Are You Ready For Some (College) Football (Video Games)
February 10, 2021 6:38 AM   Subscribe

In a Groundhog Day tweet, EA Sports announced that they were looking to revive the College Football franchise, almost a decade after the studio shuttered the title in response to a $60M name, image, and likeness (NIL) lawsuit settlement as part of the response to the O'Bannon lawsuit.

In followup stories about the revival, EA Sports claims that they will be using "generic rosters" if they cannot secure NIL rights. However, given that there has been greater attention drawn to the collegiate system both at the state and federal levels, as well as the Kessler compensation cases heading to the Supreme Court, EA may be thinking that the NCAA's NIL rules may be getting pulled back significantly in the near future.
posted by NoxAeternum (7 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Boycott EA. I’m lucky enough to recall sports games before EA’s monopoly of league licenses. When there were actual competitive innovations, coaching modes instead of just fast twitch games, and the ability to design your own playbooks. EA just rehashes buggy unimaginative products year after year.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:44 AM on February 10, 2021 [5 favorites]


But more to the point about college “amateurism,” here is a scathing article from the Athletic on its origins. Spoiler alert: rooted in class and race ideology circa the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:49 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]


A friend of mine and I would play this incessantly, but only in mascot mode, to the point where we'd refer to it as "Mascots," as in, "Hey, you wanna play some Mascots?"
posted by AJaffe at 8:34 AM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]


I have no issue with EA using player images and likenesses, so long as the players get the royalties directly.

If EA isn't paying them for the NIL, they should not be using their NIL.

If a player has to sign away NIL rights to a 3rd party just to play, that is bullshit.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:42 AM on February 10, 2021 [3 favorites]


If a player has to sign away NIL rights to a 3rd party just to play, that is bullshit.

This is what the NCAA and EA got smacked down for in O'Bannon,so they won't be doing that. What looks to be on the horizon is the NCAA's NIL restrictions becoming illegal, allowing players to sign on to licensing deals.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:53 AM on February 10, 2021


Is it an NFL2K5 sequel?

No?

No sale.
posted by delfin at 8:00 PM on February 10, 2021


But more to the point about college “amateurism,” here is a scathing article from the Athletic on its origins. Spoiler alert: rooted in class and race ideology circa the Teddy Roosevelt administration.

Amateurism has always been about class warfare. The Latinate root of the word itself - amor, love - illustrates this, as it indicates that the individual is engaging for the love of the activity, as opposed to being paid for one's activities.
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:49 PM on February 10, 2021


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