The Curse of Madden
Jan 31, 2007
Curse or Coincidence?
Sports fans know more about curses than Stephen King. Then again, as a Red Sox fan and sufferer of the Curse of the Bambino, maybe more of King's fearful ideas come from sports than anyone knows.
The most famous curse in sports might be the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, which has rained tragedy upon featured players since the 1950s when ball player Eddie Matthews, photographed for the first cover, suffered a hand injury and missed seven games. The S.I. jinx affects every facet of sports -- even paper pushing, as MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti died of a heart attack the same week he was quoted on the cover.
Since video games hit the scene, it initially seemed as if they were unable to exert any supernatural power over the sports world. And then came Madden NFL 2000.
Madden NFL Football had been around for a decade, but early editions saw Madden himself grace the cover. 'Grace' may not be the right word -- Madden's mug dominated the game. And from 1989 to 1999, the NFL played on, never suspecting than Madden's presence protected some of the game's most visible players from injury and heartbreak.
In 1999, breaking with tradition, Madden's face wasn't the only one on the game's cover. In the background was star running back Barry Sanders. And with Sanders' startling announcement in July of 1999, the curse began...
The Inauguration
Barry Sanders and Dorsey Levens, Madden NFL 2000
Detroit Lions, Running Back (Sanders)
Green Bay Packers, Running Back (Levins)
The Curse:
For Madden 2000, the man himself might have been featured, but in the background was a prophetically shadowy vision of Barry Sanders. But the should-be Hall of Famer wasn't the ideal choice to rep the game, as he shocked the Lions by announcing his retirement before entering training camp in the heat of the 1999 summer. Reportedly, the Lions' losing character prompted his resignation. The fallout for his team and personal life were massive. EA was able to replace Sanders on the cover of pressings in other territories, hooking up Packers back Dorsey Levens as the go-to guy. Perhaps signaling doom for future cover athletes, Levins was cut from the Packers in 2001.
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The Comeback:
There was no comeback, at least in football, for Sanders. Fans weren't the only ones disappointed and angry with his retreat; he lost a civil suit with the Lions, who claimed his abrupt departure from the field left him owing the franchise a balance of $7.3M on his contract. Levins played backup for the Eagles and Giants, rejoining the Packers before an offseason retirement in 2006.
The Injuries
The curse's worst effects are physical. Appearing on the cover is slightly less dangerous than skydiving with no chute, but far more treacherous than re-enacting stunts from Jackass while drinking.
Marshall Faulk, Madden NFL 2003
St. Louis Rams, Running Back
The Curse:
Marshall Faulk was one of the game's brightest. He's been the NFL MVP and the Player of the Year. Like Garrison Heart, Faulk suffered an ankle injury, but he got off easy, missing only five games. But his performance trailed off afterward and he never duplicated the amazing play that thrilled Rams fans from '99-'01.
The Comeback:
Faulk's role on the Rams diminished steadily in the wake of the '02 season and he hasn't achieved 1000 rushing yards since. He has, however, steadily climbed the lists of record holders for receptions, rushing touchdowns and all time leading rushers.
Michael Vick, Madden NFL 2004
Atlanta Falcons, Quarterback
The Curse:
When signed, Vick instantly became perhaps the fastest man to fill a quarterback's shoes. But in a pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens, Vick fractured his right fibula and sat out all but the last five games of the 2004 season.
The Comeback:
Three of the Falcons' five 2004 wins may have been recorded in Vick's five games, but despite his post-injury numbers, the Falcons have performed erratically. Vick has also been in the spotlight for more than one controversial incident, as when he flipped the bird to hometown fans last November.
Donovan McNabb, Madden NFL '06
Philadelphia Eagles, Quarterback
The Curse:
McNabb has been hailed as one of the toughest guys in the game, which might explain why he tried to play through a sports hernia he suffered after making Madden's cover in 2005. A harsh tackle while playing against the Cowboys put him out for the season. It didn't end there -- in 2006 a torn ligament ended his season early as well, the third time in five years.
The Comeback:
Too early to tell. With his knee repaired, McNabb might make the second half of the 2007 season, where he could potentially lead the Eagles back to the Superbowl.
Shaun Alexander, Madden NFL '07
Seattle Seahawks, Running Back
The Curse:
Future cover athletes should learn from McNabb and Alexander: never try to play through an injury after working with EA. In the first season game of 2006, Alexander fractured a bone in his left foot, which worsened over the next two games, putting him out for almost half of 2006. Consequently, his numbers for '06 were shot -- 1880 rushing yards in '05 dropped to 896 in '06.
The Comeback:
Though the numbers look bad at first glance, Alexander looks fit for a return to prominence in 2007. He'll have to, with a record-setting 8-year, $62M contract to fulfill.
Performance Reductions
Eddie George, Madden NFL 2001
Tennessee Titans, Running Back
The Curse:
It almost looked like Madden's curse was a flash in the pan, as Eddie George, the 1996 Rookie of the Year and a Tennessee workhorse, suffered only numbers that were slightly lower than usual, with only 939 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2001.
The Comeback:
Eddie George's post-Madden fate was full of change: he signed with the Cowboys in 2004, which currently stands as his last year in pro football. The former Ohio State star has, however, enjoyed a steady career in television.
Daunte Culpepper, Madden NFL 2002
Minnesota Vikings, Quarterback
The Curse:
After starting for the Vikings in 2000 and leading the team to an 11-5 record and NFC Championship appearance as well as making the Pro Bowl, Culpepper's numbers plummeted following his Madden endorsement. 13 interceptions in '01 and 23 in '02 sandwich a knee injury that forced him to view the end of 2001 from the sidelines.
The Comeback:
2003 saw Culpepper regain his stride and 2004 was a banner year, with league-high 4717 passing yards. But personal conflicts saw him traded to Miami, where he struggled through nagging knee and shoulder injuries and team politics for a rocky 2006.
Ray Lewis, Madden NFL 2005
Baltimore Ravens, Linebacker
The Curse:
Perhaps because he was the first defensive player to make Madden's cover, Ray Lewis didn't feel the effects as deeply as other stars. (Some might argue that Lewis's involvement with the murder of two people on New Year's Eve 2001 was a pre-emptive curse.) A wrist break cost him the last regular season game, a comparatively mild penalty for this curse.
The Comeback:
While Lewis also ended his 2005 season early due to injury, his numbers remained impressive, and his stats for 2006 were superlative, with a career high 5 sacks.
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.