Looking Back At The Infamous History Of The Madden Curse

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was named the official cover athlete for Madden 25. Most NFL players grow up playing the iconic video game franchise, especially since it has become a major part of the football culture over the past few decades. However, the honor of being on the cover of Madden NFL 25 isn’t fully viewed as something everyone wants.

Past years saw the discussion of a curse existing on the players to get that cover spot. History shows that negative variables have hit quite a few names who had their image selling the games in their respective years on the cover. Over 25 years of Madden covers have featured NFL stars creating arguments for and against the infamous curse existing after getting the honor.

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Who Would You Have Picked as the Madden 25 Cover Athlete?

The 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Running Back for the San Francisco 49ers, Christian McCaffrey, was chosen to be the cover athlete for this year's Madden NFL game. Given his standout performance throughout last season, there are only a few suitors that would realistically make as much sense as he does on the cover.

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How Did The Madden Curse Start?

The Madden video game curse started in the previous millennium when Garrison Hearst was the international cover star of Madden 1999. Hearst suffered a broken ankle during that season to start the early rumblings. However, it was the following year of Madden 2000 that saw new cover star Barry Sanders shocking the world by retiring before the season started. Madden had a running back no longer in the league selling their video game to create the curse.

Conversations about the curse truly started to pick up over the next few years with multiple injuries striking. Madden 2002 featured quarterback Daunte Culpepper getting the cover after a breakout season and suffering a season-ending injury. The following year saw superstar running back Marshall Faulk dealing with a bad knee injury to limit his season’s potential.

Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, and Donovan McNabb all endured injuries over the next few seasons to fuel the fans' fire into further believing there was a curse. Three of the top stars and most popular NFL players all went down after the Madden covers made this a topic that future cover athletes had to answer questions about when getting the honor.

Many viewed Madden 2007 as the year when it became a real thing that athletes feared. Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander was coming off an MVP season that made fans expect him to be a top running back for many years. The Madden cover curse continued with Alexander suffering a broken foot and never making another Pro Bowl.

The Madden Curse Slowed Down In Early 2010s

The bad luck associated with being the Madden cover athlete became a bit more inconsistent after the Shaun Alexander fiasco. Vince Young was named the Madden 2008 cover athlete, and he only missed one game all season with an injury. Quarterback Brett Favre was technically retired when he was named the Madden 2009 cover star, but he returned during that season and suffered an injury to create more questions.

Madden 2010 was a rare year with two players sharing the cover together. Troy Polamalu missed time with a serious injury, but the other cover athlete, Larry Fitzgerald, remained relatively healthy. Legendary quarterback Drew Brees was the one to shut down talk about a curse when he played the entire season after his Madden 2011 cover spot.

The curse picked up steam again the following year when running back Peyton Hillis dealt with multiple hamstring issues after the Madden 2012 cover. Calvin Johnson and Richard Sherman had healthy seasons over the next few years to continue giving hope to athletes agreeing to the cover spot that it was all in their heads.

Unfortunately, three top players dealt with the Madden curse in that time frame as well to keep fans on both sides of the topic talking. Odell Beckham Jr., Adrian Peterson, and Rob Gronkowski all dealt with injuries after their respective covers to make it worth talking about again. Fans of teams with players on the Madden cover started to panic before the following season even started, but the players wanted to shy away from such talk.

Does the Madden Curse Still Matter For Madden 25?

The past few years of Madden cover athletes feature a mix of positive and negative results for the names involved. Tom Brady had two Madden covers and stayed healthy for both of those seasons, despite his older age in those years. Patrick Mahomes received two covers as the new face of the league, but he suffered an injury in one of those two years to make the topic relevant again.

Other bad luck like Antonio Brown’s personal issues ending his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers after his Madden 2019 cover spot added new layers to the conversation. However, most logical minds agreed that Brown’s actions should not be excused by a video game curse. Recent success stories of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen having successful years after the Madden cover spot slowed down the talks again.

Christian McCaffrey will at least get celebrated for his accolade even if he's the latest focus of the Madden curse as a conversation topic. The running back did have to give his insight on the infamous curse and if he believes in it as the newest cover athlete:

"When I got the call, I wasn't thinking about any curse. I was just excited. I think that stuff is kind of a myth. Whatever happens, happens. I'm excited to be on the cover. I'm not superstitious at all about it. I was so excited. This was such an honor."

It is worth mentioning that football is the most violent and physically demanding major team sport, which increases the risk of injuries. Madden NFL’s curse will always be a topic due to the memories associated with past years, but ultimately, no athlete can truly blame a video game cover for hurting their actual play on the field.

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Madden NFL 25

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7 /10

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August 16, 2024

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