Ask anyone about Michael Vick, and they could probably tell you about his dog fighting ring scandal before mentioning what team he now plays for in the NFL.
When you Google his name, articles still come up about the scandal, which happened years ago.
However, Google Brett Favre, and the first news articles that appear talk about the recent Monday Night Football game. That, or the ongoing discussion about whether playing this year was a good choice. You have to scroll down a ways before you come to what is the first big scandal against him: the cell phone seduction of Jets employees.
Why is this? People would probably definitely identify Favre as an NFL quarterback before citing the sex scandal. Is this an issue of race or subject? Is the subject of sex scandals just way too cliche from sports figures, or those in the spotlight in general, anymore?
Consider Favre's reputation thus far: Super Bowl-winning, Wrangler wearing family man who has made history in the NFL. He is currently the only NFL quarterback who is a grandfather. His career in the NFL is nearly unmatched by anyone else, and it's almost a joke these days talking about if he will retire or not.
How easy will it be for the media to tarnish Favre's image? I think pretty difficult. Deadspin.com, the site that broke the story of Favre by paying a certain amount of money to a third party, is relatively well-respected in the world of sports blogs, but I think ineffective of creating the hype necessary to bring Favre down. Some journalists have cited this discovery as a victory for media, but until anything is confirmed or not by Favre himself will be the only way I believe the controversy. What has journalism come to if unconfirmed stories run rampant?
Whether an issue of race or subject, it's still interesting to compare reputations of two very different NFL quarterbacks. That is, if people even consider Vick much of a respected quarterback anymore.
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