The Curse of Madden

The Cure for the Curse?

Is there a cure for the curse? EA has consistently changed up the position players featured on the cover, so protecting future cover stars isn't as simple as emphasizing defense over offensive stars. Though Ray Lewis' relatively light curse might signal that a shift towards defense isn't a bad idea. The Ravens' Bart Scott for 2008? Anyone? Alternately, established Hall of Famers could stare out from the cover, secure in the knowledge that the curse could only hurt their golf game.

As a more outlandish solution, EA, which stands with players in maintaining that the curse doesn't exist, could embrace the supernatural and add a Madden Curse mode to the game. Why not bring together two of EA's most popular licenses -- Harry Potter and the NFL -- to create a cursebusting powerhouse? It could be a massive hit on the Wii, as players would have a split second to forestall on-field injuries by waving the Wii-mote in a spellcasting fashion.

Finally, we might suggest that EA's own monopolization of the NFL license has only encouraged the curse, and that both NFL pros and video game players could bust the curse by demanding the possibility of a return for 2K's excellent NFL series. But we wouldn't want to bring the curse down on ourselves, so perhaps it's better to remain silent this time.