Tournament Gallery

Atlanta, Ga – A deep bass and long lines greeted the many competitors who came to this year’s Atlanta Madden Challenge. After entering the Georgia Dome, competitors were subjected to an extended wait outside of the elevators to take them to the club level where the event was to be held. Luckily for me, a few words and a handshake provided the VIP treatment of being put first in line. Leaving the crowd below, I boarded the elevator to the Georgia Dome Club Level. The doors opened to the sound of a deep bass and to another long line. This time the long line was for registration and I thankfully was spared again.

I broke into the event looking for some action and found it immediately. Every station had competitors duking it out. I walked the line from Playstation players to Xbox players, trying to find familiar faces. It was tough to do, but after roaming the event I was able to find a couple of players who I recognized. These players were putting a beating on anyone that stepped their way and it was fun to watch the crowd’s reaction as they handed out beating after beating.

Fast forward a couple of hours and the event finally comes to the playoffs. Before I go into detail about the Xbox finals, I should mention that the Playstation finals had already taken place; however, considering that the main event was the Xbox Madden tournament, the Playstation final game took place with little fan-fare. The Playstation finals were between Josh Gilham and Chris Cook. Cook chose the New England Patriots and Gilham took the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a rout from the beginning, after some early scoring it was clear who the victor would be. Cook and his Patriots defeated Gilham and his Eagles 56 to 27. Chris Cook won $1,000 for his victory.