Gridiron

This year marks Madden NFL 25-year anniversary and EA decided to celebrate it by putting a different name (Madden 25 instead of Madden 14). EA’s Madden NFL Football series is to sports games as Call of Duty is to first person shooters. The easy to play controls make the game playable and fun for everyone and it helps if you have some what of a understanding of NFL rules. If your new to NFL this game is very good in helping you learn the teams,rules,positions and who the star players are.

Madden 25 really concentrated on the running game and are giving players more control over the running back then from previous years.Even though you score more points passing  then running and getting the chance to throw the last second game winning hail mary throw. I enjoy using the running game because of new moves such as fast cut juke moves executed by the analog stick or by pressing the buttons. When you successfully pull of a juke combo on your friends defender and make him look bad you enjoy the  game more. Also they have made improvements to the stiff arm option, as before it never really seemed to make a difference but now if you are a physically big running back or wide receiver you can break out of tackles or gain a few yards before falling.

EA is finally focusing on making madden look more like real life football, through the new Infinity Engine 2 which is an upgrade to the real-time physics of the game. Players look much more realistic and the broadcasters have more to say while your playing the game and no longer do we see the glitchy tackles and cartoonish look of players tripping over each other. Also more cleaner looking player collisions and unique tackles that are more realistic as the new engine takes into count different positions players are hit from.

All of the game modes from previous games return to Madden NFL 25, one new mode they have added is the “Owner Mode”. This game mode puts you in-charge of running a team from team staff, finances and even deciding pricing on stadium food and merchandize sold. Owner mode can get somewhat boring fast because of the “tycoon” type game play; however a few fun options can keep you interested such as the ability to move teams to new city’s. Here is a quick trailer

My final thoughts, EA has made a few changes to this years madden but nothing that is ground breaking maybe because of how high of a bar they have set from the beginning anything that doesn’t change the game entirely seems insufficient to us. Madden is not made for just the football fans as they work very hard on making the game so that anyone can pick up the controller and be able to play any team like a NFL pro. If your looking for a fun game you can pick up and start playing and don’t have to invest much time in Madden 25 would be a wise choice to add to your collection.

Why is it 78% of NFL players go bankrupt after retirement? Is it the poor financial advice, or the flashy lifestyle maybe thinking they will be playing for a longer time then they actually will. To answer this question we have to take a look at some of these players lives that were once on top with millions in their bank accounts and now are in debt to either the IRS or the banks.

Terrell Owens made an estimated $80 million dollars during his career as a star wide receiver.

He blames his bankruptcy on a couple of things, new to the NFL he hired bad management which cost him $2 million in bad business investments. Owens was advised by his accountants to invest in real estate. Which he believed to be the beginning of his financial fall trusting the wrong people with his money. Owens purchased enormous high end condos and houses he always thought he could later rent or sell if he needed the money. A real estate market crash forced him to sell his condos and houses at a huge loss. Child support is still damaging his bank account, as of now Owens has 4 different kids with 4 different women, to whom he has to pay child support which is around $45,000 every month and has to pay for their house mortgages which is another $80,000. The IRS has placed a lien on him for owing taxes for his income from previous years. Terrell now 39 and with no contract nearing retirement is hoping any team can pick him up so he can make the bills on time.

Michael Vick made an estimated $130 million dollars in his early career as a star quarterback.

Vick’s bankruptcy started early in 2006 when he was sentenced to a 2 year jail term for his involvement in dog fighting. While in jail Vick managed to spend $18 million, only some of the money was spent on legal fees. Vick was also supporting his friends, an entourage of 30 people who he considered his closest family and friends. Venturing into business schemes with his friends lost him millions. In 2008 Vick reportedly spent $31 million in a single month on four different houses, cars, clothes, jewelry and other expenses in supporting his ex girlfriend and their son. Fraudulent financial advisers also had their hands in Vick’s bank accounts as he himself has stated he was to young and foolish to realize what they were doing until it was too late. Lucky for Vick he is still a talented player and has recently inked a new deal for $100 million with the eagles.

By looking at some of these players stories you can already see the common mistakes, trusting the wrong people, financially supporting close friends/family and living above their means. Many other players who have made the same mistakes had another thing in common, raised in poverty stricken homes by single parent. Receiving their first paychecks these players feel guilt and a sense of duty to give back to those who were around them during harder times, which is never a one time thing. Looking at these players lives really shows you they are not that much different from us, if you were given millions of dollars and fame right after high school or college could you resist making the same mistakes?