Media Diary - Week 4

How Madden NFL 2007 changed my life.

Like most young kids, my only real interest growing up was in football. I had all the Everton kits. I attended every match and knew every song. All of my conversations in school with friends were about football in some way or another. At the time, I literally did not care for anything else. That was until I came across Madden NFL 2007.

My brother had been a fan of the NFL for many years and supported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I had never been interested in the sport myself, I only knew of the sport and the Buccaneers because of my brother. I had no other knowledge of anything else concerning the sport.

One day, I heard my brother screaming at the television. Wondering what the noise was about, I wandered up to his room to see what he was up to. It turned out he was playing Madden, which I had never heard of at the time. I had nothing better to do, so I stayed in his room and watched him play the game. The game left me asking questions constantly. I didn't have a clue what was going on. I was seeing multi-coloured lines and circles on the screen, penalties for things like a 'chop block' and 'clipping.' My brother then went on to explain as much as he could about the sport using the game. The lines I was seeing were routes, where the wide receivers would run. The circles were the different types of coverages being played by the defense. Those two penalties were both for an illegal block. It took a while, but I began to understand the sport more and more. I started to know the rules, positions, players, plays, the teams. Once I had a good understanding of the sport, I then started to play the game myself, quickly becoming obsessed. I was hardly ever off the game. I came home from school and the first thing I done was play Madden. This game prompted me to buy every Madden after it, the day of its release. I was addicted to the game and the sport. I also became a Buccaneer fan and I've watched every Buccaneer game since, and even went to see them play four times, twice in London and twice in Tampa. I never miss a single press conference, or news story. I'm constantly reading articles on the team, analysing plays and players, as I aim to learn more and more. My Twitter feed is literally all about the NFL, as I mostly follow reporters, players or teams. I even watch the college games, looking for potential new stars soon to be entering the NFL. Now almost everything I do, concerns the NFL in someway.

I still love Everton and I still go to the match. However, I have lost interest in the sport. If I didn't love Everton, I really don't think I would care at all for the sport. If I had the choice between the NFL or the Premier League, I know which one I would pick every time. To me, the NFL is better in every way. It is now pretty much my only real interest. These are things I would never thought I would say growing up, but I am. All because of Madden 2007.