EA, MS city celebrate 'Maddenoliday'

While some remember August 22 as the day that Nolan Ryan became the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts (in 1989), some remember the day as French composer Claude Debussy's birthday (in 1862), and some remember it as the day the color barrier was broken in professional tennis by Althea Gibson (in 1950), at least 74 will remember it as the day Madden NFL 07 for the Xbox 360 was released.

The city of Madden, Mississippi, population 74, will play host to "Maddenoliday," a celebration of the launch of Electronic Arts' upcoming version of its annual football game.

Along with representatives from Microsoft, EA will descend on Madden with Xbox 360 kiosks and three former NFL pros, Marshall Faulk (who hasn't yet officially announced his retirement), Warren Moon, and Jerry Rice, in tow. The event will take place on August 22, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at an undisclosed location.

Maddenoliday also has a presence (and presents) on the Web. EA has launched Maddenoliday.com, which features toungue-in-cheek suggestions on how to celebrate the day. Included is a "Maddvent Calendar," which has gameplay video, bogus coupons, and ridiculous recipes (1 pound of sugar for Play-Action Punch?).

If Microsoft is still having problems cracking the Japanese market, it may want to take the approach it's taking with Madden, Mississippi--all 74 residents of the town are getting a free Xbox 360 and a copy of Madden NFL 07.