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EA mulling Madden cover auction

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Oct 28, 2008 4:09 pm PT

EA Sports president tells the Bloomberg news service that he's considering letting players bid for the privilege of receiving the "Madden curse."

Though ostensibly prestigious, the honor of being named a Madden NFL cover athlete has proven perilous. Several athletes have fallen victim to the so-called "Madden Curse," which sees their careers slide after gracing the boxes of Electronic Arts' football game. After being beset by a string of injuries, 2007 cover athlete Shaun Alexander (pictured) went from the NFL's Most Valuable Player to being a back-up running back in just two years. Likewise, 2004 cover athlete Michael Vick missed most of the 2004 season due to a leg injury--and was subsequently suspended from the NFL after being convicted on a series of gambling and dogfighting-related felonies in 2007.

Some fans believe in the "Madden Curse" so strongly that they've started online petitions to dissuade players from accepting EA's offer, which reportedly pays between $100,000 and $200,000. Even EA Sports president Peter Moore admits "there's a grain of truth to the Madden Curse." Speaking with Bloomberg news service, the executive said, "When you look back at the last five, six years, it's a little weird how weird things have happened to guys who are on the front cover.''

Ironically, Moore's comments came in the same interview in which he revealed that EA is toying with the idea of having players pay EA for the privilege of being on the Madden box. "I bet you can find 50 players that would say, 'I'd pay good money,'" he said.

EA will apparently sweeten the pot--and generate some positive PR for the NFL monopoly holder--by donating the funds to the United Way, the NFL's charity of choice. "The League does a lot of work with [players] to make them realize how lucky they are and a lot of them have come out of poor circumstances and they give back," explained Moore.

However, don't expect cash-flush quarterbacks to start busting out their bankrolls just yet. Moore said the option is still being mulled by EA's vast marketing department, and no decision will be made "anytime soon."

79 Comments

  • tizzomr

    Posted Nov 14, 2008 6:38 pm PT

    They should have left Madden on the cover, so long as the product bared his name. If he didn't want it on there, they should just put the logos of all the teams or something creative. Having cover athletes is kinda lame when it is for a product representing a team game. Sticky subject, but thats my two cents.

  • gdayz33

    Posted Nov 12, 2008 10:35 am PT

    I think this will work out for the better if they do donate the money to the charity like they say they will. Hopefully they don't forget about that if they go through with this.

  • SWATMAN4

    Posted Nov 11, 2008 7:58 pm PT

    Ghost RECON games predicting the future...Madden games putting famous players in the dumpster...what's next Vladimir Putin wanting peace with America? or worse...Hugo Chavez releasing an album, oh wait, that already happened...crap

  • firehawk998

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 5:36 am PT

    I got an idea. If the top players who are on the cover of EA Madden series got cursed. What would happen if we put less famous players on the cover. Will the curse be a gift and increase the players rankings in the NFL or get them kicked out of the NFL for various reasons.

  • xophaser

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 5:41 pm PT

    Add Vince Young and by the end of the year Bret Favre to that list. Then again you can select 25% of the players in the NFL that will have a massive drop-off.

  • necronaux

    Posted Oct 31, 2008 11:51 am PT

    Hey, any of the "selected" players COULD have declined and not signed the contract, or taken the money. But they chose to accept the offer and the cash.

    -

    I think it would be disastrous to have players bid for (pay tons of money for) the (?) privilege of being on the cover of the next game? As if EA isn’t making enough $ off this as it is, now they want players to pay them? What’s nest? Regional Covers?

    -- Better (or worse) yet... treat the covers like Baseball Cards. There could be dozens of different covers. Every cover is wrapped / hidden, you don't know who wou'll get until after you buy it and open it.

  • Timstuff

    Posted Oct 30, 2008 7:24 am PT

    Why be a john when you can be a pimp?

  • westham33

    Posted Oct 30, 2008 1:43 am PT

    Supposedly Brett Favre didn't break the curse, because ea "supposedly" offered it to Tom Brady First he accepted but then pulled out later on. So the madden curse still lives on

  • YoJim8obaJoe

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 9:00 pm PT

    Im glad Europe went throught the dark ages centuries ago

  • ScottishPrik

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 7:25 pm PT

    Curses....wtf. Am I back in the middle ages. Sad to think people still take this kind of crap seriously.

  • grimoire_ghost

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 7:14 pm PT

    they should just keep John Madden on the cover of Madden every year after all the game is named after him. That would also take care of the 'curse' and possibly stop players from paying to get cursed each year..

  • tudyniuz

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 3:38 pm PT

    I hate EA

  • rsox07

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 2:31 pm PT

    gay

  • titanviper2000

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 11:40 am PT

    The season isn't over yet. Not to mention, Farve is in a Packers jersey.

  • togo2828

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 11:35 am PT

    So has brett farve beat the curse, cause he is really kicking butt with the jets this season

  • neonfrax2

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 10:50 am PT

    I think it would be sweet to see a kicker make the highest bid and end up on the Madden Cover. "EA SPORTS Presents Madden 2010 featuring Matt Bryant!" Please let this happen!

  • cajunstrike

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 10:27 am PT

    Agreed. Particularly due to NFL exclusivity, the Madden franchise will continue to sell regardless of the cover athlete.

  • smghottie

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 9:56 am PT

    Yeah I agree with cometkd. The fact is that the user doesn't want a rival player on the cover but it's a little unrealistic to have every player available. If this were the case you'd have to use basic picutres. If EA were to take 3 stars from each team, this would give the player decent choice will not requiring an absurd level of resources to develop it.

  • Tenjikuronin

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 9:52 am PT

    The real reason Shaun Alexander stopped being productive was because he lost the dominant O-line that he was playing behind throughout 2005. The loss of Steve Hutchinson especially hurt the Seahawks...

  • Amir29

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 9:51 am PT

    If EA was truly looking to give to charity, it should simply give money. The only way this would be right, is if the players would bid directly through United Way, and the prize for top bidder would be placement on Madden's cover.

    Then again, who in their right mind would pay to get the curse? Seems like another way for EA to take an expense and turn it into profit along with a write-off.

    Its ashame that EA publishes so many great games and shadows them with equally horrible business antics.

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