Breaking Down The Madden Curse

Athletes and sports fans have always been some of the more superstitious people around.  Dressing with the same clothes, repetitive pre-game rituals, and more are common signs at most sporting events.  One superstition is the Madden Curse.  The Madden Curse is the belief that a player, or his team, will have bad things happen to them if the player appears on the cover of the Madden NFL video game box.

So, here is a breakdown of the Madden Curse:

Madden NFL ‘99

Garrison Hearst, San Francisco 49ers

Injury during playoff game – did not play again until 2001.

Madden NFL 2000

Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions

Announced retirement one week before the start of training camp – Lions had no viable replacement.

Madden NFL 2001

Eddie George, Tennessee Titans

No injury, but statistically worst year of his career to that point.

Madden NFL 2002

Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings

Following his career best year, Culpepper had poor season and it ended with an injury.

Madden NFL 2003

Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams

Missed five games due to ankle injury – Never rushed for over 1,000 yards again.

Madden NFL 2004

Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons

Injured five days after release of game – Missed 11 games during the season.

Madden NFL 2005

Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens

Statistically low season and injured in week 15 – Ravens miss the playoffs after winning their division during the previous season.

Madden NFL 2006

Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles

Battled sports hernia all season only to have season ending surgery.

Madden NFL 2007

Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks

Missed six starts after fracturing his foot – failed gaining 1,000 yards for first time since 2000.

Madden NFL 2008

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans

Poor season performance with most interceptions of his career – Missed his first football game due to injury in the NFL, college, or high school.

As superstitions go, the Madden Curse is a pretty good one with a long and lengthy history.