J.R. Tidwell, Sports, Sports Columnists
 By  J.R. Tidwell Published 
5:56 am Saturday, February 11, 2012

EA games make me rage quit

And just like that, football season is over. No more NCAA, no more NFL.

I will have to turn to video games — like always — to get my football fix from now until August.

On the bright side — and contrary to the beliefs of some — football is not the only sport in existence. I will be able to watch baseball soon, and March Madness is right around the corner.

The men’s and women’s U.S. national soccer teams have some games coming up, and local sports around Franklin County are played year-round.

I like playing games made by EA Sports. They are the best on the market, in my humble opinion.

However, I wouldn’t do very well as their spokesman. EA Sports titles have a nasty habit of glitching, messing up or downright cheating in order to keep the two teams in balance.

My brother has MLB ’09 the Show, and he thinks that the game decided at the beginning of each contest which team will win, and no amount of skill at the game will change the outcome.

I tend to agree with him, because I have seen more than one Madden, MLB and FIFA game go all one-sided in a team’s favor, especially if it is losing, and especially if the computer team is losing.

I imagine this is done to try and simulate how a losing team won’t give up.

All it actually ends up doing is messing up the gameplay and making me angry.

I played a lot of Madden ’08 when it came out.

On more than one occasion I angrily watched as that game made me drop obvious interceptions and had passes magically go through my receivers hands. I don’t me he dropped the pass, I mean the ball went THROUGH my player’s fingers.

On more recent installments of Madden and NCAA football EA successfully made it impossible to throw over the middle of the field — for me, anyway.

Anyone in the general vicinity of the football can make an interception, despite the fact that the laws of physics make it impossible for a human being to catch a ball on a parabolic course that’s well above his head.

I’m talking about past the point of a good vertical above his head.

If you have ever seen a rage quit online, that it pretty much what EA games end up making me do every time I play them.

 

J.R. Tidwell is sports editor for The Franklin County Times. He can be reached at (256) 332-1881, ext. 31.

Also on Franklin County Times
Drone contraband is becoming a problem
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Area law enforcement officials say they support the idea of more authority to stop drones from delivering contraband into jails. Alabam...
Oliver: Too many children are being abused
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County deputies investigated 85 cases involving child and sexual abuse in 2025. “For a county the size of Franklin County, tha...
Sentencing delayed again in manslaughter trial
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Brandy Dowdy will have to wait even longer to learn how long she will serve in prison after her sentencing was delayed for the second t...
Garden club hosts plant, bake sale
Columnists, News, Red Bay
In the Community
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RED BAY — The Red Bay Garden Club held its annual plant and bake sale Saturday at the high school greenhouse to raise funds for projects across the ci...
Has the city on a hill lost its shine?
Columnists, Opinion
April 15, 2026
Ronald Reagan used the “Shining City on a Hill” as a metaphor for the United States as a beacon for freedom and democracy in the world. Joe Biden ofte...
Delta Kappa Gamma learns gardening tips
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
April 15, 2026
Our April meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma at Calvary Baptist Church in Russellville featured a lively and practical program by Trace Barnett, a native of...
TVA president, CEO announces retirement
News
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
Less than a year after he was named president and CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Don Moul told members of the board of directors he will be re...
Students’ art selected for State Capitol exhibit
News, Russellville
By Maria Camp camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The art of three Russellville Elementary School students is on display at the Alabama State Capitol through April 28. Khloe Ball, a fou...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *