TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — EA Sports Madden NFL, a popular football video game, has a special place in the hearts of Buffalo Bills fans this year.
The face of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is on the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL 24. This is the first time in Madden history the game has featured a Bills player.
Video game stores opened their doors on Friday for Madden and Bills fans to grab this year's edition.
"I couldn't believe it," Nicholas Port, a Bills fan and Madden player said when asked about his reaction to Allen being on the cover. "A Buffalo Bill is finally on the cover of Madden. I never thought I'd see the day."
Many Bills fans consider this a dream come true.
"I was in complete shock," Andre Bowman, another fan, said. "I had to go ahead and get the game."
However, an athlete on the cover of Madden is not always a good sign. Some football lovers believe in the "Madden Curse" — a superstition that the player on the cover of the game will face an injury or bad luck in the upcoming season.
Nevertheless, Bills fans have confidence in their quarterback.
"If any player is strong enough to overcome it [the curse], it's Josh," Port said. "He's a bull. I'm not worried about it at all."
With the Bills a little more than three weeks away from their season opener, fans are using this year's Madden game as motivation.
"We're going to the Super Bowl," Santos Lopez, a fan, said. "We're on the cover of Madden. This is the year to get it."
