The Madden Curse ??

The video game industry has few superstitions as dogged as the Madden Curse.
With the recent release of the newest “Madden” football title – a video game institution with more than 1.5 million copies sold in August – sports fans are reminded of the bizarre coincidence that befalls whichever player poses for the game’s cover.

Last night’s Titan vs Steelers game saw “Madden 10″ cover-boy Troy Polamalu leave the field with a knee injury. Reports hint that he’ll be out for three to six weeks.

Injuries are part of football, but Polamalu’s misfortune fits a pattern. Most of the players that grace Madden’s covers wind up missing a number of games that season. Yahoo broke it down:

2000: Barry Sanders. Didn't play a single down during the 1999 - 2000 season, or ever again.
2001: Eddie George. No injury.
2002: Daunte Culpepper. Missed five games, played poorly.
2003: Marshall Faulk. Missed six games. Never ran for 1,000 yards again.
2004: Michael Vick. Broke his leg, missed 11 games.
2005: Ray Lewis. Missed only one game.
2006: Donovan McNabb. Missed last seven games of the season.
2007: Shaun Alexander. Broke his foot, missed six games.
2008: Vince Young. Missed one game. But things didn’t go well.
2009: Brett Favre. Missed no games. But did become insufferable.
2010: Troy Polamalu. Out 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.
2010: Larry Fitzgerald: TBD.
(Fitzgerald shared the spotlight with Polamalu on Madden’s cover this year.)
Bret Favre disproved any lasting streak – and, really, several of these players only missed one game. But columnists are atwitter with spooky talk. Don’t put much stock in a video game’s effect on the real world – then again, what fun are sports without crazy theories?