College Athletes to Receive Payment from EA Sports for Likeness in College Football Game
EA Sports, famed for their immersive sports video games, has announced a significant update. Their upcoming collegiate title, “EA Sports College Football,” will now offer payment to athletes who lend their likenesses to the game, under an opt-in system.
EA Sports College Football comes out NEXT SUMMER, FBS players can opt in to have their names/likeness in the game and GET PAID FOR IT, per @mikerothstein I remember being a White QB with dreads from Montana with no arm sleeve one year and Hawaiian the next. Those days are gone. pic.twitter.com/LkZ2sLHpZf
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 17, 2023
In a collaborative effort with OneTeam Partners, an agency working alongside NFL and MLS Players Associations, EA Sports aims to seamlessly incorporate collegiate athletes’ names and likenesses into the game set to launch next summer. The offer is inclusive, extended to all eligible players within the Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Athletes who agree to their name, image, and likeness (NIL) being featured in EA Sports College Football will receive just compensation. The process begins with an optional face scan for accuracy in rendering their likeness within the game. However, it’s important to note that not all college football players will get a face scan. This is due to the sheer volume of players – thousands from 120 FBS college teams nationwide – opting into the game.
For athletes who prefer to keep their NIL out of the game, EA Sports has a provision in place. They will create a generic avatar and player to replace the real-life athlete. EA Sports and OneTeam Partners are still refining the specifics, such as payment amounts and structures. EA Sports assured, in an interview with ESPN, that they aim to be “as inclusive and equitable as possible.” OneTeam Partners further added that if individual sales can’t be identified, especially with video game licensing, “revenue will be divided equally among the athletes included in each licensing program.”
Historically, EA Sports had to discontinue their NCAA College Football series in 2013 due to legal disputes over NIL usage. The NCAA prohibited it, adhering to the concept of sport amateurism. However, a transformative 2021 Supreme Court ruling now allows student athletes to profit from their NILs, paving the way for this exciting development.
Anticipation builds as EA Sports College Football is set to hit the shelves in Summer 2024, available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The intersection of sports, gaming, and legal landscapes has never been this thrilling.
