10 times the Madden Curse was a very real thing

By JOHN DORN

As Madden NFL 16 releases today, we have one wish: for cover athlete Odell Beckham Jr. to stay healthy and prosperous.

Thing is, history doesn't exactly have us feeling optimistic.

Though the sentiment has regressed in recent years, the so-called Madden Curse has dominated the conversation regarding cover athletes since the players started appearing on the covers -- from Barry Sanders in 2000, to Michael Vick in 2004 all the way on to Peyton Hillis in 2012. Cover guys tend to dip in performance in the season they grace the game -- not always, but at an alarming historical rate.

Above, we ranked the 10 times the curse struck the hardest. Click through to see which NFLer was hurt the most by this honor, and watch the video below to hear more from Beckham's surprising take on what he'd change about the NFL.

WORST CURSES IN SPORTS

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