Tom Brady scoffs at curses as he nabs the 'Madden NFL 18' cover
Tom Brady's 2017/2018 season is doomed, and New England Patriots have EA Sports to thank for that.
The infuriatingly talented quarterback -- full disclosure: I am a Giants fan, and therefore hate the Pats -- has been chosen as the featured athlete on the cover of Madden NFL 2018. Remarkably, this is Brady's first Madden cover, despite the fact that he's the proud owner of five Super Bowl rings.
Some see the distinction as a dubious honor, thanks to the so-called "Madden Curse." Every game in the series since Madden NFL 1999 has featured one of the league's stars on its cover and, more often than not, those featured players go on to struggle in the subsequent season, which usually starts right after Madden's annual release.
For example, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was the Madden NFL 17 cover star. While he won a Super Bowl ring just like the rest of his team at the end of the season, he only participated in eight games during the regular season -- and missed the entire post-season -- due to injuries.
The Curse has lost some of its mystique in recent years as various cover stars did what you'd expect a superior talent to do: excel. The 2013, 2015, and 2016 editions of the game featured Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, and Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., respectively; all three delivered career performances.
Brady expressed confidence that the Curse will pass him over as well in a statement released in conjunction with the announcement.
"I'm not one to believe in curses, so I'm ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn't stand a chance!!!"
Whatever, Tom. We'll see.
If you're looking for details regarding what's new in this year's edition of Madden, you'll have to wait just a little bit longer. EA Sports plans to reveal more at its E3-adjacent EA Play event, in June.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
