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The most impressive thing about him is he is a football legend to different generations based on his work in three separate disciplines. People born in the 195

by slg 5y ago

The most impressive thing about him is he is a football legend to different generations based on his work in three separate disciplines. People born in the 1950s or earlier remember him as a Hall of Fame coach. People born before the 1990s remember him as the country's most beloved sports broadcaster. People born in the 1990s or later remember him as the guy behind video game football. It is hard to think of anyone else who had a similarly large impact in one field in three such distinct ways.

dylan604 5y ago
He's also had impact in how camera work for sporting events have been done. They've implemented cameras that were clearly inspired by Madden games.
darknavi 5y ago
And those who browse YouTube will remember him as JOHN MADDEN of critical acclaim from Moonbase Alpha videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B488z1MmaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B488z1MmaA
- sul_tasto 5y ago
  I will remember him for turducken: https://youtu.be/RsAuIsn3Kw4 https://youtu.be/RsAuIsn3Kw4
silisili 5y ago
Right on. I remember him strictly as an announcer. He rarely had anything super important or overly technical to say, but we loved listening to him nonetheless, probably for that reason...like a football grandpa. Reminds me a lot of Harry Caray, and I'll forever miss listening to both.
- listenallyall 5y ago
  Hall of Fame coach with the #1 highest winning percentage in league history, rarely had anything important to say. Unbelievable. You'd probably come out of a personal lecture by Albert Einstein saying, all he talked about was that ancient E = mc2 stuff that we covered way back in high school.
  - silisili 5y ago
    Did you actually ever listen to his broadcasting, or did you just read wikipedia and decide to make a hateful comment? While you're wikipedia'ing, check out the Packers current coach.
    - listenallyall 5y ago
      Dude, nothing I said was "hateful." If you choose to publicly insult successful, highly-regarded, widely-loved people, don't be surprised when others point out that you sound stupid and are likely in the wrong.
      - silisili 5y ago
        So in other words, you've never heard him broadcast. Thanks.
        listenallyall 5y ago
        No idea what gives you that impression. Why would I be defending a random person I simply read a Wikipedia article about? Of course I heard him broadcast football games. Hundreds of times, from the mid-80's on. I have a pile of videotapes of games he did with Pat Summerall (who was also amazing in the booth). I was lucky enough to have a personal conversation with him once. He increased my knowledge and understanding of football immensely, and I'm certainly not alone. His contemporary broadcasters, like Cosell & Meredith, had no idea how to break down a nickel defense or the ability to point out the key block that opened a hole for Walter Payton or gave Troy Aikman an extra second in the pocket to find a receiver deep. John Madden did that consistently for two decades, with a passion and exuberance that was unmatched. He was able to clearly explain why Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White were so effective at causing chaos defensively -- but also, in the rare cases when they were neutralized, how o-lineman did so and what blocking schemes were frustrating them. He brought attention to players, especially lineman, who were generally ignored, and explained the concepts of blitzing and stunting and pulling and various defensive fronts to the masses, both why they worked and also how opposing coaches strategized around them. If you weren't able to absorb any of his concepts and wisdom, if it wasn't "important" to you, well, that's your problem, but publicly posting so doesn't take away from Madden's greatness.
- topkai22 5y ago
  I’ve always wondered if Madden’s legacy as an announcer was tarnished a bit by the video games. It was magical having him dynamically announce the game you are playing, but the sophistication was limited, especially in XBox/PS2 era. I remember his voice saying generic silly things about the games I played as much as I remember the real games he announced. IRRC, he also said he focused on explaining the game to someone who wasn’t a fan yet. It sometimes drove lifetime enthusiasts nuts, but I appreciated that he saw his role as making a complex game accessible.
  - silisili 5y ago
    See, I don't think the video games hurt much as much as tried to represent the real him. I could see that idea that he only wanted to explain to nonfans. His announcing was always very basic and nontechnical, to the point of being overly obvious. But I appreciate him no less for that - he was addicting to listen to, and that's what matters most IMO.
Dracophoenix 5y ago
There's Christopher Lee Pre-1970s: Dracula 1970s-2000s: Scaramanga 2000s: Count Dooku/Saruman

by slg 5y ago

dylan604 5y ago

He's also had impact in how camera work for sporting events have been done. They've implemented cameras that were clearly inspired by Madden games.

darknavi 5y ago

And those who browse YouTube will remember him as JOHN MADDEN of critical acclaim from Moonbase Alpha videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B488z1MmaA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B488z1MmaA

sul_tasto 5y ago
I will remember him for turducken: https://youtu.be/RsAuIsn3Kw4 https://youtu.be/RsAuIsn3Kw4

silisili 5y ago

Right on. I remember him strictly as an announcer. He rarely had anything super important or overly technical to say, but we loved listening to him nonetheless, probably for that reason...like a football grandpa. Reminds me a lot of Harry Caray, and I'll forever miss listening to both.

listenallyall 5y ago
Hall of Fame coach with the #1 highest winning percentage in league history, rarely had anything important to say. Unbelievable. You'd probably come out of a personal lecture by Albert Einstein saying, all he talked about was that ancient E = mc2 stuff that we covered way back in high school.
- silisili 5y ago
  Did you actually ever listen to his broadcasting, or did you just read wikipedia and decide to make a hateful comment? While you're wikipedia'ing, check out the Packers current coach.
  - listenallyall 5y ago
    Dude, nothing I said was "hateful." If you choose to publicly insult successful, highly-regarded, widely-loved people, don't be surprised when others point out that you sound stupid and are likely in the wrong.
    - silisili 5y ago
      So in other words, you've never heard him broadcast. Thanks.
      - listenallyall 5y ago
        No idea what gives you that impression. Why would I be defending a random person I simply read a Wikipedia article about? Of course I heard him broadcast football games. Hundreds of times, from the mid-80's on. I have a pile of videotapes of games he did with Pat Summerall (who was also amazing in the booth). I was lucky enough to have a personal conversation with him once. He increased my knowledge and understanding of football immensely, and I'm certainly not alone. His contemporary broadcasters, like Cosell & Meredith, had no idea how to break down a nickel defense or the ability to point out the key block that opened a hole for Walter Payton or gave Troy Aikman an extra second in the pocket to find a receiver deep. John Madden did that consistently for two decades, with a passion and exuberance that was unmatched. He was able to clearly explain why Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White were so effective at causing chaos defensively -- but also, in the rare cases when they were neutralized, how o-lineman did so and what blocking schemes were frustrating them. He brought attention to players, especially lineman, who were generally ignored, and explained the concepts of blitzing and stunting and pulling and various defensive fronts to the masses, both why they worked and also how opposing coaches strategized around them. If you weren't able to absorb any of his concepts and wisdom, if it wasn't "important" to you, well, that's your problem, but publicly posting so doesn't take away from Madden's greatness.
topkai22 5y ago
I’ve always wondered if Madden’s legacy as an announcer was tarnished a bit by the video games. It was magical having him dynamically announce the game you are playing, but the sophistication was limited, especially in XBox/PS2 era. I remember his voice saying generic silly things about the games I played as much as I remember the real games he announced. IRRC, he also said he focused on explaining the game to someone who wasn’t a fan yet. It sometimes drove lifetime enthusiasts nuts, but I appreciated that he saw his role as making a complex game accessible.
- silisili 5y ago
  See, I don't think the video games hurt much as much as tried to represent the real him. I could see that idea that he only wanted to explain to nonfans. His announcing was always very basic and nontechnical, to the point of being overly obvious. But I appreciate him no less for that - he was addicting to listen to, and that's what matters most IMO.

Dracophoenix 5y ago

There's Christopher Lee Pre-1970s: Dracula 1970s-2000s: Scaramanga 2000s: Count Dooku/Saruman