https://www.instagram.com/p/BT_7CWIB2UP/?taken-by=tombrady&hl=en
Patriots fans experienced both excitement and anxiety after learning Tom Brady is on the cover of Madden 18. There has been a long-standing theory that athletes become “cursed” after landing on the cover of Madden.
Is there any truth to the theory? Last year does not help squash the superstition. Rob Gronkowski was on the cover of Madden 16 and played in only half of the Patriots games. Gronkowski had just 540 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in what turned out to be an injury-riddled season.
The curse is not lost on Brady who posted a funny video on his Instagram. In the video above, he smashes a mirror then walks under a ladder then yells, “No curse. All good!”
“There’s no such thing as curses it’s a total myth,” Brady says earlier in the video.
Fans looking for reassurance that Brady will not be crushed by the curse can find encouragement in 2015. Odell Beckham Jr. was on the cover of Madden 16 which came out in 2015. Beckham went on to have 1,450 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Patriots fans will take that kind of curse all season long.
Richard Sherman also appears to have survived the curse. He was on the cover of Madden 15 but managed to grab four interceptions during the 2014 season and played in all 16 games.
This may not be the example you want to use to prove the curse wrong based on how the 2015 Super Bowl turned out. In one of the biggest surprises in Super Bowl history, the Seahawks threw an interception on the one-yard line after Seattle was on the verge of scoring the game-winning touchdown.
As Sherman referenced as recently as last season, Seattle should have given the ball to Marshawn Lynch. This seems more like a curse of poor play calling more than anything involving Sherman directly.
On the eve of the announcement, Gronk had some fun with the curse by posting this video on Twitter:
It’s time for this year’s @EAMaddenNFL #Madden18 Cover Athlete to be named. Who ya think it is?
So, what’s the verdict on the Madden curse? Football is a violent game where players are susceptible to injuries during every game and practice. Any injuries to Madden cover athletes appear to be a mere coincidence. Curse or no curse, here is a video breaking down the top 10 “curses” in the history of Madden:
