Thanks John Madden
Last week, I, along with every other dedicated football fan around the world, was delivered a shocking blow to the gut. Legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden stepped away from the booth for good, announcing his retirement after more than three decades on the air.
WHAT?? Stop the presses. Say it ain’t so. We won’t hear Madden’s voice on Sunday and Monday nights anymore during football season? Wondering why this is such a big deal?
Well, if you’re a football fan like I am, you don’t have to think too hard about what Madden meant not only to the NFL, but to football, period.
For starters, he led the Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl title, and being the huge Raider fan that I am (Yes, you read correctly, I’m a Raider fan, so feel free to hate all you want) , I certainly will always remember the footage of him being carried off of the field following their victory. Great stuff.
His charismatic personality and jubilant voice probably made non-football fans into football fans. I always looked forward to watching games in which he broadcasted, partly because of his knowledge of the game, but more importantly the enthusiastic manner in which he presented the games to viewers. He had his own way of making you want to watch the games.
And, can you believe he always traveled by bus, never by airplane? Talk about going the extra mile.
Needless to say Madden was, and still is, his own brand, and that couldn’t be more evident than in the popularity of his EA Sports football video game, Madden NFL. Whether you own an Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2 or PlayStation 3, most of you can vouch for me when I say that Madden NFL is the best football video game ever made.
I can remember times when I’ve stood in line all night just to avoid being left out the day of game’s release every August. What can I say; it’s that big of a deal to me.
Was Madden the greatest NFL coach? Probably not. He’s not usually mentioned in the same category as guys like Bill Walsh, Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka or Bill Parcells, but hey, those guys aren’t usually mentioned in the same category as John Madden.
Looking back at his career, I hope the NFL realizes how much he meant to the game and thinks of ways to keep the interest of viewers like me who won’t necessarily stop watching those evening games but definitely will know that something (or someone in this case) is missing.
Thanks, John Madden, for being, well, John Madden. It was a pleasure.