ESPN Video Games: 'Madden 13' cover vote to kick off March 7

[cdj]

For the second straight season, the "Madden" cover (and curse) will be decided by fans.

Thanks to a partnership between ESPN and EA Sports, a partnership that saw nearly 13 million people vote for the cover just last year, fans once again will let their voices be heard on who they want to see grace the cover of EA's billion-dollar franchise.

Voting is set to kick off March 7, and this year, the field has been expanded to 64 players, as the first round will pit teammate against teammate to see who can win his way into the final field of 32.

Last season, Peyton Hillis pulled off the huge upset, collecting more votes than more established superstars such as Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick to earn his spot on the cover. Unfortunately for Hillis, just like so many men who posed for the cover before him (Shaun Alexander, Daunte Culpepper, Vick), his production (and health) suffered almost immediately thanks to what gamers and sports fans alike refer to as the "Madden Curse."

Hillis himself even seemed to blame the game for his poor performance, saying late in the season: "Things didn't work in my favor this year. There's a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses. Ain't no doubt about it."

Which makes the "Madden 13" vote even more interesting. Do you vote for your favorite player, or do you vote for a star on your least favorite team, hoping to knock a rival out of the playoffs before the season starts thanks to some video game voodoo?

Should make for some interesting debate, not to mention some surprising voting results. I'll once again be breaking down the winners and losers of every matchup throughout the contest, even spilling some of the voting numbers midvote to let you know when one of your favorite players is ready to advance to the next round or needs a rally in order to survive.

Then again, the way this curse bites (especially for a game with 13 on the cover), you might be better off voting for a rival.

Until then, check out SportsNation's official "Madden 13" voting page for more information.

Courtesy: ESPN Video Games "The Gamer" Blog

[ram29jackson]

oh Lord LOL

not this drama again...


Tebow or Eli by a landslide !!!!

[JeffHCross]

Tebow or Eli by a landslide !!!!

Tebow will never win. Too many haters.

[ram29jackson]

Tebow will never win. Too many haters.

right.....? and a white RB from Cleveland wasnt supposed to win......

[JeffHCross]

right.....? and a white RB from Cleveland wasnt supposed to win......

Who said that? Cleveland's known for their rabid fanbase, and Hillis probably got a healthy bump from people voting against his opponents. Vick in particular. I'll admit that I was surprised that Hillis got to the final, but once he was there against Vick it was easy to imagine an upset victory, because of the two factors above. Likewise, it's very easy to imagine that Tebow would be voted against almost as much as he would be voted for.

[ram29jackson]

Who said that? Cleveland's known for their rabid fanbase, and Hillis probably got a healthy bump from people voting against his opponents. Vick in particular. I'll admit that I was surprised that Hillis got to the final, but once he was there against Vick it was easy to imagine an upset victory, because of the two factors above. Likewise, it's very easy to imagine that Tebow would be voted against almost as much as he would be voted for.

well, not really that many people vote on this thing...alot, yes...but not that many..Hillis got in because of most people from one city/State voting him in...Tebow is a National fascination...sure, alot may hate that,but most of those people wont waste time voting on a video game cover..who knows? hopefully, alot will unfold positive in my life and I wont even know this is going on....

[JeffHCross]

You're right ... most people don't care. But among the ones that do, the hardcore football fans as it were, are largely split about Tebow. Even Denver fans don't universally support Tebow. Tebow lost to Jamaal Charles last year in the first round. You really think that was just Chiefs fans?

Hillis got in because of most people from one city/State voting him in...

When you consider that you have to have an ESPN account to vote, I don't even think having the support of Cleveland behind Hillis was the major factor. I did some dirty math last year during the voting and came to the conclusion that largely the same group of people were voting in every round, for each matchup, and the reason why Hillis won the final vote was because the supporters of the other two Final Four candidates were voting against Vick. The total # of voters from round to round was largely unchanged.

[jaymo76]

I followed with almost no interest last year... I really only looked in from time to time to see /hope Mike Vick had been eliminated. Doing it again this year? Pass... and I really hope they don't milk this vote for all it's worth. Tell me about gameplay improvements, tell me about additions to franchise mode, tell me about presentation updates... that's all I want to hear.

[skipwondah33]

right.....? and a white RB from Cleveland wasnt supposed to win......

Not saying much hell, Ryan Leaf could have won it by a landslide considering who the other finalist was.

Add Kyle Williams to that list as well

[bdoughty]

EA needs to quit this crap and get a lineman on the cover. Heck throw a O-Lineman and D-Lineman both in a stance getting ready to engage. The game is won in the trenches and this would signify a major focus of Madden 13.

That would be my pick but I dream outside the box.