It's Not In the Game: Fixing the New York Jets' Uniforms in Madden 2010

Every August, 60 of my hard-earned dollars find their way into a Gamestop register for a game I will play religiously over the next 12 months.

The release of the newest Madden game has become an unofficial holiday among gamers; it's a day nearly as significant as the Super Bowl. Fans of the franchise pre-order months in advance, congregate outside stores for midnight releases, and make their first day with the game a 24-hour affair.

I don't go to such extremes, but I do love the series. In fact, I love it so much that I've maintained my silence—until now—regarding minor details that absolutely murder my soul.

I will explain what it is that's devastating me most, but I'd like to test your sight first. Do you see what I see?

Rendered above is the New York Jets' shiny new franchise QB in all of his virtual glory.

If you assumed that I'm most upset with his overall rating, I'm afraid that you're mistaken.

My issue is with what Mark Sanchez is wearing. The uniform is outdated.

A few years ago, the Jets made some modifications to their uniforms. They adopted a darker shade of green, and the sleeves took on a slightly different look. Instead of being one solid color all the way around, the underarm portion of the sleeve became consistent with the dominant color of the uniform.

This is especially important to me because these subtle changes meant the difference between $120 for a customized authentic jersey I purchased from the NFL Shop. The older versions were being sold out a discounted price, but being the shallow and materialistic man I am, I paid over $100 for a modification most people do not recognize.

I understand that this slight change that I speak of may be unclear to some. Therefore, I've provided images of Brett Favre during the 2008 season—wearing the Jets' most recent uniform—to illustrate my point.

For emphasis, this next picture is of former QB Chad Pennington—prior to the modification—wearing the jersey that the Madden franchise still models their rendition by:

As you can see, it is a very minute detail. The alterations are so subtle that I understand how they could be overlooked.

But I can't allow my Jets to be neglected by the developers any longer.

Every time I boot up one of my Madden games and hear EA Sports', "It's in the game!" trademark, I'm aggravated with the details that aren't.

EA Sports has taken plenty of knocks for being lazy since they acquired the official NFL license, so I won't contribute to that bashing. I actually appreciate the annual modifications and improvements to gameplay.

I want to continue feeling that way, but as long as they continue to use an outdated uniform model for my New York Jets, I'll struggle internally with my commitment to the gaming empire.

For those of you who feel inclined, I have addressed this concern on EA's official message board.

I encourage any readers who have ever played this game to show Electronic Arts that there are enough Jets fans who care about NFL teams being properly represented.

The annual objective focuses upon authenticity. Making this adjustment would be a strong step towards solidifying that stance, and showing their commitment to the fans.

Angel Navedo is a contributing writer to TheJetsBlog.com and the Examiner for the New York Jets. He can be reached here, or you can follow him on Twitter.