Matt Forte Makes Great Point On Loyalty In NFL

Running back Matt Forte is one of the best of his generation and had eight brilliant seasons with the Chicago Bears. He knows a thing or two about loyalty.

The exact definition of the word is “a strong feeling of support or allegiance.” There is no doubt Forte exhibited that type of dedication to his teammates and the city of Chicago throughout his time there. One can only imagine how he felt when, after so many great years the team chose to let him walk at age 30 despite indications he was willing to take a discounted contract to stay.

Perhaps the lack of outrage from the fans took him by surprise as well. Given the fact he was far and away the best player on the team for several seasons and more than once the only reason they were able to win games, one would think they’d be upset the team was ready to part ways like that. In fairness some were indignant about it, but nowhere near the majority.

Since then Forte has signed a new deal with the New York Jets where he hoped to finish his career on a high note. Given the chance to speak on the subject, he raised a significant point on what loyalty really means in the NFL these days.

“There’s no loyalty anyway because they don’t care about the player specifically,” former Bears running back Forte said recently of the league. “They care about the team. No matter how strong the ties are between the player and the team. You’re always just a jersey number.”

It sounds bad when put that way, and Forte has a right have those feelings. However, this isn’t exactly the fault of the fans. The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately?” type of league. Players who are worshiped and beloved one year can vanish the next if they stop producing. Only the select few who are able to go out on top of their game and with a championship never lose the admiration of fans.

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Then there is the fact that free agency made this lack of player loyalty even greater. Nowadays top names are switching teams at a greater clip than ever. Ndamukong Suh bolted Detroit for Miami. Peyton Manning was cut loose from Indianapolis to join Denver. Vincent Jackson left San Diego for Tampa Bay. Buying jerseys is no longer about the name on the back so much as it’s about the logo they represent. Teams are the one constant that almost never changes for fans, recent move by the Rams to Los Angeles not withstanding.

People by their very nature don’t like change. So they grow callous to individual players because they know the chances of them staying on the same team their entire careers in this day and age is remote at best. Matt Forte is just the latest example and will not be the last. To his credit he’s not made bitter by this realization. The running back spoke out in defense of former teammate Jay Cutler recently and was gracious to the Bears for his time there.

What he speaks of is more or less the status of modern professional sports. Players aren’t the pillars of a franchise they once were. More than ever it’s about the city and the franchise. That is who the fans identify with.

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