ARCHIVOS MR PLAYBOOK (2008)

The Madden Curse, also known as the Madden Cover Jinx, is a myth involving the video game series Madden NFL, stating that during or after the season, if a player appears on the cover solo, that player will be cursed with either an injury or poor performance.

Prior to 1999, the cover consisted of a prominent image of John Madden, occasionally appearing with some player graphics as a background accent to the cover design. Since 1999, notable NFL players have endorsed the game each year with their image prominently on the front cover of at least one version of the game, and John Madden's association is now largely based in the game series' title.

Players who have appeared on the cover since 1999 have generally failed to reproduce their success of the previous years, for a variety of reasons. Marshall Faulk, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, and Shaun Alexander all have suffered significant playing injuries in the season that they appeared on the cover. These performances and injuries resulted in speculation of a curse.

The "Madden Curse" has evolved into a much-reported phenomenon, with several news and sports media outlets referring to it as a phenomenon on par with the fabled Sports Illustrated cover jinx.

In total, the eleven cover players since 1999 had a total of forty Pro Bowl appearances prior to their Madden cover appearances... compared with just four Pro Bowl appearances afterward.

- The Mentor