Review: EA's Maddencast was a forgettable alternate broadcast, even for gaming fans

The NFL's biggest ratings competition is - the NFL. Everyone from broadcast networks to streaming services are using football to prop their numbers, and looking for brand new ways to reheat the same dish. Peacock's Dec. 21 Maddencast had much in common with the franchise it celebrates. It had a lot of potential but ultimately left fans unsatisified.

I know comparisons aren't always fair, but reviewers do them because deep down we're all comparing things. We compare a football game to all the other viewing options, and we have many. We compare the games against each other, and never watch the Cleveland Browns on purpose unless it affects our fantasy football teams. Even this game had multiple broadcasts on the same streaming service to watch.

So unfortunately for the Maddencast, the Simpsons Funday Night Football on Dec. 9 was still fresh in our minds. It came with a fully fleshed out backstory for the game, lots of personality and really good jokes. The minds behind the Maddencast would surely tell you that was never what they were planning to do. But we can't unlaugh the laughs the Simpsons broadcast gave us.

My wife, who is only exposed to football by being married to me, watched the entire Simpsons cast and wants to know when they're doing it again. It is what it is. That said, I definitely think there's a lot they can build on when they inevitably do this again.

What Worked Well

The All-22 camera angle, which places the camera behind the quarterback just as the Madden video games do, was instantly fun and familiar. Even people who hate video games talked about enjoying that view of the field. That's a thing I fully expect to see added to future broadcasts, even the ones not propping up EA's game.

The button graphics for wide receiver routes looked good. Anybody who has played Madden for an audience, whether at home or on stream, knows the frustration of getting sacked on 4th down and hearing "A was open."

The play select screen graphics were also a nice Maddenish touch. If they do this again, I'd like to see them bring back game selection screens and plays from previous games. I know the purpose of this is pushing the current game, but it's almost January. Everybody that planned to give EA money for this game likely already has. That 's why it will be free by this time next month on subscription services.

What Didn't Work

There was a lot of dead air. This is a cardinal sin on regular broadcast, but these alternate shows have been more relaxed. They have to be, because while you might hate Cris Collinsworth or Troy Aikman, there is an undeniable skill to what they do. As we've watched even a legend such as Tom Brady struggle to adapt to the broadcast booth, we've seen it's not as easy as even your least favorite broadcaster makes it look.

Part of the problem causing this dead air was Madden Bowl Champion Henry Leverette, and I'm not putting it on him. He's a pro Madden player, not a commentator. Play-by-play commentator Paul Burmeister had to cover for three other people and make the thing sound seamless. There wasn't any way.

There probably does need to be a Madden community voice to make this thing work, but it should probably be somebody like Sketch. Actually, it should be Sketch but because of the controversies surrounding him, I doubt the NFL would do that. It does not have the most LGBTQ-friendly record, to put it mildly.

I left this broadcast still not sure who it was for. As a gamer, I didn't get enough Madden-related stuff to keep me interested. For a regular football fan, there would have likely been too much Madden.