Among the honors bestowed upon Shaun Alexander, the National Football League?s Most Valuable Player last season, is getting his face on the cover of Electronic Arts Inc.?s "Madden 2007" video game.
To the superstitious, that endorsement contract is akin to breaking a mirror while walking under a ladder.
So many athletes previously on the cover have subsequently been injured or flopped ? including quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick and running back Marshall Faulk ? that it?s become known as "the Madden jinx."
"It?s just been a bit of misfortune for the guys on the cover," said Faulk, 33, who had the endorsement in 2002. "I saw (Shaun) a month or two ago and said, ?Please end this."?
Madden is the most popular sports video game in history, with more than 51 million copies sold in 17 years. It?s generated about $1.7 billion for Redwood City, California-based Electronic Arts, the world?s biggest maker of video games. This year?s version was released Tuesday, on what the company is called "Maddenoliday."
The game, which simulates an NFL game and allows players to guide the actions of men on the field, was introduced for Apple II personal computers in 1989, with Hall of Fame coach John Madden on the cover. It?s now played on nine platforms, including PCs, Microsoft Corp.?s Xbox and Xbox 360, Sony Corp.?s PlayStation and Nintendo Co.?s GameCube.
Madden, 70, who has been a television announcer since 1979 after coaching the Oakland Raiders, remains a consultant and color analyst for the game. EA replaced him on the cover with players in 1999. He will be working Sunday night games for General Electric Co.?s NBC network this season after leaving "Monday Night Football" when Walt Disney Co. moved it to ESPN from its ABC network after last season.
Madden couldn?t be reached to comment through NBC.
COVER STARS
Eddie George was the first victim of the so-called jinx a year after he was on the cover.
The 1995 Heisman Trophy winner as college football?s best player, George was on the cover of "Madden 2001," which was released at the start of the 2000 NFL season. The Tennessee Titans running back averaged a career-low 3.0 yards a carry in 2001.
Also in the 2001 season, then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who earned a spot on the cover by throwing for 33 touchdown passes the previous year, injured his knee and missed five games. He finished with 14 touchdown passes, and the Vikings? record sank to 5-11 in 2001 from 11-5 in 2000.
FAULK?S FLOP
In 2002, Faulk appeared on the cover after averaging 2,223 total yards and 19.5 touchdowns a year with the St. Louis Rams from 1999 to 2001. Injuries held him under 1,000 yards rushing for only the second time in his career, and he scored only 10 touchdowns.
Faulk noticed the trend and compared it to one that supposedly befalls those who appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
"It used to be the S.I. jinx, and now it?s moved to Madden," Faulk said on a media conference call.
Chris Erb, EA Sports? director of marketing for Madden, said there?s no jinx. With stars being targeted by 300-pound linemen, there are bound to be injuries.
"Football is just a rough sport, people get hurt," Erb said. "The people we put on the cover are the stars. They?re usually around the ball, so they can get injured."
Even with the supposed jinx, Erb said the company has never had a problem finding players to appear on the cover. He declined to comment on the value of the endorsement agreement.
ENDORSEMENT PAYDAY
The endorsement is probably worth as much as $150,000, said Ryan Schinman, president of New York-based Platinum Rye Entertainment, which arranges marketing deals for athletes.
Alexander, 28, whose Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers last season in the Super Bowl, said he?s not superstitious.
"When you?re on the cover, you know one thing ? that you?re pretty good," Alexander told the Canon City Daily Record. "People think they?ve got to hit you just a little bit harder."
The Seahawks declined to arrange an interview with Alexander. Mark Heligman, an agent who represents Alexander along with Jim Steiner, declined to comment.
Vick, 26, also said he?s not superstitious, even though he broke his ankle days after "Madden 2004" was released with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback on the cover. He ended up missing 11 games, a year after making the Pro Bowl.
"I hadn?t even heard about it until I got hurt, then I started hearing all the rumors," Vick said.
McNABB?S INJURY
McNabb, 29, made the Madden cover last year after quarterbacking the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in 24 years. His top receiver, Terrell Owens, wound up leaving the team after feuding with management, and McNabb had to undergo hernia surgery in November. The Eagles finished 6-10, a year after going 13-3.
The supposed curse hasn?t dulled the game?s popularity among NFL players.
New York Giants running back Tiki Barber said he would love to be on the cover. Barber, 31, said the game was a fixture in the team?s locker room before coach Tom Coughlin banned it. Now players partake away from the stadium, safely out of the coach?s jurisdiction.
"Guys still play it all the time," Barber said. "It?s a cult."
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