Sports

The Madden Curse: A brief history [SLIDESHOW]

Tyler Whetstone Contributor
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Madden NFL is one of the highest selling video games of all time. It has made an average of $7 million each year over the past five years, and has become a household staple for football fans young and old.

Since Madden NFL started putting up standout players on the cover 1999, the honor has become akin to covering a box of Wheaties. (Before 1999, John Madden’s mug was featured on the cover of the game.)

However, with the honor of a Madden cover comes the alleged Madden Curse. Since San Francisco 49ers star running back Garrison Hearst became the first player to grace the box, each cover star has suffered career-ending injuries — or at the very least, career low statistics.

This year, the coveted — yet feared– honor is between Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions, and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. Only time will tell if the Madden Curse will affect one of these standout players, but here are the five most notorious instances of the curse:

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