For the first time in the history of Madden Bowl, there will be a partnership with ESPN to broadcast the event live on ESPN3.com .  Madden Bowl XVII, hosted by EA SPORTS and NFL PLAYERS, is the quintessential players' tournament that showcases NFL superstars and their gaming skills on the virtual gridiron as they face off on Madden NFL 11 .

Kicking off Super Bowl week, the event will take place on Thursday, February 3 rd at the Glass Cactus in Grapevine, Texas and will air live at 9:00 pm EST on ESPN3.com.  The broadcast will include celebrity red carpet interviews, live action of the Madden Bowl tournament and a Madden NFL franchise retrospective. Madden Bowl XVII will also feature performances by 2010 GRAMMY® nominees, Big Boi and Cee Lo Green.

"Madden Bowl is one of the most anticipated events to kick off Super Bowl week and we're always looking for new ways to make it bigger and better," said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Product Manager for EA SPORTS. "Through our partnership with ESPN, we're excited to bring the intensity and drama of Madden Bowl into the living rooms of millions of fans as their favorite NFL players battle for the title of Madden Bowl Champion."

This year, Madden Bowl will feature an all-new format with players from three NFL teams, and an All-Madden squad made up of past Madden Bowl participants, competing in Madden NFL 11 on PlayStation®3 using the all-new Online Team Play mode. Teams and players competing in Madden Bowl XVII include:

New Orleans Saints: Represented by Madden NFL 11 cover athlete Drew Brees, running back Reggie Bush and quarterback Chase Daniel

Jacksonville Jaguars: Led by reigning Madden Bowl champion Maurice Jones-Drew, linebacker Kirk Morrison and tight end Marcedes Lewis

Dallas Cowboys: The hometown team will consist of wide receiver Miles Austin, tight end Jason Witten and linebacker DeMarcus Ware

All-Madden Team: Consisting of last year's runner-up, 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, and former Madden Bowl champions, Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, and Ravens running back Willis McGahee

Using Online Team Play mode, teams will compete 3-on-3 and each team member will control a set of skill players, including QB, RBs, and WRs on offense, and D-line, LBs, and CBs on defense.

Musical entertainment has long been synonymous with the Super Bowl. This year, music, football, and gaming will converge at Madden Bowl XVII, with co-headline performances by hip-hop superstars Big Boi and Cee Lo Green and legendary hip-hop entertainer, Biz Markie, closing out the evening as the event's guest DJ.

Madden Bowl XVII will be hosted by Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos and ESPN's Trey Wingo. The ESPN3.com broadcast of Madden Bowl XVII will be hosted by Christian Fauria and Cassidy Hubbarth.

Other NFL superstars attending Madden Bowl XVII this year include: Michael Vick (QB, Eagles), Jeremy Maclin (WR, Eagles), Reggie Wayne (WR, Colts), Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Cardinals), Chad Ochocinco (WR, Bengals), Ndamukong Suh (DT, Lions), Josh Freeman (QB, Buccaneers), Brandon Lloyd (WR, Broncos) and Rob Gronkowski (TE, Patriots), among others.

Additional Madden Bowl XVII sponsors include Verizon, Coke Zero, Coors Light, Virgin Gaming, Sony PlayStation® and Sledgehammer.

Previous EA SPORTS Madden Bowl champions include:

1995 - Reggie Brooks, Washington Redskins

1996 - Reggie Brooks, Washington Redskins

1997 - Jimmy Spencer, Cincinnati Bengals

1998 - Morris Chestnut, Actor

1999 - Ray Mickens, New York Jets

2000 - Terry Jackson, San Francisco 49ers

2001 - Jacquez Green, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2002 - Jacquez Green, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2003 - Dwight Freeney, Indianapois Colts

2004 - Dwight Freeney, Indianapois Colts

2005 - Michael Lewis, Philadelphia Eagles

2006 - Alex Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2007 - Alex Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2008 - Willis McGahee, Baltimore Ravens

2009 - Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2010 - Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

Visit ESPN3.com for the live broadcast of Madden Bowl XVII on Thursday, February 3 rd at 9:00 pm EST: http://espn.go.com/espn3/index?id=134608

Get Madden NFL 11 Now

Madden NFL 11
by EA Tiburon
Available on:
Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo 3DS, PS3
Xbox Live

Madden NFL 11 Demo
For PS3 and Xbox 360

 

Madden NFL 11 redefines the way you experience the game of football.

Simpler: from 350 ...

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.