The Huddle is a periodic series where the editors at GameSpot and SportsGamer get together to discuss a hot topic in the world of sports gaming. In this edition, the crew breaks down the possibility of EA Sports auctioning the cover for Madden NFL 2010.

　　BRIAN: I thought putting Brett Favre on the cover of Madden NFL 09 was a shrewd marketing decision. But apparently EA Sports still has tricks up its sleeve. According to EA Sports president Peter Moore, the publisher is considering putting the Madden NFL 2010 cover spot up for auction, with the proceeds from the winning bid going to the NFL's partner charity, the United Way. I'm got mixed feelings about this--while we all know that the Madden cover is as much a matter of marketing/media hype as it is of real gridiron accomplishment, there's a part of me that still thinks that the Madden cover still has some sort of legitimate meaning as recognition for athletic greatness. As a result, it's something that should be earned, not bought.

　　Of course, that being said, if this story turns out to be true and EA looks to the highest bidder as its cover star I say we start a fundraising effort and get Demetrius Bell (the lowest rated player in Madden NFL 09) on the cover. Talk about sweet justice!

　　What do you guys think?

　　SHANKER: From EA's perspective, this won't make much difference. The money they paid cover athletes was negligible considering the EA's revenue from the Madden franchise and the Madden cover announcement, in no small part due to the curse mystic, is already a widely anticipated event that every sports media outlet covers. And, as I will show, the final result will be the exact same: a high-profile NFL player will again grace the cover of Madden.

　　As mentioned, from the sports media perspective, they already soak up the cover announcement. Additional coverage for the announcement resulting from the humanitarian goodwill is unlikely because it is offset by the perception that EA simply did this as a PR move. As a result it will make little difference here.

　　From the player's perspective, placing the winning bid for the Madden cover, although counter-intuitive, would be PR suicide. Don't believe me? Lets take a look at the possible scenarios...

　　1. A scrub player (like Rex Grossman) wins the cover - People still won't take this player seriously since he didn't "earn" the cover and will think he's a punk for shamelessly trying to buy some publicity. He'll be like the geek who nominates himself for class president. Someone giving for the love of giving isn't doing it to be recognized for it. EA will also hate him because he won't move as many copies as a better player. Chance of this happening: 0%.

　　2. A talented player who has never donated before wins the cover - Again, people won't feel this player "earned" the cover and will frown on his blatant attempt to get attention while playing the nice guy. If he was genuinely concerned with giving to charity, he would have done so before. Chance of this happening: 0%.

　　3. A talented player who regularly donates (like Warrick Dunn) wins the cover - These guys simply wouldn't do this. These players give because they like to give, not because they want to be recognized for it. In fact, receiving the cover in this manner would demean his previous philanthropic efforts as failed PR attempts. Chance of this happening: 15%.

　　4. A talented player who is known for grabbing attention (like Chad Johnson) wins the cover - This is the only type of guy that is immune to the criticism that he did it just for the publicity. This is because they have already received this criticism and actually relish the attention that comes from being known as attention grubbing. As a result, it's actually cool. Chance of this happening: 85%

　　FRED: I think it's cool that they'll be donating the money to charity. It's definitely a new way to go about choosing a cover athlete. Even though it's open to bidding I still see one of the stars of the league still making it on the cover. It would be kind of funny if team took up a collection to get one of the players who know would never make it on the cover. Or what about a kicker or punter? What about Grammatica on the cover? Unless he's already busy doing the Madden Espanol cover I think he's free.

　　Either way I really don't see the big deal in it. People are going to buy the game regardless of who is on the cover. I never understood why people get so worked up over this. Maybe so they can find out who will be cursed? Sort of like seeing a car crash.

　　DANIEL: Auctioning off the cover of Madden, eh? Is the winning bid limited to an NFL player? Can I bid to be on the cover? I really need more information on this before I make my precise sarcastic remark. However, as funny as this auction stuff sounds, I can't image that anything too crazy is going to happen. My guess is that some major company that sponsors a star player (think Sony and Peyton Manning) will bid on behalf of the player, and it will be a great chance for that player, and company, to get five minutes of good PR. Yawn.

　　But wouldn't it be great if we got some non-football groups in on the bidding! What about 2K bidding to get the cover? Or what about the Junior Whopper, he'd be a great cover guy! But my favorite choice would be Barack Obama. I mean, he's EVERYWHERE else right now, isn't he? I can even go the bathroom without seeing an Obama advertisement. I'm sure he's got a "plan" for how to improve my Madden game, so I just makes sense to put him on the cover, and he's going to have plenty of cash left over when the campaign's over. Who could possibly outbid him? I guess the only problem with putting Obama on the cover is that he could be exposed to the Madden cover curse, but no one really believes in the Madden cover curse, do they?

　　What do you think of the idea of paying for the Madden 2010 cover?