ESPN really loves maps. They’re constantly mapping out their polls, separating responses by state so you can see for yourself that people in Wyoming think the Vikings have the best shot at the Super Bowl, or whatever. I never quite understood this, but ESPN Map Madness, on the other hand, is a fun little geography game that any sports fan can appreciate.
Essentially, ESPN Map Madness is a three-round geography quiz, where the clues to the answers are sports-related. Each round has ten questions that offer up a clue via a picture. So, for instance, a first-round question might be “Where does this team play?” with a photo of the Chicago Bears logo. The player then places a marker near Chicago, and submits the answer. Points are given based on proximity to the actual answer, with a bonus added if you answer quickly.
The geographic proximity is no joke, either. In the above example, you couldn’t just slap the marker down in the middle of Illinois and expect full credit. I suppose it’s a nice way to distinguish the multiple California and Florida teams, but it still strikes me as funny that you could get more points for putting a marker for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Georgia than you would if you put it down in southern Florida.
As enjoyable as this simple quiz game is to play, it’s too bad it’s limited to football at the moment. While there are separate quizzes for NCAA and NFL football, ESPN Map Madness could certainly use quizzes for the other major sports.
Error of omission aside, ESPN Map Madness is a fun geography game that might even help younger sports fans get a better handle on their United States geography. If you have an inclination toward football or map quizzes, this is an app worth taking a look at.
