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June 2007 - Posts
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EA announced today that EA Tiburon has launched a free fantasy football service that will give sports fan a chance to live their dreams and get in the game like never before. Available at www.easports.com/fantasy, the feature-rich new fantasy football service is available now.
Boasting a clean design and easy usability, the site allows armchair sports superstars to create leagues, organize teams, trade players, leverage the Custom Commissioner Packages and live scoring free of charge. As they make their way to the playoffs, players will experience total fantasy sports entertainment online. The leagues will allow for a maximum of 32 teams and league winners will be eligible for prizes. To help take your team to the championships, players can take advice from EA Tiburon’s bench of expert fantasy football consultants made up of the studio’s own development team members – the same people who rate the players and create playbooks for the EA’s blockbuster football games. These knowledgeable fantasy analysts will share their insights and expert advice through email updates, daily articles and blog content.
“We are very excited to be taking on fantasy football here at EA Tiburon. Given our experience with Madden NFL and NFL Head Coach, we couldn’t be more excited to take on take our knowledge, passion and experience and bring it into the fantasy football world. This is a great addition to our studio’s football roster,” said Executive Producer Jeremy Strauser. “We are able to leverage our design expertise, art resources and real-world football connections to deliver a great service to fantasy football players.”
Other football products produced by EA Tiburon include Madden NFL, NCAA® Football, NFL Head Coach, Arena Football™ and the NFL STREET franchises. Coming into its 18th year and with more than 60 million copies sold and having generated over $2 billion in retail sales*, Madden NFL football continues to stand out as one of the most popular videogame franchises of all time.
Get your Free account now!
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Raymond Goode aka Shopmaster is well known in the Madden community for his participation in season one of the TV show Madden Nation, but also runs a hardcore Madden fan site, Madden Wars. We talked to Ray about changes to his favorite Madden team, the Washington Redskins. This is part two of our two part discussion. You’re a big Redskins fan. Will the addition of LaRon Landry to the secondary change how you play defense in Madden?
I love the Redskins and the addition of LaRon Landry is huge in real-life and in Madden. With this year’s new implementation of mid-air collisions Taylor and Landry are going to cause chaos in the secondary. Does that change the way I play Madden? Well, of course. I usually control one of my linebackers and protect the middle of the field. Now with two hard-hitting safeties, I don’t think anyone will be crazy enough to come over the middle.
Do you typically use the Redskins playbook, or is there another that better suits your style?
The Redskins playbook is Ok, but I’m more of a dink and dunk type of player and to me their playbook doesn’t fit my style. I use a number of playbooks depending on whom I play with. Houston, Pittsburgh, KC, and Run &Gun are my favorites. The Redskins playbook has a lot of single back formations and I can’t leave my secret weapon; Mike Sellers (FB), on the bench when he can be out there making plays and blowing up linebackers.
The new Madden player icons make it easy to identify the strongest assets on a team. Who is your go to guy in Madden?
That’s a tough question. For some reason when I play with the Redskins, Chris Cooley makes all the plays for me. I remember playing a starless game (MW Battlemode) and my opponent took out Santana Moss, Sean Taylor, and Clinton Portis out of the game. Then Randle El got hurt on the opening Kick Off and was gone for the game. Chris Cooley really came through for me big time. He had 8 catches for 156 yards, 2TD, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a TD. He was everywhere. I’m really excited about the new player icons, EA did a great job implementing the icons on NBA Live and FIFA and I think it will add extra strategy when it comes to Madden. Finally shutdown corners that shut down mediocre receivers, wide receivers that hang on to the ball when they get hit.
If you could steal any player from another team and put him on yours, who would you pick? If I could steal any player from any team and put them on mine, it would have to be either LT or Vernon Davis. LT is the most explosive running back in the NFL and he makes it so much easier for everyone around him. He makes passing the ball easier because everyone is keying on LT. In Madden, LT is just as dangerous and can take it to the house on anytime he touches the ball. I also wouldn’t mind Vernon Davis, especially in Madden. If you have a big TE that can catch the ball and has speed, you’re almost unstoppable on offense. Vernon Davis has the speed, the hands, and the size that us Madden players crave for in a TE.
Locally you are known for your Madden release night event held at a local retailer. Do you have big plans for another event this year?
This year is going to be big for Madden Wars and the release event is just the tip of things I have planned for this year. Like every year for the past 3 years, I will be promoting the Madden Holiday concept in which we believe that the release date for Madden should be a Holiday. The annual Madden Wars Madden Midnight Madness event is a part of this idea and I do it real big at my local EB Games store in Bowie, Maryland. We will have a Madden 07 tournament on both the PS3 and 360 and give away Madden NFL 08 to the winners courtesy of EA. We usually have close to 200 people at the events and we try to make sure everyone has a chance to win something while they wait for midnight. So if you are around, stop on by and join in on the fun of a Madden Release Party. I also want to promote the second Annual Madden Wars Championship Series for NCAA Football 08. Play anyone with any team, while trying to earn a MWCS bid and chance for a National title. It wont be easy as the MWCS polling committee will look at teams you played with, who you played, MOV (margin of victory), and feedback. The MWCS is exclusively for PS3 and XBOX 360 players who play NCAA Football 08. Last year we had over 100 people that joined and we gave away a copy of Madden NFL 07 to the player who won the MW Championship Game. This year we will give away 2 Madden NFL 08 games for each system’s National MW Champion. To learn more about the MWCS go to http://www.maddenwars.com. The fun starts July 17, don’t miss out. Also stay tuned for the MW Challenge which will be launching just in time for Madden.
Miss some of our past Spotlights? Stop by the Community Spotlight archive to read them all!
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Dan Bertholomey aka Packwolf, has dedicated himself to winning a Madden Challenge event at the age of 42. We’ll follow him each week as he prepares himself for the rigors of competing against some of the best Madden players in the world. This week Dan talks about a win that has helped inspired him to seek a new level of Madden excellence.
Some of the biggest wins of my 16 year Madden career came on season 1 of Madden Nation on ESPN. Probably my biggest win ever came against “Shopmaster” in Denver to earn the right to ride the Madden Nation Bus. When I received the phone call that I would be on the show and be a free agent in Denver I was very excited, but didn’t really have the time to train as hard as I should. When I sat down next to the Shopmaster to play our game, I was nervous at first. It was my first televised event and on ESPN where countless people would be watching. I then thought to myself that if I lose (or worse yet am blown out), the whole country will see it. So my initial goal when the game started was to just not get blown out. It was not the mindset that someone who wanted to win the tournament should have had, but that’s what I was thinking at that time. The fear of possibly having everything go wrong and being blown out on national television was hard to overcome, especially with 3 cameras aiming at me recording my every move.
A funny thing happened once the game got underway. My fear of being embarrassed forced me to be as focused as I have ever been in my life. My concentration was also at its highest level. I just wanted to keep the game close to have a chance to win and I did just that. I was actually leading at the half 7-0, but Shopmaster (great player that he is) came out in the second half and drove down the field and scored on my defense to make it 7-7. Even though the score was tied, I had gained some confidence because of my play to that point. I sincerely believed I had a chance to win. The game continued to be a defensive battle because of my anemic offense, but my stellar defense dictated the pace. Finally I received the biggest break of my Madden career. I called the right play and my defense was in place to make a huge hit on Seattle’s Shaun Alexander and create a critical turnover late in the 4th quarter.
I had the ball late in the 4th with less than a minute to play, 3rd and long at midfield. I noticed that Shopmaster was pressing at that point and he was over-pursuing on defense, so I called probably the safest play in that situation that I could think of, a misdirection run. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I figured with my poor passing game at the time we might go into overtime if I didn’t convert the first down. Plus I had my hot defense to rely on for another chance. But I guessed right and when Shopmaster loaded up the strong side, my RB was off to the races on the weak for a huge gain. This set up the game winning field goal as time expired. WOW! What an indescribable feeling. I’d watched my heroes win games on TV for years and now I had won a game of Madden on ESPN. It was an amazing feeling that I wish I could share with all of you. I boarded the Madden Nation bus with a growing confidence because I had just knocked off one of the best Madden players in the game. It’s that kind of confidence that will help me on my journey this year as I attempt to claim the Madden Challenge crown.
Packwolf
Please send any feedback or questions for Packwolf to footballcommunity@ea.com . Missed any past Packwolf updates? Go here to get caught up!
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Raymond Goode aka Shopmaster is well known in the Madden community for his participation in season one of the TV show Madden Nation, but also runs a hardcore Madden fan site, Madden Wars. We talked to Ray about the unique qualities of his site and how he got started. This is part one of our two part discussion.
You’re another veteran of the Madden Nation TV show, but you’re known around the community for MaddenWars.com, your fan site. How did your site get started? Madden Nation TV (season one) was a lot of fun and I still get messages and emails from people who have seen me on TV, but my love for Madden is a direct reflection of my passion for my site, Madden Wars. Madden Wars is a Str8/Sim site full of die-hard hardcore ballers that believe, play, compete, embrace, and encourage the philosophy of the Str8/Sim community. Like most of us, I started playing Madden in 1988, but it wasn’t until Madden went online in 2003 that I realized that Madden was a culture in and of itself.
Then one day I played a really legit player who kicked my butt. He told me about a site that had hundreds of other ballers that played the same way, Maddenonline.us. I couldn’t wait to get to my computer and join. I became very active at Maddenonline.us and became a mod within 4 months. In March of 2003, a couple of Mo.us members (Stone and Artemis) started to form crews and wrote great, great stories about their battles online playing Madden. This was something very fresh and new and so I tried to join one of the two groups (Alliance and Agency). Unfortunately (well maybe not) my application to join the Agency was denied, so I decided to make my own crew called The Shop. I gathered up a few guys from the site and we battled online against the Agency and the Alliance and wrote great stories that were big hits in the community. We had some very skilled writers that kept your attention, created plots, and had readers yearning for the next story and plot to unfold. I was having so much fun that I thought that we should make this into a league type of competition. I also thought it would be cool if we had objectives, like playing for stadiums, and game modes that made each game special. I created a special web site just for the league and when the owner closed down Mo.us, I put up a message board and the crowd followed. Thus Madden Wars was created.
The online league over at Madden Wars is completely unique in how it’s set up. How does the league work?
The Madden Wars League is very unique in the fact that it’s not your typical 32 owners and a NFL schedule type of league. The MW League consists of two divisions, 6 teams with 10 players each and a farm system. The objective for each team is to get as many points as you can within the specified time period (usually 12 weeks). There are 3 ways you can earn a point for your team; random games, flag games, and tourney wins.
Random games are when you hop on the EA server and see someone from another team and play them, the winner gets 1 point for their team. You can play as many random games as you like and that is a big thing as there is always someone online from another team to play against. Flag games are another big addition to the MW League. Each week the leader of a team submits to the Commissioner a 7 game schedule that consists of a NFL stadium and a Battlemode. I know it sounds confusing, but hang in there.
Keeping with the original tradition of playing for stadiums, we have placed 5 flags at each NFL Stadium. Each flag represents a particular Battlemode and if one team captures all the flags of that stadium, it is theirs and they get to use that team in the playoffs if they make it. For example, at FedEx Field (Redskins) the 5 flags aka Battlemodes are Starless, Home Security, Division, CFL, and No Kicking.
For example, in a Home Security Battlemode each player has to be the team of that stadium. My personal favorite is the Starless Battlemode and in this Battlemode each player gets to choose 3 players from the opposing team that have to be taken out of the depth chart. This creates a lot of interesting situations and if you know your opponent, you can take away his strengths. The winner gets a flag for his team at that stadium. Each flag win is 10 points, and if you get all 5 the team receives 50 points. After 12 weeks or when all the stadiums have been secured we have the playoffs, this creates even more excitement as it’s 10 vs. 10 winner moves on, loser has to wait till next season. I have been running this league since 2003 and we are on our 10th season. We went from 3 teams of 8 in 2003 to 6 teams of 10, a full player draft, a farm system, and a playoff system. So that’s 24 players to 80 players that are enjoying the MW League on a regular basis.
Do you feel that non-traditional online leagues such as yours increase the replay value of Madden? The MW League definitely increases the replay value. We have had people from other sites come over to MW to play in our league because there was nobody to play where they came form. I know many players that would have stopped playing Madden in January if they weren’t part of this league. The best thing about the league is that it’s fresh and exciting. I remember in 03 everyone were either the Eagles or the Rams. You couldn’t find someone who played with the Browns or Cincy. Now, not only do you play against different teams, but also with the added Battlemodes you almost never play the same teams and Battlemodes twice. Then you add the fact that you have over 50+ people you can play from is just straight bananas. There are literally times where I have had 25+ people online via my ea messenger. Now you tell me when is the last time you had 20 friends online on your messenger playing Madden.
How can someone join your league?
It’s easy for someone to join in on the fun, just sign up on the Madden Wars website and look for the MW: The League forum. There you will find a new recruits sub forum. There you will find instructions on how to sign up and one of the MW League leaders will contact you, help you out with any questions you may have and then put you in the farm system. The farm system is used during the season in case someone drops out of the league or gets put on IR. We have two farm teams, and they are used to get you on par with playing our style of play and for you to learn and play the different Battlemodes we have available.
Look for part II of our discussion with Shopmaster in next Friday’s Community Spotlight. Miss some of our past Spotlights? Stop by the Community Spotlight archive to read them all!
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Dan Bertholomey aka Packwolf, has dedicated himself to winning a Madden Challenge event at the age of 42. We’ll follow him each week as he prepares himself for the rigors of competing against some of the best Madden players in the world. This week Dan talks about the value of a tough defeat.
I visited EA Tiburon in Orlando Florida earlier this week for NCAA Football 08 Community Day, along with some other members of the virtual football community. We had a tournament at the end of our last day there. I won my first game but was beaten convincingly in the second round. When I finally realized that the game was out of reach, I remembered a very valuable lesson that not enough ballers take advantage of. Sometimes a loss can be much more valuable than a win.
You’re never going to get better at Madden if you consistently play competition less skilled than yourself. You never give yourself an opportunity to be challenged or learn something new. It is important to challenge yourself if your goal is to improve your game. When you find yourself on the wrong side of a lopsided score, don't quit or pull the plug. Take advantage of what you have before you, an opportunity to improve your game.
If you’re being beaten handily, obviously you are playing someone with greater skill than you at that point. What I love to do in those situations is put my gameplan away for that game and begin to closely watch what my opponent is doing and try to pick up on what plays he runs on offense. I also check what he is doing on defense that is shutting me down. Once I think I know what he is doing on defense, I will try to use those same tactics until I have similar results against my opponent during that game.
Most of my defensive "go to" plays have been developed during a one sided loss when I’ve used this method. I will observe, discover, and test what defense I think my opponent is running during garbage time during the lopsided game. I will also run plays I do not normally run, try different strategies, and use different personnel. What would be a blowout and disconnect for some people can become a practice or scrimmage against a superior opponent. Trust me, a loss can be very valuable and can vastly improve your game if you handle it the right way. Next time your back is against the wall, try my method and gain something out of a desperate situation.
See you on the virtual field.
Packwolf
Please send any feedback or questions for Packwolf to footballcommunity@ea.com . Missed any past Packwolf updates? Go here to get caught up!
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Do you consider yourself a Madden dad or have a father who is a huge fan of Madden? Send us your video, audio, or written story proving why you think you or your Dad should be named Madden NFL 08 Father of the Year. We’ll select one lucky dad as the grand prize winner who will receive:
- An XBOX 360™ Elite video game and entertainment system
- An advance copy of Madden NFL 08 for XBOX 360
- A Madden NFL “Fanatic” Pack including:
- Autographed NFL football and helmet
- A Father of the Year NFL Team jersey
To learn more, visit MaddenFathersDay.com
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Last week we brought you part I of our community spotlight featuring Bobby Morgan, director of Gametime Philly tournaments. He talked about how he got off the ground running some of the best Madden tournaments in the nation. This week in part II of our spotlight, Bobby shares some advice on how to put together a successful event.
What is the most fun you’ve ever had running an event?
The most fun I think I ever had at an event was watching Lou Tillery from New Orleans (who at this time was one of the most feared Madden ballers in the world) face off against Young Gunnz from New York. This highly anticipated face off was so hyped that everyone stopped playing in the event just to watch the game. At that time Lou had only lost two or three times over a two year period. Then there was Young Gunnz who had not lost but maybe once in over a year. We put these two on the 55 inch big Screen and pushed up a couch in front of the TV for both of them to set off this history making battle. We had hotel employees calling people off the street just to see this one. We had celebrities in the hotel walking in to be a part of the event. As these two played you could actually hear a pin drop. I just stood there looking in the background thinking, “what have I created here?” I had people of all ages and different ethic backgrounds and different upbringings, all under one roof having the time of their lives and it was Madden and Gametime that bought the two together.
What are three things that make for a great tournament venue? The venue has to have a good staff meaning an electrician and banquet manager that can satisfy you requirements; what ever you need to make your event go off as smoothly as possible. When you are dealing with multiple TVs and consoles and electricity and room space there are so many things that come up that you need. You want to be prepared as much as possible and having a great venue and staff working with you before and during the event can make or break a successful tournament.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to host a “mega” Madden tournament? Your heart has to be in it because it’s a lot of work and not everybody can host a large Madden Tournament. It’s a lot more complex than throwing a couple of TVs and consoles together and there you have your tournament. I wish it were that easy. It takes precise planning on the hardware side as well as serious marketing so you can reach that average baller that wants to step into the tournament arena, along with the core ballers that live and breathe this game. You should create a website as we have had one for years. This is where people will find you long after they have left your tournament. You as a tournament director have to figure out how to bring both worlds together which will only put your event over the top.
What does your tournament schedule look like for the Madden NFL 08 season? At Gametime Philly we are used to giving two major tournaments a year. A kickoff tournament in between September and November to start the Madden tournament season, and of course we put something together special at our finale tournament we hold every year in March to April called “The Players Bowl.” As long as you lock in your internet favorites to www.gametimephilly.net, you will be locked into the next generation of Madden ballers that are coming up the pike that are ready to become that next household name. It could be any one out there and we feel at Gametime that this is where it starts. The quest to be number one always starts here. Of course all Madden ballers regardless of your level of play are welcome. We are a family here and when we put it all together it’s a GTP tournament at its best. Then you hear the Tournament MC say “Are Your Skills Ready? It’s Gametime!!! Let’s Go!!!”
Miss some of our past Spotlights? Stop by the Community Spotlight archive to read them all!
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Members of the gaming media are in the envious position of having the opportunity to preview the best of the best sports games well before they hit store shelves. What is the sports gaming media saying about Madden NFL 08? Let's take a look.
“From what I've played, we could be talking about one of the best Madden experiences in years.”
“I was blown away, not just by the flashing eye candy of graphics and animations and gang tackles and 60 frames-per-second, but by the amazing responsiveness of the controls. From spins to stiff arms to jukes to the way you work your receiver back to the ball then sidestep defenders and take it to the house”
-Jon Robinson, IGN
“We can safely say this is the next-gen Madden you've been waiting for”
“On the field, the action is smooth and responsive. Players simply do the things you want them to do. Visually, it's a gem -- running at 60 frames per second with a branching animation system that not only looks great, but leaves control in the hands of the player”
-Jon Miller, IGN
“Thanks to some extremely responsive controls, the gameplay in Madden is already feeling like an improvement over previous years. “
“In all, Madden 08’s focus on the best players in the NFL, coupled with tightened gameplay, seems to be paying dividends”
- GameSpot
“Madden is gonna bling us all out in August”
- GamesRadar
“A quick quarter of head-to-head had us hollering, trash talking and generally tittering -- the game runs and moves as smooth as Tom Brady's throwing motion.”
- 1Up
“This is going to be the best Madden game on Xbox 360, and it might be the best sports game PERIOD.”
“The gameplay is incredibly responsive, and the animations are downright awesome. Madden fans, you finally have a reason to step into the next generation!”
-TeamXbox
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Dan Bertholomey aka Packwolf, has dedicated himself to winning a Madden Challenge event at the age of 42. We’ll follow him each week as he prepares himself for the rigors of competing against some of the best Madden players in the world. This week, Dan breaks down his beloved Chicago Bears in Madden NFL 08.
With a little over 2 months until the release of Madden 08, I find myself watching the NFL transactions closely so that I can get an idea of which teams will be hot and what teams to stay away from in this upcoming virtual season. I usually always roll with my hometown team, my heart and soul, the Chicago Bears!! I have spent many (too many) seasons using the Bears and struggling against your standard Patriots, Falcons, and Eagles that you run into online. I got as taste of a decent team last year, but this year I will finally have a solid team to work with.The NFC champs from last year; I am hoping the Bears will be rated accordingly by EA and will be a strong team in the game as they are in real life. Still, the Bears are an uncertain team at this point. I think one of my main concerns about the Bears in Madden NFL 08 will be how Cedric Benson is rated. In Madden NFL 07, I love to use running back by committee when using the Bears. Bringing in Benson when I want to run up the middle and Thomas Jones when I have an outside run called, occasionally mixing it up so my opponent can not key in on my game plan. Now I just have Benson to rely on since Mr. reliable, Thomas Jones has been traded to the Jets…or do I?
The Bears drafted a relatively unknown back, Garrett Wolfe, out of the University of Northern Illinois. He is only 5’7, 177lbs but he is ultra fast with great hands. I think he might be a great asset if used right and that’s where our coaching ability comes in. If you haven’t heard, the 100 speed man Hester is working out at Wide Receiver. So when you think about Hester at WR, this sleeper Garrett Wolfe at RB to compliment Benson, and the Bears stellar defense, I think they could be one of the best teams in the game. But it’s all up to how you coach your team and use your players to get the most out of them. Develop schemes around your best players and you will be ready.
Packwolf
Please send any feedback or questions for Packwolf to footballcommunity@ea.com .
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For this week’s Community Spotlight, we talked to Bobby Morgan, aka Bobby Storm. Bobby has run the Madden tournament organization Gametime Philly for several years and is respected as one of the top tournament directors in the country. His path to “Madden Glory” is a long one, so we’ve broken down his interview into a two part piece.
When did you start playing Madden? I started playing Madden in 1998. Back then there were a couple of different console football titles out, but Madden was always the front runner and was the most popular when I started hosting tournaments. The saying “everybody plays Madden” has been in existence since the days of old. Celebrities, entertainers, pro ball players, dads, people from different ethnic back rounds, and kids as young as 4 years old all play Madden. Madden brings us all together.
How did you become involved running tournaments?
Before running tournaments I started out running organized leagues in Philadelphia out of my apartment. I outgrew it quickly and moved into a house which was bigger, but I soon figured out that it was not even big enough to house everything I was doing. Every weekend we would have guys on about 4-5 TVs in my basement, 4 upstairs in my living room, another 2 in my dining room, and even in the kitchen. Of course the NFL games would be on the big screen in the living room, but all throughout the house the atmosphere was Madden all day and well into the night. This lasted from about 11:00 am until 8:00 pm at least 9 months out of the year.
But as Gametime Philly grew, my house seemed to grow smaller. So we looked into renting some space just so we could run our leagues. This space that we rented out was called “The Clubhouse.” At that time we also built a website, www.gametimephilly.net . Now our identity was set. After a while the demand to play was so high in our area because no one was doing what we were doing to that magnitude. I was asked why we didn’t run tournaments. That way everybody could get a shot at being number one, not just the league players or local players.
That’s when I thought about how I could transform the league excitement, camaraderie, & competition into a stage for ballers of all kinds, all ages, and ethic backgrounds. I did some research on the Internet and was introduced to the MWS (Madden World Syndicate). Swammi who runs the MWS told me about the history and the network the MWS possesses in the National Madden Community. He said the MWS is about family and about networking under one umbrella to aid each group and make the community better and stronger. About a month into my MWS membership, as my family of Madden ballers grew on the message board I met a baller by the name of Coach K from Baltimore. Coach K had heard about my leagues on the board & told me he didn’t think anyone was as serious about Madden as two groups he belonged to called the HOB (House of Ballers) and BMB (Baltimore Madden Ballers), who were both out of MD/DC area. He said Bobby you must meet somebody named Baller Brown so I was quickly introduced to him, the Commish of BMB. Commish is what they call the guys that run Madden groups in the country. So that made me Commissioner Storm.
Baller Brown and I spoke for hours and he told me how good his guys were and that they travel all the time. Of course I talked about how good my guys were and it went back and forth from there. I made it known to him that I was putting together my first tournament. We played that event in two living room sized areas connected to a garage (yes a garage) in the back of a realtor’s office space. We had 12 TVs of all shapes and sizes, including one 55 inch big screen that we rented just for our leagues guys.
Our “Clubhouse” was where we played and trained and now it was going to be our grounds for starting something new. Little did we know those 55 inch big screens would go on to be the Gametime Philly signature for future tournaments. We played from 1:00 pm until 11:30 pm that night. That tournament was such a success that I was eager to set another date at a much bigger venue so I could get a chance to do this on a larger scale. Once that was set in motion the famous Gametime Philly National Madden Tournaments were born.
The tournament community has grown a lot since you starting throwing events. How has it changed in that time?
Since I have been throwing tournaments over the years it’s crazy to see how your average baller who is just known just among their friends or just plays in their living room all of a sudden wins big at a tournament and becomes a household name with a celebrity status. I mean guys actually walk in a room and sign autographs because of who they are. I knew one particular guy years ago that traveled around from city to city from one tournament to another because he was just that good. Once he hopped on the sticks just about everyone in the room stopped to see this baller play and he was everything that they said he was. That baller was Named Lou Tillery from New Orleans.
But one that thing that truly stands out about today’s baller vs. the ballers from the past is that today’s baller has the online capability to play Madden against anyone in the world. With the advent of online play the world of tournament gaming has really taken off. The level of competition has jumped in leaps and bounds. When we first started throwing small tournaments in the clubhouse in 1998/99 it was a local east coast kind of thing. The level of skill of ballers has really changed over the years. Before only a select 5-10 ballers out of a room of 100 or more really had a shot at the Championship. Now at least 20-30 guys are playing at the elite level, and the biggest reason for that is online play without question.
So to be honest, the playing field is much more level today because once somebody figures out how to do something special with a play or player, it’s duplicated 1,000 times online and everybody knows about it. Before online you did what we call “labbing” with your partners or your boys. Then you would take what you knew out on the road. When you went to a tournament all you knew was what you saw in your area or inside your circuit. Every baller had their own identity or way of playing that was rarely duplicated. So if you saw something new you had to react and adjust right there on the spot, which was very hard to do. These days there’s not much the ballers haven’t seen at a tournament that they haven’t already seen online, so you see a lot of duplicated offenses and defenses and a lot of versions of the same play.
Look for part II of Bobby’s story in another upcoming edition of the Community Spotlight. Miss some of our past Spotlights? Stop by the Community Spotlight archive to read them all!
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