A Look at the Madden Curse

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We take a look at one of gaming's most famous urban legends.

Even if you have no interest in football or sports games, chances are you know of the Madden Curse. This infamous urban legend of gaming where well-accomplished individuals are celebrated for their achievements by being featured on the cover of the biggest (and now only) football video game, only to face some sort of bad luck the following year.

Any true sports fan knows that the game of sports is all about superstitions. Many fans and players alike have their own pre-game rituals to help ward off bad performances. I myself have formed my own ritual through the years, though I won’t share it lest it jinxes it. Before 2000, Madden NFL Football games only featured the man himself, John Madden, on the cover so players never had to worry about a video game bringing them downfall; that was left up to the “Sports Illustrated cover curse”.

It wasn’t until Madden NFL Football 2000 that Green Bay Packer’s running back Dorsey Levens would become the first victim of the Madden Curse. Levens ran for 1,000 yards in 1999 but had re-agitated his the year prior and couldn’t perform as admirably as his 1997 year where he ran for over 1,400 yards. He was released in 2001 and drifted from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Giants and back to the Eagles filling up injured player slots. He retired in 2006 as a Green Bay Packer.



In 2001, the Tennessee Titans star running back, Eddie George, would grace the cover for his stunning performance that lead his team to eventually just miss a Super Bowl victory to the St. Louis Rams. After appearing on the cover, George’s rushing average hit its lowest mark in his career and would take on a series of injuries.

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