For football junkies, Madden NFL '07 is the ultimate simulation. The annual August release date is known to some gamers as the "Madden holiday," since young men (and even a few ladies) ditch work by the thousands to play the latest version. Sarasota Editor Max Linsky and I have an ongoing blood feud centered on Madden NFL '07 (Linsky's curently eating my lunch), each of us secretly believing we are the ultimate Madden player. Of course, if either of us had any real balls, we'd test our skills at Electronic Arts' fifth annual Madden Challenge, which makes a stop at Raymond James Stadium this Sunday. Players compete in XBox and XBox 360 divisions for a chance to knock heads in the Hawaii finals in February, where the victor will earn ultimate bragging rights along with a sweet $100,000 grand prize. Since only 512 people can compete at Ray Jay, read the rules and register early at www.maddenchallenge.com. Last year, 16,000 people did gridiron battle nationwide, so good luck and watch out for those clever 13-year-olds. 10 a.m., Sun. Oct. 29, 4201 N. Dale Mabry, Tampa, $15. For complete rules and/or to register online, visit www.maddenchallenge.com.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2006.