Mark Madden: Outrage over insignificant Madden NFL video game ratings is ridiculous

Blood pressure skyrocketed in Pittsburgh when Acrisure Stadium was christened and the ketchup bottles were removed. They were presumably stored right next to the Joe Paterno statue.

But locals already have found a different insignificance to babble about. (It never takes long.)

The EA Sports Madden NFL video game player ratings are being released — leaked slowly, rather, because an event of such magnitude merits a slow build.

Players get mad about these. Ja’Marr Chase of Cincinnati got rated 87 (out of 99), placing him 18th among receivers. He went on Twitter and promised to keep working, saying the rating provides “extra motivation.”

The Bengals lost in the Super Bowl. Wanting to get back and win should provide enough motivation.

But winning a Super Bowl isn’t based on the individual. Today’s athletes are more narcissistic. Inject Chase with truth serum, then ask what he’d rather get, a Lombardi Trophy or a 99 score on Madden. (The heralded “99 Club.”)

The insanity was compounded when Tom Brady consoled Chase. Over his Madden rating.

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The narrative took a Pittsburgh twist when T.J. Watt got a 96 score, second among edge rushers. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett got a 99.

Watt, you may recall, tied the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22½. Garrett finished far behind with 16. But Garrett is excellent.

Watt disappointed when he didn’t react to the slight on Twitter. That leaves a big gaping hole in this column and makes a certain radio program’s three hours that much longer. But Watt just got married, so he has enough to be miserable about.

Even KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani vented on Twitter. So this is serious.

One radio host said Watt’s rating invalidates the whole game. (I bet people still buy it and play it.)

A member of the pretend media said whoever works for EA Sports should be fired. What, all their employees, or just the guy who determined those ratings? Should the entire company be shut down because Watt got 96 and Garrett got 99?

Teammate Cameron Sutton white-knighted for Watt via Instagram, spewing mostly unintelligible gibberish but saying the ratings are “so political.” He also said Watt actually broke the sack record, intimating the league took it away from him.

Tell me how the Madden ratings and/or the sack record could possibly be politicized. Is it a black/white thing, a blue/red thing, a Pittsburgh/Cleveland thing or maybe a Heinz/Acrisure thing?

Here’s a bold thought: Maybe the ratings for Garrett and Watt were based on more than just sacks. Is Garrett a better all-around player?

I don’t play Madden. Does Watt get hurt a lot in Madden? In Madden, does Watt take a series off in the fourth quarter regardless of the score?

Garrett has won a playoff game. Watt hasn’t. In fact, Garrett beat Watt in a playoff game. Is that a factor? (Absolutely not, but that’s fun to mention.)

The word “disrespect” is being tossed about freely. How does being rated second-best at your position behind a great player like Garrett possibly translate to disrespect?

The Madden ratings are subjective. Watt got NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That, too, is subjective. But doesn’t it mean more? Watt was also first-team All-Pro for a third straight year. He tied the sack record. A video-game rating doesn’t trump what Watt has done.

But you just like to be mad.

Steelers fans complain that ratings for all the Steelers players are too low. If that’s true, how come the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season?

Minkah Fitzpatrick got an 89 rating. He sits 11th among safeties. WHY, GOD, WHY? WHY, GOD, WHY?