There’s no question about it: EA Sports’ Madden football series is the most popular sports video game series today.

The Madden phenomenon has grown in recent years, especially with the introduction of fan voting to determine which player will be on the cover of the game. Last year, the first year of fan voting, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis won the bracket-style tournament and had the honor of being on the cover of Madden 12.

This year, the voting is down to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Newton, a one seed in the tournament, actually appears to be the underdog right now as Johnson, a six seed, easily won all of his previous match ups.

Just to give my opinion on the topic, I believe that Cam Newton should be on the cover of Madden 13. With a large contract already in place with Under Armour and his own commercial, Newton may very well be the next face of the NFL.

Newton’s charisma and stature make him a very marketable athlete, and I believe that Under Armour will utilize Newton the same way that Nike utilized Michael Jordan.

Of course, Newton and Jordan aren’t comparable in talent, but just based on market value, Newton will soon be up near the top.

Being on the cover of Madden in just his second season would skyrocket Newton’s marketability, ultimately making him the future face of the NFL.

The fan voting ends on April 25th.

Fans can vote for who they want to have on the cover by going to this link: www.ESPN.com/MaddenVote