The upcoming Madden 2011 edition of Madden NFL Football will feature Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints on the cover. This is the first cover determined by fan votes, and one has to wonder what influenced it. The Madden NFL cover is something of a dubious honor. One does get their picture onto one of probably the most popular video game series. That said, there is the Madden Curse to contend with. Some hefty payday cash would come from sales.
Drew Brees Madden 2011 cover first fan pick
The pick for the cover of Madden 2011 was the first time ever that fans got to vote, and they picked Saints quarterback Drew Brees. He was, after all, the Super Bowl MVP. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Indianapolis running back Reggie Wayne were close contenders. However, this makes one wonder – was the vote bombed by Indianapolis Colts fans?
Madden Curse
There’s a phenomenon known as the Madden Curse. Though correlation doesn’t prove causality, if an athlete gets on the cover of Madden Football, they supposedly will get hurt. Shaun Alexander graced the cover, and was injured. Vince Young injured his shoulder and didn’t start the rest of the season. Brett Favre tore his bicep after his cover in 2009. Madden 2010 had Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald, who both played only a couple of games due to injuries. Did vengeful Colts fans get short term loans to pay back EA and the voting to get back at Brees for the Super Bowl?
Drew Brees sounds off
Drew Brees recently talked with BusinessWeek about his cover of the game. Drew Brees, with tongue planted in cheek, asked if everyone in New Orleans that practices voodoo could curse the curse. “If they’re Saints fans, then maybe they’ll put a copy in the freezer or something.” It’s one of probably the most prestigious and bestselling video games of all time. The first came out in 1989, and EA, or Electric Arts, has been making it ever since. Madden 2011 will be the 24th installment of the video game. A USA Today Q and A revealed that Drew Brees doesn’t want everyone to mention it to Jared Allen again, as the Saints play their first game of the season against the Vikings.
Resources
BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-22/saints-brees-wants-new-orleans-to-put-own-curse-on-madden-jinx.html
USA Today
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/04/qa-new-orleans-saints-drew-brees/1
