Bills Reacts Survey: Are you worried about the Madden Curse?

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The month of June has been an absolute volcano of emotions for the Buffalo Bills and all of Bills Mafia. From the franchise officially breaking ground on its new stadium across the road from One Bills Drive, and the additions of Leonard Floyd and Brandon Shell (and others). There was also Ed Oliver’s contract extension, the deflating news that DeAndre Hopkins likely isn’t heading to Orchard Park NY, Damar Hamlin taking full part in OTAs, and some rumblings about Dalvin Cook. Yes, of course, there’s also the massive drama that ensued after head coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned” about Stefon Diggs not on the field with his teammates for Day 1 of mandatory minicamp.

Oh, right. Josh Allen became the first Buffalo Bills player to grace the cover of the Madden franchise. He’s set to appear everywhere (along with a celebratory group of authentic Bills Mafia) soon with the launch of EA Sports Madden NFL 24.

Depending on your age, the name “Madden” means very different things to you. The older you are, the more you associate it with the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame head coach (who never had a losing season or finished below second in the AFC West). or perhaps even his retirement gig as a beloved color commentator for the sports divisions of CBS, FOX , ABC (Monday Night Football), and NBC (Sunday Night Football).

While most Gen Xers likely vividly recall Madden as color commentator, his legend grew to new heights with that generation when he lent his name, likeness, voice, and more to help create the “Madden” video game franchise. For some, the name “Madden” is almost exclusively tied to an iconic video game and infamous curse.

It wasn’t until the 21st century that EA Sports decided to leverage NFL players as its annual featured face of the video game. Technically, the first player to appear on a cover was in 1994 with Ricky Watters on the cover of the international edition of the 3DO console cart. But what people widely refer to as the “the Madden curse” began with Garrison Hearst and the Madden NFL 99 international version. Since that edition, the “Madden” franchise has gained a reputation for being a curse on the cover athlete.

Naturally, the question for all of Bills Mafia is whether or not you’re worried about a curse being cast on Josh Allen for the 2023 NFL season. Has it already begun with this week’s news cycle fully focused on the fact that Stefon Diggs is clearly unhappy about something within the Bills? Or do you think the curse is made up?

So tell us: Are you worried about the “Madden Curse” Bills Mafia?

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