Today during the show Anthony told us that is son told him that the Edmonton Oilers are his favorite hockey team. His son is 10. A great age for getting captivated by sports, players, and teams. I had it great as a kid when I was 10 years old. Iverson on the Sixers and their Finals run, the Eagles were in the beginning of NFC Championship runs, the Flyers were in the playoffs every year, and the Phillies… well… I loved the Phillies.  

For Anthony’s son’s case, yes he has it good too, but the Flyers are far far away from being competitive. The Oilers on the other hand, are fun to watch, and I’m sure fun to play with on the PS5. Anthony told him that Edmonton can’t be his favorite team which gave me a very vivid flashback when my dad had the same conversation with me 20+ years ago when I said the Red Wings were my favorite team. It wasn’t because the Flyers were bad, it was because I was nasty with Detroit on the N64.  

With that in mind, here are my childhood 5 favorite teams in video games: 

• 5) 2007 Minnesota Vikings

  

  Not every team on this list has to be good. These are video games. They aren’t real. The 2007 Vikings went 8-8 in real life. But 13-year-old Choonis would not lose with this team in Madden. You had Adrian Peterson in the backfield, a decent defense to make a stop or two, but the biggest factor was Quarterback… Tarvaris Jackson.

  All the OG Madden talk is about Mike Vick and how he was a cheat code. Well when I would drop back to pass with Jackson, and the lack of weapons that they had weren’t open, you were not bringing him down. Drives would never stop no matter the down and distance with Peterson and Jackson.

• 4) 2006-07 Utah Jazz

  There is a 0% chance that you clicked on this article and thought this team would be on here. Well, here we are. 2K is pretty simple. If you are good with guard play, the pick and roll, and can hit open shots, you will be fine. This squad was perfect for a video game. Year 2 of of All-Star guard Deron Williams, a big man in Carlos Boozer who could board and score, a young Andrei Kirilenko, former “Sixers great” Matt Harpring, and most importantly, 6 foot 11 Mehmet Okur. Okur was a career 38% three point shooter. This was a time when the stretch 4/5 wasn’t prominent in the league. The computer or any of my friends was not built to stop a sharp shooting big man. I definitley won a league MVP for Okur in my parents basement.  

• 3) 2006 Red Sox

  The 2004 Red Sox broke the curse. They won again in 2007. They didn’t make the playoffs in 2006, and that of course was a squad I was good with. But it wasn’t hard to be good with them. The core was still in tact and of course you had Manny and Big Papi. The reason this was a go to squad? Not just the amount of runs I could score, but the nasty pitching staff of Schilling, Beckett, Lester, and best of all, knuckleball throwing Tim Wakefield!!! Nothing better than going head to head with your buddy and you bring Wakefield out. Automatic cheat code. 

• 2) Dallas Mavericks... in NBA Street Volume 1

  This game is a cartoon. You don’t have to be good at it, and you can win games, especially if you pick this powerhouse. If you aren’t familiar with the game it is 3 on 3 street ball with real players from the league. Each team had 5 guys on it and you picked the 3 to play. The Mavericks had Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and Dirk Nowitzki. But as you can tell, I’m weird and always had to be different. Depending on the day, Nash or Finley would be on the bench and the third starter would be… SHAWN BRADLEY. The guy couldn’t shoot, or handle, but you aren’t scoring more than 10 in a game to 21 against me. Why? There are no rules including goaltending. 7 foot 6 Shawn Bradley, has the right to catch shots in mid-air, and I always would. 

• 1) Any late 90s Early 2000s Detroit Red Wings

  The genesis of this article. The talking I had with my father where they could not be my favorite team. I have NEVER been good at hockey games except for NHL Hitz. But in real hockey, I struggle. You can’t struggle with any of these teams. The reasons? Yzerman, Federov, Lidstrom, Shanahan. End of story 

Sign Up For The Fanatic MVP Insider Newsletter

Get the info you need on the Philly Sports landscape, events you need to know about, exclusive contests, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.