{image1} Doesn't it seem like every time you see Brett Favre on TV, if he's not wearing a Packers helmet, he's wearing the same faded red baseball cap? You know what we're talking about -- that broken-in, dingy and stained hat with a small triangle-shaped logo of some sort.

What is it that #4 is wearing?

It's a Nike Golf cap, says Packers PR manager Sarah Koenig. Favre, a golf fanatic, has in his closet a box of the same hats that he busts out for interviews.

In fact, just about the only time you won't see Brett donning his dope lid is during post-game news conferences. That's because, according to Koenig, the NFL has an agreement with Reebok that says players won't wear competing brands until 90 minutes after game time.

Koenig also says that Favre doesn't get paid specifically to wear the cap, but it's part of a larger sponsorship agreement.

Favre, for his part, doesn't have much to say about the whole issue. When we asked him, his answer was shorter than his speculation on retirement:

"It's my favorite hat," he said. "That's about it."

For the record, the cap is red with a small black and white badge that looks like the shape of an interstate highway sign (see photo below of a similar hat). On the top of the emblem, it sports the familiar Nike "swoosh." Below that, a white "X" made up of golf clubs intersects the corners.

"Everyone says it's pink, but it's red," says Koenig. "It's just faded."

Favre's affinity toward his cap is not uncommon among pro athletes, says Brian Lammi, the president of Lammi Sports Management, a Milwaukee firm that represents other current and former Packers, including Donald Driver, Edgar Bennett, Santana Dotson and Nate Wayne.

And currently, Nike and Reebok are fighting tooth and nail for product placement among the pros.

Brad Johnson, one of Lammi's marquee clients, wears a Reebok hat but is a Nike endorser. During games, he insists on wearing the Reebok hat on the sidelines, but Nike, as his sponsor, isn't too thrilled. His other top client, Driver, is a Nike guy, too.

"Brad is particular about what he wears," says Lammi.

{image2}

Many players receive merchandise credit these days. In other words, they get free clothes, says Lammi.

"It's huge to these guys," he says. "I tell them I can't wait to make a million dollars so I don't have to pay for anything."

Seriously, though, Lammi says the merchandise deals are helpful to the players, who can't exactly walk into the nearest Foot Locker and buy a size 16 pair of shoes.

Lammi says Favre probably is telling the truth when he says he wears that specific hat just because he likes it, because typically the endorsing company would prefer the athlete to wear the newest-released product. According to Koenig, Favre has been wearing the same style for several years.

But even the man who hasn't missed a start since the first George Bush was president, still can mix it up every now and then.

Lammi, who works on Driver's weekly TV show, had an opportunity to bring Brett onto his set and observe the three-time MVP's headwear personally.

"I was looking forward to seeing the red hat, because it looks more and more beat up it every time I see it," says Lammi.

He was surprised, however, to see Brett sporting something completely different -- a hat with a little fuzzy ball on top.

"He showed up wearing a blue skull cap, instead," says Lammi. "Actually, it looked like he borrowed it from his daughter."