ON CHRISTMAS DAY, John Madden gathered his close family members and friends around his TV at 2 p.m. A documentary about him and his tall-tale life, "All Madden," was airing on Fox, and he wanted to watch it with the people he loved the most.
Many of the people in the room with him -- namely, his wife, Virginia, and sons, Joe and Mike -- had made tremendous sacrifices over the decades as Madden rose to stardom, first as a Hall of Fame coach, then as a broadcaster, then as an esports pioneer. He'd often acknowledge that he missed more of his boys' young lives than he ever wanted. "Virginia raised the kids," he'd tell friends.
But his family also had invested deeply in Madden's success, and this documentary served as a perfect coda to their family story. They were proud of him, and Madden considered his career to be theirs, too.
