It's a warmautumn day at the South Street Seaport in New York, and 500 men ― most in their twenties and thirties and wearing baggy jeans, backward baseball caps, and football jerseys ― are gathered inside the sort of huge white tent generally reserved for wedding receptions. A quick glance seems to tell the story: armchair jocks elbowing for the best view of the big game, or any game at all. Jets-Giants, Eagles-Redskins, hell, even Bengals-Texans. They swarm around banks of TV sets, talking trash, bumping fists, and occasionally offering advice: "Play D, motherfucker!" In the middle of one huddle stands Robert Hart, a 31-year-old barbershop owner from Philadelphia. "Come on, baby, let's go!" he shouts, pumping his fist in the air as a St. Louis Rams defensive back knocks down a pass. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" It's a scene out of any sports bar in America. But Hart isn't rooting; he's playing. Thanks to the controller in his hand and the game in the PlayStation 2 console ― Madden NFL 2003 ― today Hart is the St. Louis Rams.
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