The biggest Madden Bowl yet was won using run-only plays

The 2020 Madden Bowl came to an end on May 16th, and it’ll be one to remember for a number of reasons. Raidel “Joke” Brito won the final match over Daniel “Dcroft” Mycroft in a 17-0 blowout through an unusual strategy that relied on run-only plays through the entire tournament — he didn’t throw a single pass. He didn’t even put a proper quarterback on the field, giving him more funds to put towards his other virtual players.

It’s also emotional victory for Brito. He dedicated the tournament to Taylor “SpotMe” Robertson, a a friend who died in the 2018 Madden tournament shooting in Jacksonville.

The event win also landed Brito $65,000 and the gold-plated Madden championship belt.

Whether or not you were following closely, this was a watershed moment for esports. The dearth of live sports during the COVID-19 pandemic led ESPN2 to air hours of live Madden Bowl coverage. This was likely the first exposure many viewers had to Madden esports, if not esports in general. We wouldn’t count on a repeat if the NFL can resume conventional games, but it could serve as a test for more mainstream esports coverage going forward.