you know, those little collectibles sold in the quarter machines at grocery stores); it was purple with the timeless white horn on the side. That was all it took. From a young age, I was imprinted. Well, I lost the Oilers in ’96, but I’ve always had the Vikings. And for 17 long years I had to watch my team play twice a season against one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever known. Some of those years were hard for us Viking fans. (They weren’t all like 1998, after all…)

That’s why late in the summer of 2009, when the rumors were confirmed that #4 was not only going to come back, but he was going to come back and wear purple…well let me just speak for a whole lot of folks and say that we were downright giddy. It was the beginning of what was to be one heckuva year up north. So the rest of these words I write directly to one particular dude hanging out and healin’ up somewhere down there in the warmth of Mississippi…

Brett Favre, thank you, bro. You made a good team great. You gave a “big business” league some personality. You made a professional sport emotional. And you helped make, so it appeared to all of us, a group of teammates into a collection of true friends. And that’s fun to cheer for, gosh darn it. As you surely know, we Vikings fans have had our share of football heartbreaks over the years. But 2009 taught us something – that it’s okay to love a team again. What’s not to love? Man, when you threw for Percy Harvin ’s first ever touchdown in the NFL, we watched amazed as a veteran QB tackled his rookie receiver in the end zone in celebration (it took you two tugs to get him down).

When you won your first Viking home game in the waning seconds on that unbelievable catch, we witnessed a true legend doing his thing, but this time for our team. And when you guys beat GB, not once but twice, man-oh-man let me tell you how sweet it was! We all have a heaping portion of great memories from 2009, and so many of them begin with #4. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that our best memory (so far) has yet to happen – the day when #4 says that 2009 was special but 2010 will be better, the day when #4 says he’s coming back for (at least) one more year of playing hard.

Most importantly (and hear these next sincere words from a fellow dude who just happens to root for the purple team): we’re not asking you to guarantee a Super Bowl…you don’t need to promise an NFC championship…and we won’t take for granted that you’ll deliver another 107.2 passer rating. None of that. It’s this simple — we just want to watch you play again. And you know what? I’m hardly alone. This is a sentiment that transcends team colors, a common feeling shared from the frozen tundra all the way down to the who ‘dat nation. Let’s just say it outright…FOOTBALL IS A LOT MORE FUN WITH #4 ON THE FIELD.

Brett Favre, thanks man. Rest up…then come on back.

Sincerely,
A Vikings fan.

Pretty cool, eh?