With yesterday's official release of his Madden NFL 26 cover, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley became the second Eagle to grace the cover of a Madden game. The 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year's Madden cover is the latest entry on a list of 20 total video games whose cover athletes repped Philadelphia.
In honor of reaching a nice round number, naturally, we're going to rank all 20.
20. NHLPA Hockey 93 (EA Sports) - Rod Brind'Amour, Flyers
I mean, this one has to go at No. 20. Poor Rod is featured on the cover of a video game, yes, but he's actively getting checked by New York Ranger Randy Moller on the cover of a video game. No bueno.
19. NHL FaceOff 98 (Sony) - John LeClair, Flyers
This October 1997 release is just that: a very, very early iteration of a video game. It's clear that he's a Flyer, but it's hard to tell which one, since it's difficult to make out his face.
18. NHL FaceOff 2000 (989 Sports) - John LeClair, Flyers
Poor John LeClair. He was on two video game covers before video game covers got good. They also did him dirty with the photo they chose; his face is visible this time, but it's not a flattering expression.
17. NHL 2K3 (Sega) - Jeremy Roenick, Flyers
Listen, I swear I don't hate the Flyers, they were just featured extremely often in the early days of video games! The main issue I have with this one is the photo they chose. Roenick does not look like a man on a mission, he looks like a man who's seen a ghost.
16. NBA 2K2 (Sega) - Allen Iverson, 76ers
There are 20 entries on this list. The Answer accounts for five of them. This AI cover has the least aura of them all, especially when you compare it to its predecessors (who will be discussed later). The orange drop shadow behind Iverson doesn't make a lot of sense, and the Sixers logo on his uniform is completely hidden by the game logo.
15. NBA 2K19 (2K Sports) - Ben Simmons, 76ers
...yeah, I can't believe that this actually happened either.
This one was only sold in Australia and New Zealand. I do like the local details in the background (and I love a good kangaroo) but given the fact that every other cover athlete on this list was among the best in their sport when they were chosen, I can't rank it higher than this.
14. Major League Baseball 2K11 (2K) - Roy Halladay, Phillies
I love Doc as much as the next person, but there's a lot going on here. The middle photo would have made a great cover photo on its own, without the two on either side. Add in the blur effects, and you've got a cover that's just too darn busy.
13. NBA 2K3 (Sega) - Allen Iverson, 76ers
This is effectively the same cover as the NBA 2K2 cover, just a little cleaner. You can see the Sixers logo this time, and the color scheme is more consistent.
12. ESPN NBA Basketball (Sega) - Allen Iverson, 76ers
AI was NBA 2K's cover athlete for their first five games. This was his last installment, released in October 2003. Although it's once again difficult (read: impossible) to see what team he's on, he was a bonafide star at this point, and the aura jumps off the cover.
11. ESPN NHL Hockey (Sega) - Jeremy Roenick, Flyers
Roenick's second cover is much more flattering than his first. In 2003, Philly had two cover athletes in two months; this game was released just before ESPN NBA Basketball. At least the Flyers' logo is peeking out on Roenick's cover.
10. Madden NFL 06 (EA) - Donovan McNabb, Eagles
McNabb was the Eagles' first Madden cover athlete. Although the Madden Curse definitely got him in the 2005 season, this is a pretty solid, clean cover.
9. NHL 99 (EA) - Eric Lindros, Flyers
This is what a hockey cover should look like. That is a man on a mission! His face is visible, he's in motion, the Flyers logo is visible, some of his name on his jersey is visible. He's easily identifiable. EA hockey covers were running circles around the other hockey video game covers.
8. NFL GameDay 2002 (989 Sports) - Donovan McNabb, Eagles
To me, this cover is way more interesting than McNabb's Madden cover. The Madden cover was clean, but this one demands your attention. The shadows and the dynamic pose make it a visually appealing cover.
7. MLB 08: The Show (San Diego Studio) - Ryan Howard, Phillies
It's just an awesome cover. The Citizens Bank Park feature is awesome, the way Howard is watching a ball fly is awesome. The construction of the cover absolutely makes you think of Howard hitting nukes into the third deck at CBP.
6. MLB The Show 19 (San Diego Studio) - Bryce Harper, Phillies
A clean cover in every sense of the word. This one reminds Phillies fans of the excitement that came with it; you might remember that Harper was announced as the cover athlete in November 2018, but a placeholder photo was used since he was a free agent. This cover dropped the day Harper signed with the Phillies in February 2019.
5. NBA 2K (Sega) - Allen Iverson, 76ers
AI graced the cover of the first ever iteration of NBA 2K, released in November 1999. This is how you do an early sports video game cover. The cover athlete is easily identifiable, his team logo is visible, and the photo they used features him in action.
4. NHL 13 (EA) - Claude Giroux, Flyers
Objectively an excellent cover. It's a flattering photo of Giroux in action, and the black and white background emphasizes the Flyers orange. The bits of orange coming off of the uniform give the effect that he's in motion. Beautifully constructed.
3. ESPN NFL 2K5 (Sega) - Terrell Owens, Eagles
The last NFL 2K game came with a gorgeous cover. This was the last game that was allowed to give Madden a run for its money, and it performed so well (and scared EA so badly) that EA signed an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL that year. Owens' pose is dynamic, the Midnight Green contrasts with the ESPN red, and the signature adds a nice touch.
2. NBA 2K1 (Sega) - Allen Iverson, 76ers
2001 Allen Iverson. Aura.
1. Madden NFL 26 (EA) - Saquon Barkley, Eagles
I mean, come on. First of all, making a cover out of a play that instantly became iconic is a genius marketing move. But it's also just a stunning cover. The Kelly Greens? The striped socks (an underrated part of those uniforms)? The Linc lit up green in the background? Saquon literally flying like an eagle? Chef's kiss. Nothing was beating out this one for the top spot.
