The Madden Curse is quite simple, the player chosen for the cover has had a propensity to have a significant drop off in productivity the following season. Shaun Alexander, Donovan McNabb, and Michael Vick have all fallen victim to the curse. The Madden 2009 cover was different. It was the first time that EA Sports chose a retired player for their cover. That player? Brett Favre.
It seemed like a good decision at the time. Celebrate the legacy of one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. No way could the curse effect him while he sat at home on Sundays. Yet, we are in amidst in perhaps the most unique situations in pro sports. There have been other stars that have retired and came back (i.e. Michael Jordan) but never has a player retired and come back all within the course of the off season.
The tension between Brett Favre and the Packers has been more than palpable to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention these past few weeks. Will he or won’t he report to camp? A $20 million bribe to stay retired. Will Brett be traded? Did he illegally contact the Minnesota Vikings? A lot of he said, she said; causing quite the tizzy in Green Bay. Madden Curse anyone?
Today it seems that Brett Favre’s days as a Green Bay Packer are over. He left training camp and awaits his future. It’s a shame because I was really looking forward to seeing Brett lace up his Nike’s one more year (especially since I was in Thailand last year). Let’s hope Aaron Rodgers isn’t atrocious because I thought we (Packer fans say ‘We’) had a real legitimate shot at the Super Bowl this year with Brett Favre under center. Regardless of what happens in the short term, can anyone argue that the Madden Curse has struck again?
