If I could be anywhere I wanted to be this afternoon, it would be in Lambeau Field, completely disregarding the "No Booing!" signs people are threatening to hold.

Of course, football is not war. Players don't do "battle." War analogies have no place in sport -- even big-business sport.

But what's happening this afternoon at Lambeau Field is dividing families, some playfully, others not so much.

My mother and brother are ardent Brett Favre supporters who think the Green Bay Packers were fools not to allow him to rejoin the team months after he announced his retirement.

My sister, her husband and especially their three Wisconsin native cheesehead children are all about the Packers, as am I these hundreds and hundreds of miles away.

My brother will sit at the game with my sister and brother-in-law and one of the three cheesehead children. The other two will hang out at home with Peggy Jane the Mom.

I do remember Brett coming to Fritz the Dad's hospital room in June 1999. I do remember what he told him. I'll never forget that.

But any team is bigger than its most important -- or beloved -- player. Any team on any level.

As I tried to write in this space just a couple of weeks ago, players, coaches and management are just caretakers for institutions whose history will long surpass the little -- and very temporary -- difference they make.

The Packers were established in 1921. The Broncos, as we all are painfully aware every time they dig out those dizzying vertical socks, are just 40 years old. The Wyoming Cowboys are more than 100 years old.

So one player, one coach, one general manager's decision is clearly not what makes the team. Clearly not.

When I see No. 4 in purple with those curly things on his head, it just looks odd to me. Just really odd.

An editorial cartoonist is selling T-shirts that read "Minnesota's Cash for Clunkers Program," with a cartoon of a battered and bruised -- and clearly aging -- No. 4.

He belongs in green and gold and will end up in green and gold in the Hall of Fame some day. That is as it should be.

In the meantime, I sent a slogan to the Green Bay newspaper's sign slogan contest that didn't make the finals. It was "Will always love you -- will always hate your decision."

The sign that was in yesterday's newspaper for folks to carry to the game is pretty good -- "Welcome back! How's the dark side?" It received 28 percent of the online votes cast.

Other finalists were "We have 12 reasons to 4-Get You," "How many times do I need to say GOODBYE before you get it?" "4 Green Bay, 4 New York, 4 Minnesota, 4-Shame," "Now it's Green Bay's turn for revenge!" and "Hey BF, u r not our BFF anymore."

Charities will make lots of money as the result of today's festivities. There is a half-purple, half green and gold No. 4 jersey selling on e-Bay with proceeds split between youth charities in Green Bay and the Twin Cities. Its slogan is "Color Doesn't Matter: Respect Does." Whatever.

There is a street sign proclaiming Minnesota Avenue as "Aaron Rodgers Way," just until Monday, when it will be removed, signed by Aaron and auctioned for charity.

The world will keep turning, but for three hours this afternoon, it's just gonna be nuts.

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WYOSAS