As I mentioned in my Madden 23 review, although it is a disappointing game that is nevertheless a pretty good foundation for future iterations, it did do one thing right — it captured Madden’s love for football as well as a video game could.
Madden 23 features a game mode called the “John Madden Legacy Game”, which pits football players from multiple eras against each other in an NFC vs AFC match-up.
Coaching both teams is John Madden himself. Throughout the game, you’ll be treated to a condensed history lesson surrounding Madden and his rise to football fame. While the commentary can be tough to hear while you’re focusing on the game, the trip into the past is shown a lot of love. Alongside the facts about John Madden, you’ll also get a neat, but short, tribute halftime show to the man as well.
Madden has, in some capacity up until his retirement in 2009, been a commentator for football games since 1979. That is 30 years, three whole decades, of a familiar face and voice lending his expertise to a national pastime. His affinity for using the “telestrator”, which is a device that allowed him to draw over the footage, brought his commentary to life.
Madden’s unique commentary became so popular that it leaked into other communities as well — World of Warcraft players would regularly compare certain rotations to “John F*****g Madden” based on how complicated the flowchart appeared, or Moonbase Alpha where the text-to-speech tool would allow players to spam John Madden to other players. When Madden passed away last year, many would return to YouTube videos to pay tribute for his contributions to the world.
I said this before, but football is a rich tapestry of history — and not just sports history. Everything from genuinely baffling calls (such as a 4th and 1 punt from the opponent’s 34-yard line) to actual, genuinely good policy being introduced (such as Michael Vick’s Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which prohibits people from attending animal fighting shows or bringing minors to them) springing up as a result of the actions, and remorse, of a controversial player.
Football is inextricably linked to American life. When Colin Kaepernick protested the cruelty BIPOC suffer at the hands of police daily, he was shoved out to pasture by the NFL. This sparked a nationwide debate, usually between racists and normal, everyday people, about the role of politics within football — or more specifically, the demand that football players “shut up and play” instead of voicing their opinions. It wasn’t limited to football fans — I distinctly remember people who did not care about sports in the slightest cannonballing their way into a conversation about the “proper way” to protest.
So with all that in mind, it’s no wonder that someone who is as loved and well-known as John Madden became a household name for many in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Yes, he won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Raiders, and yes, he was a very talented coach who never had a losing season. Those are important facts, but they are dwarfed by his status as a commentator, as the face of the Madden video games, and most important of all, his love for football itself.
Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.
