Is race going to decide the Madden ’12 cover vote?

 The outrageously popular Madden NFL video game franchise is trying something new this year. For the first time ever, parent company EA Sports is allowing fans to vote for the player who will don the cover of the forthcoming Madden ’12. To do this, they constructed a bracket-style tournament with 32 players vying for the cover spot. The contest—which started late last month—is down to the final round: Philadelphia Eagles QB/comeback player of the year Mike Vick versus … Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis? The media was quick to lap up the underdog, gee-whiz narrative in reporting on Hillis, an extremely rare white RB, advancing so far—as a 10th seed, no less! Our own superstar Adrian Peterson, who didn’t shy from racial allusions last month, was snuffed in the previous round. The one subject no one wants to touch on is, in fact, race. Hillis had a sound year, but another larger factor may be at play: subconscious racial politics. We’ve seen this before. Suburban whites who never listened to rap flocked to Eminem; they could project themselves onto a role once monopolized by African Americans.
“A white guy? A white running back on the cover?! I mean come on, that’d be the first time ever!”
That’s Peyton Hillis in this clip, a mere 30 seconds into an interview prior to the contest. The underdog trope is an easy one, but the fact is Hillis doesn’t have the numbers, name recognition, or charisma of the players he beat out. What he does have is white skin at a black position, something this majority white country—as evidenced by grassroots efforts to vote him in—potentially finds very appealing. It’s worth noting Hillis is going toe-to-toe with a black QB, a still-novel occurrence in the NFL. But Vick’s ability and stats are otherworldly. Hillis’ numbers? Not so much.
Debunking the numbers
Peyton Hillis came from relative obscurity. A seventh-round draft choice by the Denver Broncos in 2008, he spent his college career at Arkansas forfeiting carries to stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones—both first-round draft choices. The 6-foot 1-inch, 240-pound bruiser was traded to Cleveland last year, having only touched the ball 17 times in 2009. The result? A breakout year that saw Hillis accumulate 1,177 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns; he also added 477 receiving yards and two additional receiving scores. Read a little into the numbers, though, and some pizzazz is lost from those totals. For starters, Cleveland didn’t have any other options. The team’s offense was abysmal, finishing 31st in points scored and 29th in total yards. The QB position was a crap-carousel that rotated journeyman Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace, and rookie Colt McCoy; the team’s leading receiver was 30-year-old TE Ben Watson, who netted just 763 yards. So by default, the Browns were forced to lean on the run and quick passes to the flats. What isn’t discussed is how ideally suited Cleveland’s underrated offensive line is for such conservative play calling. LT Joe Thomas is arguably the best offensive lineman in the NFL; LG Eric Steinbach is a stud; and young center Alex Mack is an ascending star. Take a team with no other feasible way to gain yards, plug in a remotely capable RB behind a stellar line, and you’ll get production.
Even given all of that, Hillis’ production wasn’t any better than the players he bested in the cover tourney.