Two For The Price Of One: Polamalu, Fitzgerald On "Madden" Cover

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Polamalu And Fitzgerald To Appear On "Madden"

EA Sports has chosen both Steelers S Troy Polamalu and Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald as the cover athletes for “Madden NFL 10,” the first time the 21-year-old videogame franchise has featured two cover athletes. EA made the formal announcement this morning in N.Y., unveiling a large billboard of the cover art in Times Square. Fitzgerald is just the second athlete after Shaun Alexander to be featured on the covers of both EA’s NFL and college football titles, as he was the featured athlete for "NCAA Football 05." The latest iteration of the Madden title, to be released August 14, will feature a new, more photorealistic animation system for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while at the same time a lighter, slightly more caricatured style for the Wii version. All versions underwent a second major rewrite of the game code in as many years. Fitzgerald will appear Friday night on NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to discuss the cover nod. He said Friday morning the much-discussed “Madden” cover jinx that has enveloped prior designees such as Eddie George, Michael Vick and Alexander was a non-factor as he accepted the cover offer. Fitzgerald: “I’m not paying any attention to that. I believe in the Lord, and that’s where our destinies lie. This was a tremendous opportunity that presented itself, and I’m absolutely honored to be part of this. Being associated with Troy I think is great considering the type of tremendous athlete and individual he is. And also being part of the first dual cover is something really unique and interesting.”

LONG TIME COMING: Meanwhile, NFL Draft prospect and former Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree was formally introduced Thursday as the cover athlete for the Xbox 360 version of “NCAA Football 10.” Crabtree said on ESPN2’s “College Football Live,” “It means everything for me to be an EA cover boy because I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I started playing ‘Tecmo Bowl.’”