Madden NFL paved the path for other video game sports franchises

When you think of video games and sports, you think of John Madden. (Thank god this is written, and I don’t have to try to do the voice.) The first sports video game I ever played was Madden NFL 92 when I was 6, and even though it’s not my preferred game anymore, there’s no doubt it’s still the de facto sports video game franchise.

I may be a little bit of a nerd (OK, a lot of bit), but there are only like three sports games that continually work their way onto IGN.com’s landing page, and Madden is one of them. It still matters, and as silly as it might sound, it’ll probably be John Madden’s longest lasting legacy. EA certainly isn’t going to change the name of the title now and nor should they.

It’s a very cool and deserved feather in his cap, and it got me thinking about the greatest sports video franchises of all time. (Well, I started thinking about it, and then continued thinking about it because I need ideas to write about.) Before I give you my top five, I’ll give a few rules because I want to lay some things out and make fun of some video games along the way.

I’m only doing five because I’m talking about franchises, not individual games. Yes, I’d like to put NBA Street on there, too, but this isn’t specific to one single video game. I agree, NBA Street Vol. 2 is good enough to get the franchise on a top 10 list but not top five. The Street games — NFL Street, FIFA Street, NBA Street — count as one franchise, but since they’re out of rotation, they were (barely) left off.

Also, Esports games don’t count as sports video game franchises. I know there are Madden leagues, but there are Call of Duty leagues, too, but killing people isn’t a leisure activity, it’s war.

Some car games count but not Rocket League. That’s not a real activity. I can’t go play real life car soccer. Think whatever the NASCAR video game is, but not Gran Turismo. I know those are real cars, but Need for Speed has real cars, too, and if I let that slide then this becomes more about what counts as a sports video game and less about the franchises.

Alright, onto the list that doesn’t include The Show because throwing to/running bases is fucking impossible no matter the button configuration.

I know rereleasing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 doesn’t count as a new game, but they did that this year and people bought the hell out of it. I definitely played it and had flashbacks to the hours on end I spent trying to link grinds to manuals to vert tricks to reverts and so on.

It also didn’t stop at skateboarding either as there were a bevy of extreme sports titles that came out under the same company with the same logo and controls. I had all of them — Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder, Matt Hoffman’s Pro BMX, and Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer (an especially nice vibe) — and all of them had awesome sound tracks that you didn’t mind hearing over and over due to countless restarts trying to land a trick, find all the S-K-A-T-E letters, etc.

This spot is reserved for EA College Football when that returns (hopefully soon). If EA just rereleased their last game, which is basically what they do anyway, every year then Hawk would get bumped, but it hasn’t, and I can’t even pretend to make Nebraska good.

Before you get pissed, let me preface this with Mario Kart does not count, and I’m not counting it. However, if you’ve ever played Mario Golf, Mario baseball, Mario tennis or Mario soccer, you know why this in on the list. They just came out with a new Mario Golf, and I feel like I need to buy a Switch so I can play it.

A few weeks ago, I revisited the Mario soccer for Gamecube with a few friends while back home, and I have to say, it’s still so much fun. Those same friends also have played/argued over a nauseating number of Mario baseball encounters, including some heated exchanges over the integrity of the game’s change up.

This also is a video game franchise list, so I had to work the GOAT in there because no one hates Mario and these games are still being produced. There’s also a cultish following for all Mario games and these are no different.

NBA 2K is almost too much for me. I play it, but passed this year because it’s one of those games that if you want to have fun and play online, you have to play it religiously or you’re going to get destroyed. That’s a good thing because it means people are logging an unhealthy amount of time trying to get that onyx Kobe card.

Also, I don’t know the first game to create “micro transactions,” but NBA 2K has to be on its Mount Rushmore. I personally will never pay more on top of the cost of the game because it’s the principle of the matter. This shit was $70. I’m not dumping another $150 to open up vaults or buy VC; I’m just not going to play. You want 2008 Kobe? Then you better get pretty damn good at using the create-a-player.

The best aspect of FIFA also is the best aspect of watching international soccer: the announcers. No wonder Derek Rae and Lee Dixon are so good with pronunciation. They have to say every player’s name in the game, and that’s a lot of players from a lot of countries. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to repeat those pronunciations, accent included — kind of like a Rosetta Stone within the game — during many an international friendly.

If you’ve never played 2v2 with three other buddies, you’re really missing out. There’s something to making your own run off the ball, or picking out your friend at the back post with a beautiful cross, that’s extremely gratifying. A thoroughly enjoyable co-op sports game is a rarity, and it’s beyond frustrating/pointless in basketball and football games.

It’s also not a lie to say FIFA contributed to soccer’s growth and popularity in the US. It’s how I got my introduction and grew to love the EPL, Serie A, La Liga, and all the footballers who populate them.

All EA Sports had to do was not mess up NBA Live, and they would’ve had a stranglehold on the top three spots. Had Tiger Woods not banged his way out of a sponsorship deal, maybe they could’ve been had four spots on this list because T Woods golf slapped.

The first sports video game I remember playing was Madden ’92 for Super Nintendo. My grandparents got a SNES for their many grandkids and every time we visited, I’d run upstairs and play it. The 49ers were my squad, and I’d try to find Jerry Rice among the bobbling helmets and players that all looked more or less the same.

In addition to Madden being a first for me, it also was responsible for the first — and last — video game competition I ever watched. I have no idea what that ESPN show was called, but I remember watching and thinking, “Wait they’re televising people playing video games?”

Madden also started the trend of your cover athlete being a big deal to the point that NBA 2K has three different cover athletes every year. There’s also the Madden curse, which is basically an extension of the old Sports Illustrated cover jinx and a great example of the game’s relevance to pop culture.

I wish the commentary still featured Madden giving his warm, unpretentious, funny, and wise views on the game he so loved, but maybe we’ll see him back on the cover next year if his voice doesn’t make the game itself.

That a video game company would name its sports game after an announcer — and not a player — is perhaps the biggest indication of Madden’s lasting presence and impact on the NFL. RIP.