Curse of the Video Game Cover

Video games are as big as ever and EA sports holds the monopoly over many of the big sporting franchises. Each year they release an update to their line of series for each sport and each year a big name player is selected to grace the cover. Usually that player or players are coming off a big season and are a very recognizable name and face. But it seems that year after year that marketable name and face finds themselves in a bad situation shortly after.

Let us look at a few.

NHL

2010 - Patrick Kane - Less than a few weeks after being selected to grace the cover, we have Kane's case of allegedly attacking a cab driver over 20 cents going to a grand jury.

2008 - Eric Staal - It wasn't shortly after being selected but while it was still the hot video game on the shelf, Eric was arrested for disorderly conduct. Staal Brothers arrested for disorderly conduct

2004 Dany Heatley: - Only a couple weeks after being selected as the cover guy for 2004, Heatley was infamously involved in the car accident that took his friend and teammate, Dan Snyder's, life. NHL star Heatley indicted in fatal car crash.

NFL

Names like Michael Vick stick out? The year after his cover was released, he missed the season due to injury. Things haven't faired to well for him since either. How about Vince Young? After having a rookie of the year season, he has fallen off of the map both on and off the field. His play has been dreadful since and his personal life has fallen to the point of his family even having him on suicide watch at times. All within a calendar year of being on the cover. Shaun Alexander set records one season, then he's put on the cover of Madden. The next season he is out due to injury, comes back the following year to obscurity and ultimately released from the Seahawks. Donovan McNabb? He's done well for himself but nobody seems to know it, especially those in Philly.

With the Madden series, more players have tremendously suffered after being put on the cover than those that have not.

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I just bought madden 2010 yesterday

Its got Larry Fitgerald and Troy Pole...polamo...paole....... and that guy from the Steelers on the cover. So what are the chances that 2 guys can go down hill?

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Polamalu seems to have his head on straight and is as consistent as they come. Fitzgerald too, but of the two if I had to make a bet of who would be quicker to fall, I'd have to say Fitzgerald. As a WR, he's more susceptible to an injury than Polamalu and more often than not, a WR can find obscurity much quicker than a defensive player such as Polamalu.

It will be interesting with two cover guys this year for Madden though.

If something happens to both of them, long live the curse! He's hoping that is not the case.

NOooooooooooooooooooooooo:shk::shk::shk::shk:


Troy will be ok... troy will be ok.... troy will be ok.

reply to post by elevatedone


The curse would have been solidified had Big Ben graced this year's cover.

I see that as nothing more than someone who found herself in the right spot and the right time and is trying to make a buck off it with a get rich quick scheme. Athletes need to know better and show better judgment, but we are all human.

MCNAIR DIED BECAUSE OF THE MADDEN CURSEEE

The Curse Lives On!

...Tough break EO!

This isn't limited to video games, Chissler. Long before the Madden Curse came along there was the Sports Illustrated Curse. Seemed like any athlete not named Michael Jordan who graced the cover and every college "sleeper" pick they slapped on their NCAA prediction cover went down hard within a few weeks of the issue.

Honestly though, I tend to write almost anything like this off to simple coincidence... but that Madden thing is eerily accurate. Just to be on the safe side, I have sent several proposals and requests to EA insisting that from now until eternity they ONLY put Oakland Raiders on the cover of Madden along with cameo covershots of Merriman and Rivers. (and as you may have already guessed, I'm a Bronco fan by the grace of God)