The Madden Curse is For Real Despite Recent Trend
Last week Patriots fans rejoiced as New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was declared EA Sports Madden 17 cover athlete. Gronk is considered one of the better, if not the best, tight end in the league so the announcement didn’t come as a shock to fans. Gronk is a legitimate NFL stud and one that will be drafted high in nearly all NFL fantasy leagues this summer. But before you go ahead and pencil him in as your starting tight end on your fantasy team, you might want to pause for a few seconds. Maybe you should reconsider that pick as Gronk is looking squarely at a fate that has fallen on so many other NFL’ers who has landed on the cover before him. He’s looking square at the Madden curse…Dun dun duuuun.
It sounds absolutely ridiculous doesn’t it? A Madden curse? Really!?!? How could ending up on the cover of an NFL video game have anything to do with having a poor season or suffering from a crippling season ending injury? Football is a brutal sport and many, if not all, NFL athletes at some time or another in their careers go down with an injury. Likewise, players naturally have bad years. It’s all part of the game, part of their journey in the NFL. Yet there are some inescapable facts are difficult to avoid. The reality is many who have graced the cover of EA Sports beloved NFL game have fallen to either season ending injuries or significant injuries sidelining the player for several weeks.
It all seems comical and the Madden curse started as a joke way back when players started appearing on the cover. Running back Garrison Hearst landed on the cover back in 1999 and shortly after he broke his ankle. He remained sidelined for two seasons. Michael Vick was Madden’s 2004 cover athlete and he ended up breaking his leg in preseason right after the game was released. The following year, 2005 cover athlete Ray Lewis for the Baltimore Ravens had his season cut short when he went down with a wrist injury a few weeks before the playoffs started. The fun didn’t stop there. In 2006, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb tore his ACL the same year he landed on the cover. Let’s fast forward to 2012 when Peyton Hillis landed on the cover. That year he went down with an injury and has never been the same player since.
Recently; however, it appears several players have bucked the trend. Last year, Madden’s cover athlete Odell Beckham Jr had a terrific year staying healthy all year long. Megatron also had a fantastic year when he was on the cover. Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks also appeared to buck the trend a couple of years ago when he managed to suit up for all 16-regular season games; however, he did badly hurt his elbow in the NFC Championship. So you could argue the curse struck again.
Rob Gronkowski recently gave his thoughts on the curse and lets just say he thinks it’s all hogwash.
Gronk told Esquire: “I don’t believe in the curse. I’ve never really believed in that type of stuff. And Odell [Beckham] last year, with the year he had. Calvin Johnson beat the receiving record when he was on the cover. Richard Sherman went to the Pro Bowl the year he was on it. So I believe all that’s in the way past. Now it’s future time.” Gronk added that being name to the cover of Madden NFL 17 is a “dream come true.”
So there you have it, Gronk doesn’t think much of the curse but the reality is Gronk doesn’t have the greatest track record of staying healthy. So curse or not, there is a good chance the big fella goes down with an injury this year. I know, that is some hard hitting analysis, right? We certainly hope Gronk has a fantastic year where fantasy owners and Patriots fans alike can reap the benefits. Good luck Gronk!
Tell us your thoughts on the Madden curse in the comments below.