If you enjoy playing sports games on the Xbox 360 as much as I do then you already know what happens when you try to play your buddies online: the game play changes entirely and the experience is almost nearly never as fulfilling as a same console match up. Perhaps this is because of shoddy engineering. Or perhaps because of different internet connection speeds, who knows for sure. One thing that is prevalent – namely in games like Madden NFL 2009 and NCAA Football 2009 – is that most sports games really dwindle in their offerings once you take them to the online stage. After having spent numerous amounts of gaming play hours jabbing the controller on a variety of different sports games online, I have come to the conclusion that most sports game blow on Xbox Live. But, to further my point I do present to you the Top Three Reasons Why Sports Games Are Never the Same on Xbox Live. And if you disagree, please feel free to comment in. Sadly, I think that this one goes without saying, as most gamers I have ever spoken with wholeheartedly agree with me! Top Three Reasons Why Sports Games Are Never the Same on Xbox Live 1. Lagging: this is where you hike the ball or take the golf swing, or kick the field goal and there is an apparent lag that occurs, one that messes up your intended motion. 2. Glitches: these can range from cheap plays, to other players that have found a way to manipulate the game as it streams online, causing you much frustration in the process. 3. Varying internet connection and hosting server speeds: this is the most frustrating aspect of any live play, the internet connection of both you and your opponent, as well as the speed of the server, dictate the fluidity of the game. Live Evidence of Madden Glitches on Xbox Live While the quality of the imbedded video below is not the best, it does serve to augment the purpose of this entry, that popular sports games like Madden NFL 2009 often glitch and lag during online play via Xbox Live. In this video, a player documents how trick plays often don’t work and how the game will lag here and there intermittently, greatly taking away from the whole ‘supposed’ experience that you are supposed to enjoy online. When in reality, most sports games kind of just blow online!