Nationals IV: "July Madness" & The Search For Credibility
By Air Attack, special to thePFL.com

Air Attack Curry

Credibility. Everyone wants respect and credibility for what they do. Actors want to win the Oscar at the Academy Awards in order to earn respect & credibility. Olympic athletes want to win the Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal in order to earn respect and credibility. The best definition I could find for credibility is "the state or quality of being believable, convincing, or trustworthy." There were a number of definitions for respect, but the best for my purposes would be "attention or interest paid to a person as the result of superior or exceptional achievement."

Probably the best parallel and comparison I can give to the MWS National Madden Games Tournament would be the NCAA College Basketball Tournament held each year in March. "March Madness" is what this tournament is nicknamed and referred to as, describing the great enthusiasm and competitive spirit that surrounds the contests, and the fans interest in them. 90% of the fans of Madden NFL competition are the Ballers themselves, but nonetheless, Nationals is slowly, but surely beginning to generate the type of fanatical enthusiasm and excitement during July that is frequently observed when March rolls around for fans of college basketball.

The primary objective at hand during the NCAAÕs famed single-elimination tournament is to crown a champion from the 64 teams that are selected to compete in the 3-week long tourney. Each college basketball season begins in early October, and ends at the conclusion of this tournament. In the Madden Community, each Madden "season" begins roughly in mid-to-late August, and is generally considered over and done with when the Nationals Champion is crowned. Once Nationals is over, itÕs time to look towards the new Ôseason,Õ and the new version (I believe Madden NFL 2003Ò hits video game stores in mid-August of this year).

In the opinion of most college basketball fans, the results of the NCAA tournament is just as relevant, if not more relevant, to the upcoming season as it is to the season that was just completed. Why?? Because for all of those teams that failed to win the Championship Game, the "consolation prize" is increased, or Ômaintained,Õ credibility. "How so?," you ask. Think about it. For every team that makes it to the Final Four, or even the Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen, their league or conference will get more attention the following season. Nobody really paid attention to the Big East Conference until the Sleepy Floyd, Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team made it to the NCAA Championship Game in March of 1982. That next season, various TV channels couldnÕt wait to broadcast a contest featuring a team from the Big East Conference.

This is why many teams from small, relatively unknown conferences get extremely excited when one of their teams performs well and advances far into the tournament. They know that their conference will earn more respect & credibility. More media coverage. For them, more respect & credibility means a possible contract with a certain major TV or Cable TV network (for example, the Big East used to have a contract with ESPN). Some of the advertising revenues generated by the commercial sponsors will be directed towards the conference. More fans will pay attention to their previously ignored conference.

Whether you realize it or not, the same thing exists in the Madden Community. In the NCAA, you have conference teams and a few Independents. In the Madden Community, you have League Ballers and "Free Agents." Prior to Nationals I, which was the brainchild of The PFLÕs Israel Charles, affectionately known as "The Swammi" (or, in some circles, "The Godfather" of the Madden Community), the #1 way you earned respect & credibility was by playing, and defeating, someone from The PFL. Back in 1998, and early 1999, The PFL was considered the premier PlayStationÔ Madden League in the country, primarily because of SwammiÕs detailed website.

Then you had Nationals I, held in Atlanta, Georgia in September of 1999 (actually, at the time of Nationals I, the 1998-99 Madden "season" was technically over, because Madden NFL 2000 had already dropped at stores É but this was the best month for everyone to attend). Prior to Nationals I, very few Ballers nationwide had ever heard of the well-established BFL League based in Atlanta. Then, the BFL Ballers proceeded to take over the inaugural National Madden Games with high-quality, realism-oriented ballinÕ. Guess what happened that following season?? The BFL established an Internet website, and everyone was visiting. The BFL had effectively earned a high degree of respect & credibility, and the attention followed.

Before Nationals II, which was held in the D.C. Metro Area in July of 2000, very few Ballers knew who Candyman was, or who Pasadena Soldier was. After the tournament was over though, these two Ballers became household names among Madden Ballers (at minimum, Madden Ballers who frequented the Internet). And what happened that subsequent season?? The HMFL was formed (a branch of The NOMB/Madden Conglomerate based in New Orleans) by Candyman, and the website hits were accumulating on each site visit.

Lou Tillery and Will Turner actually made a name for themselves a few months prior to Nationals III, which was held in New Orleans, because they went to Houston and put the smack down on Defending National Champion Candyman. Next thing you know, Lou Tillery won Nationals III, and Will Turner was right behind him in the Final Four. What happened during this past 2001-02 Madden season?? More Ballers visited the NOMB website, keeping up with the Madden achievements of Lou Tillery, who became a NOMB League member right after Nationals III.

Bottom line: The National Madden Games is not only an opportunity to gain individual glory for being the best Madden Baller on the version of Madden NFL that is on itÕs way out, but itÕs an opportunity to attract more attention to your league in the upcoming season. For Free Agents, more people will pay attention when they participate in local and/or regional tournaments during the 2002-03 Madden NFL season, if they perform well at Nationals IV in Los Angeles.

How do you earn that respect & credibility?? First, you have to show up for Nationals IV in Los Angeles in mid-July. Then, at minimum, you have to advance to the Single Elimination portion of the tournament. Then from there, hopefully you will get on a serious winning streak, and make it as far into the tournament as possible. (now the easy, ÔcheatingÕ way to earn respect & credibility is to not attend Nationals, but instead, defeat a Baller that did well at Nationals in either league play and/or regional tournament play).

DonÕt just think of your performance at Nationals IV as the end of the Madden NFL 2002 Season. Think of it as the beginning of the Madden NFL 2003 Season. ThatÕs when you truly get to Ôcash inÕ your newfound level (or maintained level) of respect & credibility. This is what every truly competitive Madden Baller plays for.

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