Calendars list all the usual holidays--Thanksgiving, July 4th, Labor Day, etc.--but no calendar, with the exception of the one the Sports Gamer has on his desk, lists Madden Day.
Yes, Madden Day is the annual holiday when football fans and Madden fans everywhere gather together in game stores and electronics stores to pick up their copies of Madden. Then they head home and fire up the game for the first time, steeping themselves in a whole lot of football goodness.

My NFL team of choice is--and always has been--the New York Giants. When the Sports Gamer was younger, the Giants were terrible. I recall watching a Sunday afternoon game with my dad. The Giants were just about to wrap up a victory against their rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. On the final play of the game, instead of just kneeling on the ball, the QB attempted tried to hand the ball off and fumbled, and one of the Eagles (Trivia: It was Herman Edwards, the future NFL coach) picked up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. The Giants lost the game that day, but they gained a life-long fan in me.
When you review video games for a living, as the Sports Gamer does, you typically have two kinds of days: You have good days, and you have great days. But every once in a great while, you have downright awesome days.
This week, I experienced one of those downright awesome days.
Keep reading for a few bits of Madden NFL 12 news that the Sports Gamer thought you might like to be looped in on (including an awesome "Football's Back" trailer with all-new gameplay footage!)
The SI Kids offices have been buzzing for months now over two burning questions. One: Why does Professor Ulane where those goofy glasses in his photo? Two: What will 2K do for an encore after last year's terrific NBA 2K11 starring His Airness, Michael Jordan?
The answer we've all been waiting for: They're bringing back Jordan, and this time, he's not alone. Keep reading to see full size cover images of who’s joining Jordan this year.