EA had a smart idea to kick off Madden's annual showing. Create a 32-player bracketed tournament and let fans vote for the cover athlete.

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Today, the two finalists for the Madden NFL 12 cover were revealed. It couldn't have turned out worse for EA. Forget being between a rock and a hard place; EA Sports is trapped between a knife and a gun fight: relative unknown Peyton Hillis of the perennially awful Cleveland Browns, or convicted dog-killing pariah and ex-convict Michael Vick. Either EA has to market a game featuring a player the average person cares little about, or they're hit with animal rights activist protests for a highly controversial cover boy.There's no winning this one. EA made a bold attempt at involving the community, and the community screwed them.I've got nothing against Peyton Hillis. He's a solid foundation for Cleveland to build upon. The Browns have been the League's punching bag for a while now, but they're also one of the NFL's beloved underdogs.But Hillis is hardly a big-name running back. Hillis has 1574 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns -- for his career. Granted, that's just a three-year span, but Hillis has managed only one good (not great) year so far. It's amazing to see the Cleveland community rally to support him in this contest as he's outlasted notable running back Adrian Peterson.As for Vick, there's no arguing his credentials as a skilled player. He made the most of his opportunity as a starter last season in Philadelphia and proved that great performances on the field can make everyone forget even the worst offenses off the field. But those celebrations of Vick last year were tempered with reminders that he was a man who'd done bad things. It took some time, but the public cheered Vick's performance on the field last season. But it's doubtful many are prepared to embrace him on the cover of the only NFL-licensed football game in 2011.EA made a fatal error in preparation of the Madden cover vote. The person voted to be on the cover only hurts or helps EA. It doesn't impact a Madden fan's sponsorship opportunities. It doesn't affect a gamer's promotion plans. No one voting stops and thinks, "Man, I better not let Vick win or EA will have a tough time doing a media tour." Don't think for a moment that EA ever would willingly put Peyton Hillis or Mike Vick on the cover of Madden. They expected the voters to do the right thing for EA. That's not how popularity contests work.The lesson here: never, ever, give people the option to affect your product unless it's something you can live with. The 32 players in the Madden voting bracket needed to be 32 players EA would gladly have on the cover. Because, as we can see with the final round in this contest, online voters aren't predictable. Never assume they have the same priorities or business sensibilities of a publicly traded corporation. The public loses nothing by turning on EA and biting them in the ass.You can vote for Peyton Hillis or Michael Vick in the final round of the Madden NFL 12 cover tournament at