Football season is around the corner and the spectacle of the offseason is again christened by the faux retirement of a familiar face. Brett Favre never fails to appear in the offseason, flip-flopping like a fish out of water between retirement and playing another season.

On Aug. 3, Minnesota Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe revealed that old number four was hanging up his jersey for what seemed like the millionth time in his career. Viking teammates said that their fabled quarterback informed the team of his decision via text message.

This text created a whirlwind of media attention only to be followed by Favre saying he has not made a decision and was waiting on his ankle to heal in order to settle on a choice.

So Favre conjures up frenzy and suddenly settles back into seclusion at home in Mississippi while a franchise hangs on his every word.

Other players have grown weary of the annual fiasco. Cincinnatti Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who is known for his own share of antics, questions the double standard created for Favre and his debacle.

"We get hell for having fun but he makes a spectacle about coming and it's cool," Ochocinco said via Twitter.

Wide receiver Ochocinco has had fun doing silly celebrations, or having a ridiculous show on television, but his actions do not garner any consequences for his team, and even attends training camp.

Favre is like the hot girlfriend that drives the boys wild with their infatuation, even ending the relationship through a text message. Making boys think out of the ordinary, and having to wait for them all the time.

In this case the boys are the Vikings who bend over backwards, doing things most franchises won't do, for the luxury of having the veteran at the helm of the offense.

“You get to a point at 40 years old that you know exactly what you want to do – if you want to play football or not," said former NFL safety Rodney Harrison on the Dan Patrick Show.
"(It’s) so unfair to your teammates, it’s unfair to your coaches, it’s unfair to the city, the organization that you keep leaving people hung out to dry like that."

While the Vikings head to training camp, Favre holds out while he considers the options he has.

In the 2009 season, Favre also missed training camp despite knowing his return. While players attend the toughest weeks in a football season, the leader of the team stays back and enjoys the time off.

Where does Favre develop this sense of entitlement? Even if he is one of the greatest players to ever bless the game of football, being a professional athlete has its responsibilities and in the case of the football players, one of them is to attend training camp. Owning an extensive number of records and being greatness in the flesh does not excuse you from training camp.

"If that’s the case, didn’t Jerry Rice earn it as well? Or Emmitt Smith? Not to mention offensive linemen who played into their 40s, like Bruce Matthews and Jackie Slater," said Ross Tucker of Sports Illustrated.

"I’m pretty sure they all earned the right not to attend the worst three or four weeks of the year without facing the possibility of being fined, but I don’t remember them skipping out on their teammates," he said.

Now come the possibilities. If Favre decides to retire, he leaves the Vikings under the control of Sage Rosenfels whose last game was in 2008, or in the hands of Tarvaris Jackson who is entering his fifth season and has only made 19 starts.

With the season starting on Sept. 9 for the Vikings, the ability to make a trade for a better quarterback is near impractical. Moves during the season are a rarity and the Vikings will be left with what they have.

But if he comes back, the Vikings have a better shot at reaching the top.

The charade that Favre creates every offseason has become a nuisance and while the media lingers on every word, or text Favre produces, his real retirement will lack the luster it would have deserved.