[DaveDQ]

I went to EB games today, brought in two games I never play anymore, along with Pearl Harbor (which I never even opened) and I reserved ESPN 2K5. Now just out of curiosity I asked the gentleman at the counter how many they have reserved. His reply was a total of 6 for the Xbox and PS2. I then asked how many copies of Madden was reserved. He stated, "Oh man...tons!" I then thought to myself, that is a shame. But why? How does Madden do it? Year after year, they pull in the sales. And then, on my way home, listening to my 5 month old son crying because he was tired, I thought..."It's Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett." EA Sports is the Sinatra of sports gaming. They have the looks, the style, the charisma, and most of all they've got pop. ESPN is Tony Bennett. The talent, vocals and performance are Tony's. He just wasn't as popular as Frank. Frank had pop. He wasn't more qualified or more talented, just more popular. Folks would go see him in his tired, worn out dieing days and still be entertained. Frank will always overshadow Tony, that will never change. And unfortunately, the same may be for Madden and ESPN. It's Britney Spears and Norah Jones. Pepsi and RC Cola...Madden and ESPN. Now think to yourself how many people (even ourselves) give attention, energy and income to something that claims to be of the best quality while that which is far superior goes almost unnoticed and abandoned. Let be knowledgable and use wisdom in our discernment.