The Evidence is Clear- Madden 20 Predicts A Browns Super Bowl (AND I AM TOO HYPE TO FUNCTION)

I always feel like you can get a sense of who is going to win the Super Bowl by looking at the media that surrounds the league. Rosters, coaches, injuries, etc… those things help on a week to week basis but I think you can look at who Sports Illustrated and the ancillary media highlight to get a sense of who the NFL wants the casual audience to follow. It’s hard factual science, trust me. That said, I think Madden Ultimate Team is the real indicator of what the big team and story is going to be in the NFL. It’s not about the cover of Madden per se, the cover of Madden is reactionary. The cover reflects who was the most popular player or team from the year before. Ultimate Team is updated every week and is the most current portion of Madden and early in the year the giveaways, pictures and promos are set slightly in advance. This is where I glean my insight from and this is why I think the Browns are going to have an incredible year.

Yes. Welcome Back!

The first Twitch giveaway this year was Jim Brown, the greatest football player of all time. His card is an 85 and his Madden Ultimate skill is a cheat code (unbelievable stiff arm and trucking ability). The twitch prime free cards are huge! They advertise them everywhere and this year it’s a Browns player. It’s THE Browns player. This is clue 1.

The Greatest Football Player of ALL TIME. Don’t @ me…

The second clue is the Madden Ultimate Team solo challenge NFL Epics Event. You have to complete a series of challenges based off of Baker Mayfield’s successes last season. For example, you need to manufacture the comeback win against the Jets that started Baker’s career. Once you complete these challenges you are awarded and 86 rated Baker Mayfield. At the beginning of MUT season, this was one of the best cards in the game at the most important position. Everybody who played Ultimate Team early this year used Mayfield for those challenges and won that card.

The next bit of evidence is Joe Haden has an 88 rated Flashback card right now as one of the first big flashback cards. Haden is one of the few great picks the Browns have made over the last 20 years. On top of that, one of the pre-order bonus cards was an 82 rated Odell Beckham Jr. card.

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Basically, for Ultimate Team every early player had their skill positions filled by the Browns. Baker at Quarterback, Jim Brown at running back, Odell Beckham Jr. at wide receiver and if you’re lucky Haden at cornerback. That is a lot of in your face Browns action for Madden. Not to get into the fact that Baker Mayfield was on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s new show, the Browns were on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and every time I turn on FS1 they are debating if the Browns are over or underrated. This is the kind of coverage reserved for an established good team like the Patriots or Steelers….but this is all for the Browns.

It really feels like this is the team that may turn the corner and be special. I know no Browns fan has EVER said that before but I genuinely feel like Madden 20 has all but guaranteed a Browns Super Bowl appearance (they did all of this with the Rams last year….). I am so hype! What could possibly go wrong?!? That said, week 1 coming up! GO BROWNS!

Colin Kaepernick and Why I am Buying Madden 18

From what I have gleaned via social media I am a monster. I still support the NFL. I watched the Browns preseason game and I am buying Madden. I AM STILL PLAYING MADDEN 17 Ultimate Team (which is a testament to the longevity and the constant updates for Ultimate Team).

I struggle with the moral implications of supporting a sport where I know concussions are killing people, players are underpaid with non-guaranteed contracts, and tax payers still get held hostage for stadiums. A lot of the league has legal issues. The Players Union is a joke. I understand all of this on an intellectual level, BUT I don’t watch the Browns on an intellectual level. I watch them on an emotional level. 

The NFL means a lot to me. It’s one of the things my father and I bond over the strongest. I love wearing a Browns jersey outside and having random people stop me on the street to talk football. I enjoy the Sundays spent watching the game. Nothing has been able to replace the visceral feeling of watching football.

Back to Colin Kaepernick. In case you’ve forgotten, I am black. I viciously support Kaps stand (or kneel) on police violence and the other causes he advocates for. Kap is good enough to be a starter in the league. Look up his numbers, he’s better than a lot of guys starting. There is no reason he isn’t the Browns QB now. He is being blackballed for speaking out. He knew the possibility was there for this. He is making a sacrifice. I support that. Who knew white people would get so mad about a black guy who peacefully protest police violence and brutality.

What I don’t support is boycotting the NFL (you can, I am not). The NFL is not a bus company in the South during the 60’s. The NFL makes a lion sum of it’s revenue on media deals already signed. If I was going to boycott, it would have been for the myriad of players iced out of the league for pot infractions while wife beaters have jobs. I would boycott for the concussions and the ridiculous settlement that still fucks a lot of players. I am not willing to make the sacrifice of my enjoyment right now to try and inflict pain on a league that will survive it. In a country where people barely vote, refuse to pay attention to politics and issues that truly impact our lives fans are getting raked over the coals for supporting a sports league. (Personally, I am an anarchist. I think systems must be torn down and rebuilt to truly change)

If you boycott the NFL are you boycotting any electronic made in FOXCONN due to the wages and suicide attempts by workers? There are so many things to boycott that people won’t touch but then I am hit up in my messages about why I, a black man, is not boycotting the NFL…. nah. Not now. Not over this. Frankly, Kap getting blackballed is saving his health and has spearheaded his career into advocating for those that need and has created a new leader in the black community. That’s pretty dope. I just want to watch Deshone Kizer score a touchdown. and I’m buying Madden 18.

The Browns and My Relationship with God

I struggle with my faith in God yet I don’t struggle with my faith in the awful Cleveland Browns. When the Browns lose I jokingly tell people that those are the moments I question my faith the most. Here’s the things, that’s not a joke. I have been watching the Browns with my Dad for as long as I can remember. Even if we don’t watch the Browns together, we experience them together. That collective experience extends to all Browns fans.

I don’t like to ask God for crazy things. I don’t ask for miracles. I don’t expect God to have my sister miraculously walk, nor do I expect God to grace us with world peace. That said, I feel like asking for a few Browns wins should be right in God’s wheelhouse. It feels like a safe thing to request, it won’t change the space time fabric and it won’t even ruin the NFL (for better or worse). When the Browns lose, and they always lose in the most embarrassing ways (Week 1 2016, snap goes over QB’s head for a safety), it feels like such a painful blow. It also feels like a missed opportunity as well. Here is an easy way to give me a nod that you do exist and that miracles can happen but instead I get a fucking blocked FG on Thursday night to lose to the Ravens.

At this point, I know readers are things “But the Cavs won a title!” and while that is true you need to know that Cleveland is a Football town. Hard working city, hard working people, just looking for some solace to their shitty mid-western existence. After the Browns get embarrassed on Sunday it resonates with my entire week. It leaves me feeling like there is no way I can win. I didn’t get blessed with Boston, or get to watch the Jacksonville Jags or Oakland Raiders succeed with new young talent. Those regions are fun on their own right. Boston, California , and Florida have a lot going for them but Ohio…we need sports in a way because without it there truly isn’t much else to do. Once winter hits, there is somehow LESS to do (outside of shoveling snow).

The Browns don’t just lose, ESPN and the powers that be just revel in the Browns failures. If living in Ohio wasn’t enough now when I turn on national TV I get to hear this story-line, “Dumbass Browns get destroyed by draft pick they passed on.” Awesome. Thanks God.

I guess by placing my faith in something easily solved and obtainable I feel like I’m hedging my bets for God to be a Hero. That makes the failures even more egregious. Selfishly, I want to see my Dad’s face when the Browns are good again. I want to feel the joy and success of Cleveland Browns football with my Dad. I watched him crumble when the Browns went to Baltimore and I watched him hurt when the Ravens won Super Bowls. What God would allow that to happen. Was it not enough to take the Browns away but they have to become the World Champion Ravens (led by Ozzie Newsome) as well? It’s cruel.

The Cleveland Browns seem to be the last bastion of Old Testament God. The deeper my faith in Christianity grows I just can’t shake the bitterness I feel when the Browns have another embarrassment. I don’t pray for the Browns, I don’t feel like that’s needed. But the things I do pray for, people surviving cancer and making it through tragedy…God is not batting .1000 on those to say the least. I struggle with that. I guess the Browns are a metaphor for my inability to understand the harshness of our world while their is an all powerful deity who exist that could solve everything but chooses not too. If God has the power and chooses not to use it…why? Or does God not have that power at all and then what are the implications of that…

I don’t know, but I really hope the Browns beat the Ravens next week.     

Update- I wrote this Monday morning and before I could post it RGIII was placed on IR. Another Browns QB out and another week of jokes about Cleveland. Thank God.

E-Sports: Why is this so hard to make work?

I am a die hard sports fan. I am a die hard video game fan. So e-sports should be my holy grail of media combinations! Right!?!?! Eh….not so much. ESPN just announced their new e-sports coverage initiative, and Activision just bough MLG so it feels like we are at a fever pitch of e-sports becoming a thing. ESPN is the holy grail of sports media coverage and them taking a sport seriously means it is hear to stay. With that said, why do I not follow e-sports and why has it had such a hard time latching on to societies sports obsession?

1. Regional affiliations are not strong in e-sports (outside of international competitions)- I love the Cleveland Browns. Not the Browns. Not Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns. It matters to me that the Browns are in the midwest. It means a lot to me that these men represent Ohio wherever they go. When the Browns beat the Steelers, it’s more than football. It’s Cleveland beating the city of Pittsburgh. E-Sports doesn’t have that. When you watch a fighting game tournament you are watching Chun-Li and a person controlling Chun-Li. Chun-Li could be fighting another person controlling the same character. The Browns will never play the Browns in the same fight. I think I would enjoy watching the Dayton Drillers League of Legends team play the Chicago Cables team. That gives an affiliation to care about. Or! they need to prop up individuals in the same way tennis and golf do. I think that presents its own challenges. As much as nobody wants to say it, we love Cam Newton and Sue Bird because they represent a peak in physical ability. They look great, they are in great shape and are easy to market. Video games doesn’t seem to have that yet. It’s usually really skinny guys in backwards hats or chunky guys in backwards hats. I like backwards hats.  
2. No major governing body that is easy to follow- You want to watch football? NFL. Basketball? NBA. Golf? PGA. MOBAs (DOTA 2, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends) on PC? uh….well Twitch.tv, or buy the pass to watch League matches through their separate space. There is no unity on that front. I want to watch the best Street Fighter matches ever! I would watch Evo. Evo is a tournament but there are thousands of tourneys that exist. Which ones matter? Who defines that? MLG tried to be that unifying force but separate games superseded them and made their own platforms to watch and experience their leagues. 
3. No consistent rules or even games- If you have been watching Star Craft or Hearthstone from the beginning as e-sports you know they have changed dramatically through patches and nerfs to characters, etc. At one time Starcraft 2 defined e-sports and now it’s League of Legends. Small rule changes happen a lot in the NFL or NBA but the game is still the same and easy to follow. If I used to love watching Counter Strike but now the new hotness is Hearthstone there is no overlap there. It’s not even obvious what the conditions to win are to an observer. I have a hard investing time and resources into following a game that is an “e-sports game” because it might be obsolete in 3 years or less… what happens the company releases a sequel? If I love Halo 2 and Halo 3 comes out now what? Are the same guys pros? There are just too many questions right now.
4. Do you follow the character or the person controlling the character? Who is the star?- If you are a Ryu fan, do you just cheer for Ryu when he fights regardless of who is controlling him or do you follow Daigo and don’t care who he uses. In other pro sports I follow individuals. I am watching the Super Bowl to see Cam Newton. I don’t care about the Panthers. I would watch Cam play anywhere in the league. That said, I also root the Browns no matter who they have.
5. Too much influence by developers and publishers on the actual sport itself– That’s actually on par with current sports entertainment…. FIX! Moving on…
6. Lack of highlights– What constitutes a highlight in league of legends to an observer? What is their equivalent to the slam dunk or the stiff arm? This is the closest I have seen to an e-sports highlight and it’s not recent… Highlight culture, Vine culture is huge in sports! Few e-sports game lend themselves to these moments. Just some thoughts! Thank for reading! Peace

Madden Ultimate Team 16- THE JOURNEY

As been said before, I would pay 60 dollars just to play Madden Ultimate Team. There are 2 things that make this mode so special;

1. The Single/Multi Player Progression- The Journey Solo are over 160 bite sized chunks of awesome where Madden gives the player a scenario (based on something from last season) and has you beat it. If the Pats came back from down 10 with 6minutes left in the 4th and won….they’d have you recreate that comeback as the Pats OR maybe have you be the defense trying to stop Tom Terrific. It’s hours of rewarding content. The best part is that this is first year in Madden where parity rules the day in MUT. If you grind out solos you will leave with at least 6-10 Elite players and tons of coins and gold. it has changed the game. Teams are all solid and you can truly make an elite team to fit your style. This isn’t even taking into account the weekly challenges, and Regular season solo gauntlet where you play every team in the league at every difficulty level.

On the multi-player side the Madden Head to Head season challenge is back. I won a Super Bowl last year and want to repeat this year. Honestly, with Draft Champions mode this year the H2H seasons are less appealing.

I’ve played through one season and made the play-offs and got promoted to the next level but the reward just isn’t there. Single Player MUT is much more rewarding.

  2.The Economy- This is where Ultimate Team get’s REAL! I spend probably just as much money browsing the internet, checking the auction house and finding ways to come out on top in the MUT economy. The meta game of the economy is where I think this mode shines. Where in franchise mode the player gets to manage a fake economy that reacts to the player’s decisions, the MUT economy is real. As corny as that sounds, it is still a functioning collectible card game. So there are rare cards and cards that you only get devoting time to the single player modes. If you don’t have time you’ll need to pony up the ruppees for players. Some cards representing mediocre players (like Johnny Football QB card GOLD) can go for large sums of coins because they are rare and are needed to complete sets to get incredible players (see: Joe Haden Captain Card).

For example: My favorite player in Madden is Marcel Reece. He is an amazing fullback but is also a great pass catcher and can function as a starting TE and a 3rd or 4th receiver. He is fast. He was elite last year, this year he is an 86 Gold card. Last year Full Backs were easy to come by so they never cost more than 20,000 coins, even for an elite. This year FB are super hard to come by. An 80 rated gold FB will go for 20k, while my Reece card cast 22,000 coins. In comparison you can buy an elite 87 Peyton Manning for 12,000 coins….supply and demand… It’s so fun.

Every time a new card enters the eco-system the entire economy adjusts accordingly.

Madden Ultimate Teams gives me stories to tell and triumphs to revel in. I’ll never forget being down 4 points to the Packers with 2 minutes left and kicking the ball off. I went for an on-side kick (which I had never recovered before). I didn’t just recover the kick, I kicked the ball so perfectly that the ball dropped dead on the field at exactly the right distance for me to grab it without the defense even having a chance. I couldn’t replicate this kick if I tried. Running the 2-minute offense was the easy part after getting the ball back.

I remember worrying that I needed a receiver after my pre-order bonus 89 rated O. Beckham Jr. expired. I was playing through Journey Solo challenges and opened the 88 Beckham base card. I screamed. I cried. I was alive. I didn’t really cry tho….

After completing the Journey Solos I opened the game changer pack and got 2 elite cards, one being Le’vion Bell. Bell fits my ground and pound style perfectly because he is fast yet able to take contact. M. Lynch was my back up to that point and I couldn’t run Trap or pitches with him because he was too slow and the D. Ends were catching him from behind. I sold Lynch and bought an 88 Joe Haden, 86 Marcell Reese, and an 86 B. Flowers.

This is so much fun. If you are sleeping on Madden Ultimate Team, get on this. Also, Nick Dean…. playing this with you gives me life bro. Peace

I Have a New Work Out Partner – Jillian Michaels (actually XBOX Fitness on Xbox One)

I need to lose 10 pounds. Because of my back pain (herniated disc, etc…). And my stomach. There I said it. Unbeknownst to me I found a workout plan and a partner who is always ready to work out with me and is very easy on my back.

This is what I think I look like….

One of the features I believe is constantly underrepresented by Xbox is the XBox Fitness app. I hate Kinect. I had a 360 and never bought one. Dance Central is not a game I would buy. Xbox Fitness has me playing and using the Kinect at least 3 to 4 times a week .

The best part about it…..Xbox Fitness is free! (I have purchased 2 Jillian Michaels programs but did not need to). The work outs I use are mostly free and Xbox keeps adding better stuff. Currently I am using 10minute abs, Gatorade presents JJ Wyat working, Russell WIlson’s HIIT program, and I bought Jillian Michaels Kickbox FastFix and 30 minute fat burn. Those are probably not the correct names but that doesn’t matter right now.

I am a male, between 25-30 years who ran track in college and lifts weights regularly and I love Xbox Fitness and it has become a large part of my work out program. Finding back/spine neutral workouts is extremely hard for me, and Jillian Michaels makes it happen.

Dat motivation…

 

To summarize the gameplay experience, basically Xbox has made the work out experience a game.  You are given a scorecard to add levels too. A work out starts and you see the video of the workout on the left side and a yourself on the right side. Underneath the image of yourself (like a mirrored silhouette) you see a score circle that judges and scores your movements. There are also infographics comparing you to other people and your previous scores. The entire experience transcends the sum of its parts. Even on a day when I don’t want to work hard, the score keeps me going. They subtitle the workouts so I can play my music and still know what is going on.

 

 

I would love to be cliche and talk about how hot Jillian Michaels is and I could say that I only do this to look at beautiful women or whatever but the reality is they provide a great workout. Also, nothing has pleased me more than Xbone adding the NFL players work outs. I have been following the NFL for a long time and pro body building. Seeing those guy working out motivates me a lot. It also has a weird way of de-stigmatizing the idea of using workout videos. I feel like people judge me when i say I use workout videos (like it’s a feminine thing to do) but they don’t when I mention Russell Wilson.

 

All of that said, Xbox Fitness is the deal maker for me. I love PS4 but Xbox Fitness and Kinect is the killer app that keeps me with Xbox One. Jillian Michaels is worth the 20 dollars of apps I have ordered. Very rarely has gaming overlapped so nicely with another part of my life that I love, but here it is. Xbox Fitness is legit.