Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1608 Perilous Demon Curse
In the NFL, various curses circulate, such as the "Super Bowl runner-up curse," the "regular season MVP curse," and the "Super Bowl host city curse," among others. But of all these curses, the most sinister and yet most effective is—

Madden's Curse.

It all started in 1999.

Madden Games was inspired by legendary coach and commentator John Madden, who named the game and endorsed it, so he was always on the game cover. This changed in 1999 when the game decided to invite a completely new cover artist.

The first person to enjoy such an honor was the legendary running back Barry Sanders.

As a result, before the season even started, Sanders announced his retirement without warning, causing an uproar in the league. From then on, the curse began to spread.

Rumor has it that players who appear on the cover of Madden often suffer injuries, decline in form, slump in performance, or even a sharp downturn in their careers the following year.

It's practically a curse.

Compared to other spells, Madden's Curse has a more profound and effective influence.

Firstly, the Madden curse only applies to the individual, not the team, making it easier for it to come true.

Secondly, all the players who graced the cover of Madden were at their peak last season. Since last season was their peak, it's only natural for them to decline in the new season. After all, it's no easy feat to break through the peak once again.

Thirdly, after appearing on Madden's cover, the player is often among the highest-rated or top-ranked players, making them a target for criticism in the new season.

Fourthly, rugby is a highly competitive sport, and injuries are a natural part of a player's daily life. Cover players are already high-profile players who carry the hopes of their teams, so their injury rate is naturally high as well.

Finally, the media's fanning the flames and the fans' deep anxiety can silently infiltrate the players' minds, causing them to associate even the slightest disturbance with a curse.

That's why the Madden curse has become a major constraint over the years, with many players even jokingly saying they'd rather not be on the cover.

After all, there has been plenty of evidence over the past twenty years.

In 2001, Eddie George fumbled the ball in a crucial playoff game, leading to his team's elimination and a subsequent precipitous decline in his career.

In 2002, Daunte-Clupepper suffered a severe knee injury that ended his season, after which his professional career faded into obscurity.

In 2003, Marshall-Faulk, the previous season's regular season MVP, suffered a knee injury and a series of other injuries in the new season, ending his professional career prematurely.

In 2004, Michael Vick suffered a serious leg injury during the offseason, ending his season. He was later involved in a "dog gambling case" and was imprisoned.

In 2007, Shaun Alexander, the previous season's regular season MVP, broke his leg and was sidelined for the rest of the season, his form declining.

In 2010, Troy Polamalou and Larry Fitzgerald faced off. Polamalou suffered a torn ligament and was out for the season, while Fitzgerald suffered from minor injuries and had a mediocre season.

Tragedy was rampant.

Moreover, running backs were particularly prominent. From Sanders to Falk to Shawn Alexander, they were among the few running backs in the NFL over the past two decades to win the regular season MVP award, but all of them fell from grace after appearing on the cover of Madden.

No wonder Madden didn't choose Levi for the cover last season; Kansas City Chiefs fans weren't angry at all, but instead thanked Madden for "not cursing them."

So, did no one survive? Did all the Madden cover athletes "fall" without exception? Not exactly.

Ultimately, some people escaped unscathed, but for the players and fans, "escaping unscathed" is far from enough.

In 2017, Brady was injury-free and in good form, leading his team to the playoffs. However, they were eliminated in the AFC Division by the Kansas City Chiefs. The "Goat vs. Rookie" showdown completely changed their fate.

In 2018, Antonio Brown was also free of serious injuries, but after the season, a scandal involving Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room exploded, and he suffered a series of misfortunes, leaving him unemployed for the entire season until he was finally called upon by Brady to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason.

In 2019, Mahomes won the Super Bowl. In theory, Mahomes should be the only player to completely break the Madden curse, even winning the championship with a perfect season, and ruthlessly crushing the Madden curse and throwing it into the trash heap. But no one should forget that Mahomes suffered a leg injury in the middle of the season and missed a month. Rather than saying that Mahomes defeated the Madden curse, it is more accurate to say that Levi carried the Kansas City Chiefs forward.

It's a curse, a curse, you can't help but believe it.

This is precisely why a large number of top stars have turned down Madden's cover invitations—

This is not just a cover; it's also an endorsement deal, and the game company needs to pay a hefty endorsement fee.

Although game companies never release their invitation lists and players don't discuss the matter publicly, there are still many rumors circulating in the league that offer clues.

Tomlinson, Ray Lewis, Big Manning, and Sherman—at least they all explicitly declined the invitation.

Among them, "Thor" Lewis made it clear that he refuses to deal with any curses or spells, and no amount of endorsement fees will help him; he will refuse them all.

But after four attempts, the game company finally convinced Lewis in 2005 to appear on the cover, making him the first defensive player to grace the cover of Madden.

As a result, the team's performance that year was mediocre, and although Lewis was not injured, his performance on the field was still average.

Big Manning is an exception. Madden invites him almost every year, but Big Manning has his own business plans and refuses all invitations to avoid "exclusivity conflicts".

After retiring, Manning complained, "Actually, I was just afraid of the curse but didn't dare to say it."

Believe it or not, the "Madden Curse" is indeed widely known, both inside and outside the League. Now, has this curse finally found Levi?
Rumor has it that Madden Games visited Levi three times in person to persuade him to appear on the cover, offering him a deal he couldn't refuse.

Generally speaking, Madden's cover has a higher honor value, equivalent to a recognition, and involves cooperation with the official organization, becoming part of the league's football culture trend, so the endorsement fee is generally not high.

Madden's team has never disclosed endorsement fees. Experts speculate that the highest fees so far are for Brady and Mahomes, both at one million dollars. Although there are no accurate figures, this speculation is widely accepted in the industry.

This time, Madden still didn't release the figures, but there were still some whisperers secretly leaking the news:
Three million US dollars.

No one can verify this number, but it is indeed true that Madden visited Zhuge Liang three times.

Finally, Madden's cover features one of the most important players in the league: Levi!

Overnight, social media was abuzz with cheers and applause, but Kansas City Chiefs fans looked worried. They had barely survived the Mahomes curse last season, and now they were facing the Madden curse for the second year in a row. It just seemed like this was never going to end.

For the first time ever, Madden featured a player from the same team on the cover for two consecutive years, laying a crucial foundation for the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty and propelling Levi and the Kansas City Chiefs' reputation to new heights.

(End of this chapter)