personality to video game maker ea sports and the best-selling madden nfl franchise. the raiders now in las vegas few people were responsible for the popularity of professional football as john madden. madden was 85 years old. john, when i saw this last night, i was thinking about the generations and i think it s really four generations. my grandfather probably knew him as the coach of the raiders, then my dad, then i knew him on sundays with pat summerall in the booth, that you knew it was a big game when you saw the two of them, and then madden, my son, who is 12 years old literally for christmas got madden 22 and that s how that generation knows him. this man left such a mark not just on football or the nfl, but on american culture. yes, he made football fun. he taught you about the game. he explained it in a way that was very accessible that you learned something but you re right. when he and pat summerall came to town, it was a big game. you flipped on the television,
down the league s popularity by the numbers. so dan and rachel, the nfl is more popular than ever. let s break down the numbers. 185 million americans call themselves fans. and that s nearly 60% of the u.s. and nearly half of those fans are women. for a true read on the nfl s popularity, look no further than your flat screen. of the 50 most watched shows last fall, 45 were nfl games. the super bowl between the patriots and the seahawks averaged nearly 115 million viewers. and 54 million female viewers tuned in making it the most watched show ever among women. of course the game is played beyond the field it s. the madden nfl franchise has sold over 100 million copies.