From Service to Super Bowl : USO Partners With the NFL for the Second Year to Bring the Salute to Service Showdown- Madden NFL Tournament.

Read below for a heart-felt story on the bond and football, service members, and video games

On an unusually chilly and windy day in Las Vegas, eight active-duty service members competed in the USO’s Salute to Service Showdown gaming competition. Playing from the comfort of the USO/NFL mobile gaming trailer, the competitors battled it out not only for branch bragging rights but the ultimate fan’s prize; two tickets to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. This event marked the second year the USO and the NFL have joined forces to offer a gaming tournament exclusively for active-duty service members.  

The competition, which began 176 games ago in September allowed both Xbox and PlayStation gamers the opportunity to show their skills in EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 23. Both winners played an average of twenty games before making it to the finals.

Madden NFL, which debuted in 1989 is consistently on gaming critics ranking of one of the top football games available and with good reason. Over the years, the game has become one of superior technical skill, where the most strategic gamers can either play what is known as the “regulation game,” where the participant plays with a team’s current active roster, or they can purchase packs, for the chance to play with legendary former NFL players and create what is known as a Madden Ultimate Team or “MUT” team.  

For Xbox winner, Marine Corps Sgt Ali Zaidi (handle @its2eaze), playing with a MUT team is his favorite way to play.  

“I can have players from any team and any generation playing together to build my team. It allows you to be a lot more competitive because there really is no weakness on either team, so there’s a lot less room for error.”

Not only does gaming allow service members an opportunity to destress from the everyday rigor of military life, but it allows both stationed and deployed members a chance to stay connected to family members and each other when they have time.  

For PlayStation winner, Marine Corps reservist Sgt Kolton Lehman (handle @Kaptainkt), playing video games is all about blending competition with connection.

“It’s about the competition, playing a game I love, then making the connection with people you may have never met before over something more than the fact that you’re just in the military. With gaming, you run into like-minded people and can have long conversations debating players and MUT teams. It’s easy to have that common ground with someone and not have to go very far.”

“I’m fortunate enough right now to be on a special program where I have some leisure time to be able to play. But regardless of where we are, it’s nice to have the time to decompress, get away, go into a world that’s not real and I can worry about my little virtual football team and escape,” says Zaidi.  

Throughout the competition, friendships have been forged that will continue far beyond the simulated gaming field they play on. Some members even played against each other as practice for the competition.  

Zaidi goes further to explain that sometimes a player is so good you hope someone can beat them so you don’t have to face them.  

“[Andrew Rosas] @Junar was the one guy I did not want to play. I knew if there was one guy better than me, it was him. I still think he’s better than me, but every dog has its day. After I beat him the first game, I was hoping someone else would beat him so I wouldn’t have to play him again, even though I’ve played him at least five other times in this tournament. When we play it always comes down to who has the ball last. In our last game, he threw an interception and I knew the game was over. I wasn’t going to let him beat me.”

Sunday’s final consisted of a double elimination with five-minute quarters, with the average game lasting just over twenty-five minutes. The winners also have the opportunity to be part of the Madden Championship Series Last Chance Qualifier with hope of making it to the Ultimate Madden Bowl for a chance at a piece of the one-million-dollar prize pool. 

“I’ll hit up @Byrie_Irving [C.J. Michael Murray] asking him if he wants to get a lab game in. He’s the most competitive player I know that is going to have a MUT team comparable to what everyone else is going to be playing with,” says Lehman.

Both Lehman and Zaidi confirmed that Madden NFL 23 is all about strategy. Picking your favorite team just won’t do. Out of all 32 teams, four were played the most: Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Baltimore, and Dallas.  

“With the introduction of ‘abilities’ into the game a few years ago, it’s no longer about the team with the best players. Attributes between players can be exactly the same, but the slightest difference even with an [characteristic] as simple as height, can be a game changer.

Adding something like slot-o-matic (when a player has the ability to make faster cuts) makes that taller player indefensible,” states Lehman.

Zaidi agrees. “The most important thing to know is how you are as a Madden player as well as the person you’re playing against. It’s knowing what you want to execute. Some guys go for a run heavy offense, others a pass heavy. Knowing not only your strengths and weaknesses but those of the other person is crucial.”

Choosing who to take to the Super Bowl however was a quick choice for both winners.  

“That was an easy one for me. From the get go it was always my little brother and nobody else,” said Lehman. “We’re big Steelers fans and while I don’t think they’ll be there this year, this entire experience has been nothing short of incredible. 

“I called my stepdad and said ‘Hey what are you doing Super Bowl weekend?’ and told him we were going to the Super Bowl,” continued Zaidi. He’s hopeful his Baltimore Ravens still have a shot at the big game.  

The USO and NFL have partnered for more than 55 years and gaming has become an impactful way for the organization to collaborate and support the military. The USO Gaming program is just one of the ways that the military service organization carries out its mission to strengthen service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country.  

For Lehman, the USO goes above and beyond for all service members.  

“What the USO does for us is insane [in the best way]. We can be getting ready for deployment, waiting for our buses and these sweet ladies will just show up with breakfast. The USO is going to do what the USO does and that’s what makes it so special. Combining with the NFL just makes it even more so. What the NFL did for us that day did not go unnoticed by the service members. We’re incredibly grateful.” 

“It really hasn’t hit me. I won by playing a game I love. Even if I had lost, the entire experience was fun. I’m very grateful. You get caught up in the game, but at the end, it’s just a feeling of immense gratitude,” says Zaidi. 

We sirs, are grateful for you and thankful for your service.

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