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.