RSS Feeds
sports
EA Sports Pays A Man To Watch Football All Week
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 10:20 AM on September 30, 2008
If watching football for a living sounds like your "dream job" then EA Tiburon's Anthony White should be the target of your jealous rage. Of course, White has to watch every single NFL game every single week, so it might sound like utter torture. Regardless of your perspective, it sure beats digging ditches.
Why does EA pay White to watch every NFL game in existence? To keep Madden NFL up-to-date and accurate and, probably most of all, to keep virtual football obsessive types — like White, who got the job with a little help from his Madden strategy web site — happy with its recreation of the sport. White's weekly three-day watch-a-thon helps him design plays for each year's iteration.
This may not be the gaming gig people hear about often, but having to watch NFL football maniacally is something people do for free. Yes, it's quite a little scam.
Dream job: Orlando-area man gets paid to watch football [Orlando Sentinel]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
MADTurnIP
Posted October 1, 2008 12:36 AM
For two seasons I worked for Fox sports in Sydney where I had to watch every rugby union game of the Super 14 every week then watch them all again in super slow mo to get all the stats together. It was fun enough for the first season... but the second calls just get frustratingly slow and the South African games had to be watched live generally from 2am-5am.
PsycheE
Posted 10:56 AM 30/9/08
What is his salary?, we need the numbers to distinguish every other job that started from a hobby.
PsycheE
BaronVonCrogs
Posted 10:54 AM 30/9/08
So one guy makes the ratings by himself?
BaronVonCrogs
-Scrixx-
Posted 10:48 AM 30/9/08
Shit, is EA offering that same job towards basketball fans? Cause I'd be on that A.S.A.P
-Scrixx-
ShaggE
Posted 10:42 AM 30/9/08
I'm a football guy, but that'd drive me apeshit.
ShaggE
snakepliskin
Posted 10:40 AM 30/9/08
Wtf i do that every week for free! Someone give me a job, ill do it for half what theyre paying him.
snakepliskin
Muisee
Posted 10:40 AM 30/9/08
Best. Job. Ever.
Muisee
Clarke
Posted 10:36 AM 30/9/08
I would hang myself if I had to endure that.
Clarke
+
Posted 10:33 AM 30/9/08
How much does he get paid? The numbers are the best part!
+
bfwings55
Posted 10:32 AM 30/9/08
Question: Is the beer and pizza provided?
bfwings55
riffleraffle
Posted 10:31 AM 30/9/08
But does he get paid well?
riffleraffle
Dirkcee
Posted 11:15 AM 30/9/08
if they need someone to watch the premier league, bundesliga and la liga,for FIFA 09. Im their man.
Dirkcee
Jonaconda
Posted 11:00 AM 30/9/08
Perhaps the beer and pizza are tax write-offs as business expenses... it's worth a try. I would also watch the NBA all day, every day if possible, and try lobbying for a "Palace Punchout" inclusion in Live '10, sort of like Blades of Steel for the NES, but with jacked-up ballers flattening tubby, drunk fans with one punch.
Artest would obviously be to this minigame what Bo Jackson was in the original Tecmo Bowl.
...Annnnd I just dated myself. Peace out!
Jonaconda
nickymouse
Posted 10:59 AM 30/9/08
I don't like football very much, but I would still like this job. And he doesn't get paid to watch football. He gets paid to do an in depth analysis of plays.
nickymouse
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 11:34 AM 30/9/08
Aaaaah...I do this every week for free. Seriously, to all the people who are asking what his salary is, its a non-issue. There are plenty of people willing to do this for peanuts, let alone actually getting paid.
Fantasy Sports enthusiast for example...
NeVeRMoRe666
DontCrossMyanimals
Posted 11:32 AM 30/9/08
@Clarke: You!? I would ask for the gun and blow my head off! I hate sports.
DontCrossMyanimals
Zuiyo
Posted 11:30 AM 30/9/08
I would watch not only every single NBA game but I'd go through all games of the European b-ball leagues of each country, the Euroleague, World Championships and Olympics. I'd write a blog with what I watch everyday. Crap, I'd be watching and writing all day. And when the hard day of work is over I'd shoot some hoops to relax and forget about work.
Zuiyo
Zuiyo
Posted 11:27 AM 30/9/08
@-Scrixx-:
I'm with Scrixx on this one.
Zuiyo
AvidAbey
Posted 12:04 PM 30/9/08
I'd certainly love to watch even half of the NFL games on each week. The awesome shit I miss out on with fucking local channels, you would cry to hear me tell. Maybe watching all 32 games would be kind of annoying. You'd have to watch games like Browns-Bengals too, remember.
AvidAbey
xmido
Posted 11:53 AM 30/9/08
I would like to be payed to play video games all day. Like writing game reviews. Maybe one day i will start my own game blog :)
xmido
sanyo
Posted 12:34 PM 30/9/08
Title should read: "EA Gives Man Free Money."
sanyo
Shockadin
Posted 12:19 PM 30/9/08
@AvidAbey: I <3 Browns vs Bengals games. ahahaha sure they suck but yaaay ohio
Shockadin
Shockadin
Posted 12:18 PM 30/9/08
Sorry, I have balls, so I would love that. The only problem is staring at electronic screens for extended periods of time hurts.
Shockadin
Len Bias Cocaine Surplus
Posted 12:53 PM 30/9/08
This man is officially my hero.
I aspire to be him
Len Bias Cocaine Surplus
VidalRoebuck
Posted 12:52 PM 30/9/08
I watch most of the games anyway and those I don't is cause I don't have the league pass. I'd could do this for the NFL or NBA. I love pro basketball.
VidalRoebuck
HumphreyDarnitzka
Posted 12:33 PM 30/9/08
He doesn't do player/team ratings as far as I know. He is responsible for putting together all of the plays and playbooks for the games.
HumphreyDarnitzka
Paladin58
Posted 1:36 PM 30/9/08
Gawd, I hope that he has watched and rewatched that MIA-NE game to get the plays from there. I mean, imagine having a solely trick-play-based offense? EVERY GAME?! Unstoppable. Of course, they'd have to restrict it to 'offline'.
Paladin58
NeVeRMoRe666
Posted 2:41 PM 30/9/08
@Paladin58: Tedy: Pennington at Wide-out?!? What could they possibly be doing?!? Hey get someone over...what the...wheres the ball? Awww...
2nd series...
Tedy: Hey look, Chads at Wide-out again, what the...why is Ronnie playing QB?!? Get someone ove....hey wheres Ron...Awwww....
Rinse Repeat X 5 - Brady = Finished Season
NeVeRMoRe666
Majpain007
Posted 3:51 PM 30/9/08
Wow Id love to have this job. I have Sunday Ticket so I practically watch them all anyways.
Majpain007
Purple Dave
Posted 4:19 PM 30/9/08
If I had this job...I would probably skin myself alive with a butter knife.
Purple Dave
DoMiNaTi0n
Posted 11:52 PM 30/9/08
@snakepliskin: Jeez, I know! I would be happy just to keep up on the NFL instead I have NCAA Football and the NFL all weekend! I'm in the wrong profession...
DoMiNaTi0n
Paincake
Posted 1:14 AM 1/10/08
This is your definition of a dream job? Lol. I would get bored to death tbh.
Paincake
kingofallcosmos
Posted 4:40 AM 1/10/08
@AvidAbey:
I hate that they force us to watch localish teams rather than good games. I am over a hundred miles away from both the Raiders and the 49ers and they are in a completely different TV market, but we are forced to watch every single game of theirs. Thankfully, the Raiders have had a hard time selling out games so those games are often blacked out, but usually two out of the three games on Fox and CBS are reserved for those "local" teams, usually one with an early game and one with the later game. So, if I can stand to watch two of the most awful teams in the NFL each week, I can certainly stand to watch every other game.
kingofallcosmos
RudeandRude
Posted 5:25 AM 1/10/08
90% of Madden strategy sites teach you how to cheese and cheat. So this is the guy that is screwing up Madden football? Now at least I have someone to blame.
RudeandRude
DePaulBlueDemon
Posted 8:28 AM 1/10/08
Best job ever only if you can Tivo the games and skip the commercials. Otherwise, it wouldn't be that fun. However, if EA Sports is reading this I would gladly do it for college basketball. Woot!
DePaulBlueDemon