Philadelphia Eagles football was an influence on EA Sports co-founder
One Philadelphia Eagles fan’s fingerprints are all over the Madden franchise.
They aren’t viewed as one of the NFL’s most rabid and loyal fan bases for no reason. Look around any region at people of all walks of life, and you’re bound to find a few Philadelphia Eagles fans. Everyone from rapper and actor Will Smith to the late, great Kobe Bryant to songstress P!nk have been known to drop a tweet or two to show love to the guys in green, but who knew the guys at EA Sports had a few members of what’s affectionately and unofficially known as the “Bird Gang” on the roll sheet?
As a matter of fact, Michael Brook, a video game designer and producer and one of EA Sports’ founding members, a man that helped launch the Madden NFL and NHL franchises, is a die-hard Eagles fan. We learned that in a recent interview done by RADIO.COM. Check out Tim Kelly’s story on that one when you have a minute.
For many of us, the love of Eagles football runs so deep that they may as well be in our family albums. It’s no different for Brook who states in that RADIO.COM interview that “My perspective on what sports were, how fans reacted, and how the games were played was very much impacted by growing up in Philadelphia”.
Here’s how that good old Philadelphia Eagles and Philly sports fanaticism helped give birth to two gaming phenomenons.
You can credit those childhood memories of Veterans Stadium, better known as “The Vet” and the accomplishments of the “Broad Street Bullies” for the development of two of EA Sports’ most celebrated titles.
Decades after those early copies of Madden hit the shelf, Randall Cunningham’s legacy character will carry a 98-overall rating and a scramble rating of 96, and he’s still one of the fastest players ever created on the game.
Darius Slay is already talking Madden ratings. light. Related Story
Is anyone else thinking about diving into the MUT mode (Madden Ultimate Team), and rolling “Scrambling Randall” out for a few plays? Madden NFL 21 drops on August 25th, and whether you’re a casual gamer or someone who plays for a living, it appears that none of us have to worry about the hype dying down any time soon.