'Madden NFL 11,' 'NBA 2K11' team ranks
EA SportsThe Baltimore Ravens rank as the fourth most-played franchise in "Madden NFL 11."When it comes to NFL and NBA franchise popularity among sports video game players, Al Davis said it best.
"Just win, baby."
A Page 2 survey -- for pretentiousness' sake, call it a study -- comparing the most and least-played teams in "Madden NFL 11" and "NBA 2K11" to their real-life counterparts reveals the following:
• Sports gamers love winners. Of the 20 most-played teams in both games, 15 have winning records in real life.
• Gamers love teams that can help them win even more. While the majority of the most-played teams have top 10 in-game overall squad ratings, none of the least-played teams crack the ratings top 10.
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• Real-life loser teams are popular under the following conditions: (a) They sport top 10 in-game ratings, such as Dallas and Minnesota in "Madden NFL 11"; (b) they feature rookie sensation John Wall, like Washington in "NBA 2K11"; (c) they have New York's population behind them (the Knicks). Conclusion? A Knicks team with a top 10 in-game rating featuring Wall might break the Internet.
• Atlanta's teams are unusual. The Falcons are highly rated in "Madden NFL 11" and winners in real life, yet almost no one games with them. The Hawks are highly rated, real-life winners who are popular in-game but have poorly-attended games in person.
• Oakland fans apparently would rather play "Madden NFL 11" -- the Raiders are the No. 10 most-used team despite a No. 27 in-game rating -- than see the team in real life (No. 32 in attendance).
• Low gamer use correlates with low in-game ratings, lousy real-life records and low attendance, sometimes on the nose. Even in the digital world, no one likes the stench of losing.
• Pity the Cleveland Cavaliers, who dropped from the No. 2 most-played team in "NBA 2K10" to No. 28 this season ... just as the Miami Heat ascended to the No. 1 most-played spot. Good thing Dan Gilbert didn't mention this in his comic sans letter.
For more, check out the following charts:
The 10 most-played teams in "Madden NFL 11"
| Team | Most-played rank* | In-game rating rank** | Real-life record*** | Real-life attendance rank**** | Real-life merchandising rank***** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | T-6 | 3-7 | 2 | 1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | T-4 | 3-7 | 23 | 7 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3 | 1 | 7-3 | 10 | 3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4 | 3 | 7-3 | 7 | NA |
| New York Jets | 5 | T-4 | 8-2 | 4 | 10 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 14 | 7-3 | 12 | NA |
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | T-6 | 7-3 | 9 | 9 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 2 | 6-4 | 19 | NA |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 11 | 7-3 | 21 | 2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 10 | 27 | 5-5 | 32 | NA |
The 10 least-played teams in "Madden NFL 11"
| Team | Most-played rank* | In-game rating rank** | Real-life record*** | Real-life attendance rank**** | Real-life merchandising rank***** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 32 | 15 | 3-7 | 27 | NA |
| Seattle Seahawks | 31 | 23 | 5-5 | 18 | NA |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 30 | 25 | 6-4 | 26 | NA |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 29 | 29 | 7-3 | 31 | NA |
| Carolina Panthers | 28 | 23 | 1-9 | 6 | NA |
| Cleveland Browns | 27 | 28 | 3-7 | 20 | NA |
| Buffalo Bills | 26 | 31 | 2-8 | 24 | NA |
| Atlanta Falcons | 25 | 12 | 8-2 | 17 | NA |
| Detroit Lions | 24 | 30 | 2-8 | 29 | NA |
| St. Louis Rams | 23 | 32 | 4-6 | 30 | NA |
* As of Nov. 4, 2010
** Release day rosters
*** As of Nov. 22, 2010
**** As of Nov. 19, 2010
***** NFL only releases rankings for top 10 teams; NA means team ranks somewhere from No. 11 to No. 32
The 10 most-played teams in "NBA 2K11"
| Team | Most-played rank* | In-game rating rank** | Real-life record*** | Real-life attendance rank**** | Real-life merchandising rank***** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Heat | 1 | 2 | 8-5 | 5 | 8 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 2 | 1 | 12-2 | 8 | 1 |
| Boston Celtics | 3 | 6 | 9-4 | 10 | 2 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | 5 | 9-4 | 11 | NA |
| Denver Nuggets | 5 | 7 | 7-6 | 16 | 6 |
| Orlando Magic | 6 | 3 | 9-3 | 9 | 7 |
| Chicago Bulls | 7 | 4 | 7-4 | 1 | 4 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 8 | 12 | 8-5 | 25 | NA |
| Washington Wizards | 9 | 24 | 4-8 | 23 | NA |
| New York Knicks | 10 | 13 | 6-8 | 5 | 5 |
The 10 least-played teams in "NBA 2K11"
| Team | Most-played rank* | In-game rating rank** | Real-life record*** | Real-life attendance rank**** | Real-life merchandising rank***** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Raptors | 30 | 30 | 5-9 | 21 | NA |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 29 | 4-10 | 19 | NA |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 28 | 22 | 5-7 | 2 | 3 |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 27 | 16 | 5-8 | 22 | NA |
| Indiana Pacers | 26 | 26 | 5-6 | 28 | NA |
| New Jersey Nets | 25 | 25 | 4-9 | 27 | NA |
| Detroit Pistons | 24 | 27 | 5-8 | 15 | NA |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 23 | 28 | 1-13 | 18 | NA |
| Sacramento Kings | 22 | 21 | 4-8 | 26 | NA |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 21 | 19 | 3-10 | 30 | NA |
* As of Nov. 17, 2010
** Release day rosters
*** As of Nov. 22, 2010
**** As of Nov. 19, 2010
***** As of April; also, NBA only releases rankings for top 10 teams; NA means team is No. 11-No. 32
Game data provided by EA Sports and 2K Sports.
Patrick Hruby is a freelance writer and ESPN.com contributor. Contact him at PatrickHruby.net.
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