Is The Madden Jinx Also A Team Jinx? History Says Yes
By: Evan Jankens
This might come as a shocker; the Detroit Lions will not win the Super Bowl this season. Lions fans can thank the EA Sports Madden Franchise. The Madden jinx might be even more believable now then it has ever been before. Since an individual athlete has been featured on the cover the team they play for hasn't made it out of the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. This doesn't seem to fair well for the Detroit Lions since Calvin Johnson was featured on the Madden 13 cover. You might not believe in the curse of the player but what about the curse of the team they play for?
Since the 2001 version of the game featured Eddie George on the cover, 14 players including Calvin Johnson and the 2010 version featured 2 players (Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald) have been on the cover. Below you will find the cover athlete and how their teams faired in the respected season. Eight of the 14 (have to wait for the end of the season for the Lions) have missed the playoffs entirely. To me that's kind of crazy since the game has featured the premiere athlete in the NFL and the team they played for always had high hopes. The year of the game is based on when the Super Bowl is played that year.
Madden 2001- Eddie George/ Tennessee Titans 13-3 but lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Madden 2002- Daunte Culpepper/ Minnesota Vikings 5-11 and missed the playoffs.
Madden 2003- Marshall Faulk/ St. Louis Rams 7-9 and missed the playoffs.
Madden 2004- Michael Vick/ Atlanta Falcons 5-11 and missed the playoffs.
Madden 2005- Ray Lewis/ Baltimore Ravens 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
Madden 2006- Donovan McNabb/ Philadelphia Eagles 6-10 and missed the playoffs.
Madden 2007- Shaun Alexander/ Seattle Seahawks 9-7 lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Madden 2008- Vince Young/ Tennessee Titans 10-6 lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Madden 2009- Brett Favre/ New York Jets 9-7 missed the playoffs.
Madden 2010- Troy Polamalu/ Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7 missed the playoffs. Larry Fitzgerald/ Arizona Cardinals 10-6 lost in the divisional round.
Madden 2011- Drew Brees/ New Orleans Saints 11-5 lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Madden 2012- Peyton Hillis/ Cleveland Browns 4-12 missed playoffs.
Madden 2013- Calvin Johnson/ Detroit Lions???
Now after seeing the outcome of the players team's isn't it to the point where as a fan you rather not see your favorite player on the cover of the Madden franchise. Hey why not just put John Madden on the cover? It is his game. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this team jinx. Or follow me on Twitter @KingoftheKC and let me know what you think as well.
