NFL needs to end it's relationship with EA sooner rather than later

Ever since I started playing video games, I have enjoyed NFL video games.  In my history, I have gone from NFL Quarterback Club 98 and 99 on the N64 to NFL Fever (on PC and Xbox) to NFL 2K5 (the best ever) to the Madden series.  I used to buy Madden games pretty consistently (four in a row in the 2000s), but in the last six years I have only purchased two.  

There is a problem with these Madden games, and that problem started in the mid 2000s when Electronic Arts (EA from this point on) bought the sole rights to make NFL games with current teams and player likenesses.  EA then was and still is the only maker of NFL video games.  However, the quality of their game has dropped significantly over the years.  

As I write this, the hashtag #NFLdropEA is the number 3 trending hashtag on Twitter.  Players and fans like myself are fed up.  Without competition, EA has very little motivation to create a quality game.  As long as it's "good enough", what's the point in putting in more effort?  As long as it keeps selling and they keep making money, what's the point?    

Let me explain the lack in quality briefly.  The aspects of Madden which don't generate a steady revenue stream, such as Franchise mode, have been neglected and left as a very low priority to EA.  Instead, they have focused on their "Madden Ultimate Team" mode or "MUT" for short.  This mode basically requires players to spend real money on acquiring NFL cards/players in order to succeed.  Unfortunately, a lot of fans have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on this one game mode.  Why should EA focus on anything else, as long as they're making money?

As a result, franchise mode, create a player, create a team, and other game features have dipped in quality over the years (or gone away entirely).  The presentation of the more recent Madden games has now dipped below in quality to ESPN NFL 2K5, which featured a halftime show, a post-game show, and even a weekly recap.  Madden has none of that.

It's time for the NFL to end its relationship with EA.  I heard the NFL didn't want to partner with 2K sports way back then because the game was only $20, and they didn't want their video game product to be seen as "cheap".  Well, now their video game product is seen as a roster update every year, a cash grab, and frankly, poorly made.  The game still has many bugs and even spelling/grammar mistakes.  EA is a multi-billion dollar company, and they have more bugs in their game than games made by companies with minuscule profits.  

I have yet to play a Madden game that has the immersive feel and quality of ESPN NFL 2K5.  The NFL needs to wake up and realize that EA has tarnished their league with a very low quality product, and DROP THEM.  I will not buy another Madden game until they either have competition, or the NFL cracks down and forces them to create a quality game that focuses on the fans and not on profits.  And honestly, I'd rather never buy a Madden game again and patiently await the time when another company can make an NFL game again.