College football is finally returning to the video game space, giving fans reason to rejoice. Since the release of NCAA Football 2014, college football has been absent, primarily due to issues regarding licensing. While the NCAA and universities have benefited from these games, the student athletes have not. This began the questions of whether or not they should be paid for use of their likeness. The argument gets deeper knowing that in any other instance, players cannot benefit directly from athletics association while attending. This means something as simple as selling a jersey or autograph or even trading in return for something not necessarily monetary is a no-no. EA made a wise decision to shut down operations as there rose more and more of a push towards athletes wanting beneficial rewards began.
Over the years, many compelling arguments have been made in favor of the student athletes. Even lawmakers have voiced opinions in regards to fairness. A university is able to flourish from athletics, while the athletes themselves oftentimes struggle. Luckily, the push for distributed income has gained traction over recent years. It seems as if there may be a course reversal for this.
That brings us to today’s announcement that EA plans to release “EA Sports College Football“. Sans NCAA in the title, it looks as if the EA is dealing directly with the CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company). Speaking with ESPN, EA Sports VP, Daryl Holt shed some light on how they plan to bring college ball back.
To make the game happen, EA Sports partnered with collegiate licensing company CLC to make sure they had the FBS schools, traditions, uniforms and playbooks — among other things — ready to go for the game. Over 100 teams will be in the game.
For now, EA Sports is planning to move forward without rosters that include the names, images or likenesses of real college players. Current NCAA rules prohibit athletes from selling their NIL rights while in college.
However, those rules are likely to be changed at some point in the coming year — either by the NCAA, state legislatures or Congress. It’s not yet clear if the evolving rules will allow for the kind of group licensing arrangements that would be needed for EA Sports to negotiate with athletes to use their names in the game.
While this is not ideal for college sports fans who enjoyed the titles, it is a start. One of the characteristics of any sports game is the likeness of the athletes on a given roster. These likenesses not only provide immersion but also give the fans the ability to identify the athletes that they know and love. It is one thing to play as Trevor Lawrence, another to play as a generic Clemson quarterback. Additionally, rosters are typically updated throughout a season to reflect real life changes. This helps the game maintain a fresh feel for the months on end that a title is played.
It also indicates that the game is still years away from making its return. It may be in EA’s favor to see if changes happen sooner than later in regards to student athletes. This would allow the company to be a bit more on the ball if they decide to eventually use likenesses.
From EA: "Development of EA SPORTS College Football is just underway, with launch timing still to come as the project progresses in the years ahead."
We're looking at 2-3 years probably. And by that time the players should be in position to be paid (NIL laws and player's union)
— Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre) February 2, 2021
There are lots of questions yet to be answered, but the good news is that fans finally have something to rejoice over.
Are you excited for the return of college sports in video games? We would love to hear from you. Let us know in the comment section below!