The Big Picture: Maddening

[EchetusXe]

FIFA keeps putting Wayne Rooney on the cover. Cheating on your wife with prostitutes isn't great, but yeah, least he hasn't killed any dogs.

Would be pretty embarrassing for EA Sports to put Michael Vick on the cover of Madden. I mean this guy is supposed to represent your national sport?

 

[crotalidian]

I know EA tried to explain it away but they Fetched Tiger Woods off the cover of a game that has his name on it for cheating on his wife....Putting Vick on the cover will basically tell the world that EA beleives animal cruelty is a molehill compared to the mountain that is infidelity.

I kno that Tiger was wrong and that infidelity hurts the wronged party a hell of a lot, but he did not commit a federal offense and go to jail.

Way to get your moral compass in a twist EA although after 'sin to win' and 'your mother will hate this' I dont expect much better from these guys at this stage

please guys. Surprise me for once

 

[gphjr14]

Seriously, guys? NOBODY believes in second chances? I thought that the justice system was designed to rehabilitate people, and Vick seems to be rehabilitated (unlike countless others who have not changed their ways).

Nah not in America. I recall all the rage over a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff in the middle east, despite the previous years of kids and other innocents getting blown to smithereens by the US. We have schools here in the US south named after Confederate soldiers my favorite being those named after Nathan Bedford Forrest (founding member of the KKK) and everyone is OK with it. The US has fucked up values. Yes Vick fucked up and is a horrible person for killing dogs and making them fight for sport. Laura Bush (George Bush's wife) and Ted Kennedy are both responsible for vehicular deaths but no one talks about that. Its in the past let it go if Vick is at the top of his game then he's earned his place on the cover. If he was responsible for a child sex ring or something that'd be one thing but seriously people get over it already. Its fucked up by in the long in the "Big Picture" they were dogs not just dogs, but dogs and considering he served his time for it all you whiner and complainers need to cry a river build a bridge and get over it.

 

[Ima842]

I get really pissed of when people torture animals for profit, and that guy should have been put to the same kind of crap that those dogs suffered.
BTW: as a foreign who doesn't give a damn about american football this is the first time I heard this.

 

[Korak the Mad]

Vick should not NOT be allowed to be on the cover let alone be still playing football, he hasn't deserved that right. Torturing helpless animals is downright despicable, and should not have even been eligible for being on the cover. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU EA! Do you support animal cruelty? It seems you do because you're letting a man who tortured dogs for profit be in the running to be on the cover. SHAME ON YOU!!!

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Oh what a sick man, between football players over here and what I'm hearing about american athletes I have absolutley no respect left for most professional athletes. If you are grossly over paid for being good a something the least you could is be decent human paid to somewhat warrant that fat paycheck.

I with you here Bob, I'm suprised that was ever allowed to play the game professionally again.

I just hope EA don't put Joey Barton on the cover of FIFA this year, like I needed another reason not to buy a FIFA game.

 

[Cosplay Horatio]

All the Madden games remind me of the Madden Rap

Spoiler: Madden Rap 2010

I am sick of all the sports players and celebrities getting the special treatment when they commit felonies that would put an average citizen in prison for the rest of his/her life.

 

[WanderingFool]

Good episode Bob. Glad to see you talking about something you are passionate about, doubly cool because I agree.

Indeed. I may not agree with all Bob says, but when he puts his opinion forth, he always is right behind it. (and also, this point about Vick, I agree with 111%)

Also, While I could really care less about Internet movie critics (or critics in general, for that matter) I hold them much higher on the scale than professional athletes. In fact, on a scale from 1 - 10 with 11 being the highest, Professional Athletes would be about 11... in the opposite direction of 0... anyone who makes that much money, and is not saving lives or advancing human society, will not be spared when I start conquering the world.

*Edit*

Also, EA should keep making those yearly sports games, because if morons keep buying them each year, that money in their pockets and hopefully loosening them up for new IPs. (optimistic and niave, yes.)

 

[EchetusXe]

Seriously, guys? NOBODY believes in second chances? I thought that the justice system was designed to rehabilitate people, and Vick seems to be rehabilitated (unlike countless others who have not changed their ways).

Nah not in America. I recall all the rage over a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff in the middle east, despite the previous years of kids and other innocents getting blown to smithereens by the US. We have schools here in the US south named after Confederate soldiers my favorite being those named after Nathan Bedford Forrest (founding member of the KKK) and everyone is OK with it. The US has fucked up values. Yes Vick fucked up and is a horrible person for killing dogs and making them fight for sport. Laura Bush (George Bush's wife) and Ted Kennedy are both responsible for vehicular deaths but no one talks about that. Its in the past let it go if Vick is at the top of his game then he's earned his place on the cover. If he was responsible for a child sex ring or something that'd be one thing but seriously people get over it already. Its fucked up by in the long in the "Big Picture" they were dogs not just dogs, but dogs and considering he served his time for it all you whiner and complainers need to cry a river build a bridge and get over it.

All those things you mention were accidental. Except for naming stuff after dead soldiers. If the First Lady decided to run some over then that would be a massive deal, whereas if Michael Vick accidentally run over a dog than it would be no big deal. He served his time so he should be allowed to play football again, but he shouldn't be held up as some kind of role model. Anyway, if EA had any balls they'd put OJ Simpson on the front, that would surely give them the controversy they so desperately crave.

 

[darthotaku]

I completely agree with Bob, it I gave a crap about madden before this, I'd still boycot it. I'm not a big animal guy but anyone who causes that much pain to anything is not good. I'd have been fine if he was sniping kittens for sport as long as they didn't suffer, but what Vick did was torture.

 

[righthanded]

Eh, weak episode

factory farming is morally on the same plane as dogfighting. if you eat meat, you eat it because you like the taste. any nutrients can be had from other sources for less cost.

 

[Hitchmeister]

At least Vick wasn't directly involved in the murder of two human beings. But even then, EA has established a precedent that that wouldn't disqualify him from appearing on the cover of a Madden game.

I'm not defending Vick, just pointing out how screwed up EA is.

 

[MB202]

As to the rest of the video...

Umm, wow... I totally agree with you, but for most people the general consensus is that "dogs aren't people so they don't matter". I can't find words to describe how wrong this idea is, but it doesn't matter. ESPECIALLY to EA who, if they don't give a crap about religion or you mothers, will certainly not care about some dogs that got killed.

 

[snakeakaossi]

Knowing EA, putting that guy on the cover creates a controversy and knowing their marketing department around games like Deadspace 2 and Dante's Inferno, they'll probably think controversy sells. Let's just say we'll probably all be here to say a 'there, there, poor Bob' when it turns out EA uses this video to sell its games.

For the record: I sincerely hope EA doesn't do what I anticipate.

 

[millertime059]

Gonna play Devil's Advocate a bit here.

Vick lost a LOT. His fortune, 2 years of prime income, most of his 'friends'. Few people will ever have something happen that will cost them over $100 million dollars. He did. His losses are entirely justified and well earned.

Now he has been released after paying his legal debts to society. He is doing community service as part of his punishment. He is, for all public information, acting as a better person than before. Allowing him back to the NFL is fair, I don't like him, but people shouldn't be prevented from having a job ever again. Teams have the right not to sign him though.

Here's the catch, you want to get up in arms about dog fighting, fine. I won't even disagree, being a lifetime dog owner myself. That said what about Ray Lewis, NFL player linked to the murder of a person? Yes there were consequences, and no he was never convicted of murder, merely charged but not convicted due to inconclusive evidence, but is qa dog worth getting more worked up than a human life? How about abuse? What of all the people who have been convicted of beating their wives/ girlfriends? As bad as what Vick did is, those are far worse.

The vitriol against Vick may e deserved, but save some for the other people even more deserving.

 

[Krat Arona]

I have to say, for the first time EVER I am in absolute 100% agreement with every word that has come out of Bob's mouth in this video. Bravo for bringing this up Bob.

 

[hungoverbear]

Thank you thank you thank you Bob!!!!! I've been ranting and raving about this for the past month or so and its great to finally see that some people have the same opinion that I do. What really pisses me off, though, are the people saying that "oh he grew up with that around him, thats his way of life, you cant critize the way someone was brought up!". Yeah ok so hows this, there are cults out there that believe and support pedophilia and some of the kids are brought up that way. Does that automatically excuse them if they become pedophiles themselve? NO!!! Vick is a lousy piece of shit and the only thing he was sorry for was that he got caught.

*jumps off soapbox to go make a sandwich

 

[vxicepickxv]

In case anyone else wants to vote against Vick.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2012cover

 

[Kuro Kaze]

Listen I am for ya Bob I really am but at the same time I still don't get a flying fuck about Michael Vick. I really don't, is what he is accused of wrong, ya! Should he be forgiven, doubtful. But at the same time I wasn't there I didn't see if he got involved I don't know the man and honestly don't care too. From what I know of the case, man got some time for doing a really morbid thing and he will have that shadowing him for the rest of his life. The whole being represented part I get that you don't want people idolizing a man who has such skeletons in his closet but at the same time you pretty much called it more then 75% of the teams out there have tons of people accused and some convicted of crimes in their line-ups. Doesn't make them any better then Vick. Cya Friday Bob. And good on ya for hitting something close to your heart.

 

[LightspeedJack]

I think of Michael Vick the same way I think of Chris Brown. These violent assholes should not be held up as idols in our society and just forgiven for their crimes just because they are "talented".