Several Georgia players are included in the class action group scheduled to receive payment from EA Sports for use of their likenesses in its NCAA Football video game. Will some of you think less of ’em for that?
The funny thing is the kids would like to see the game return for the obvious reasons.
Theus played the game often growing up and would like to see it return. He says the game still has a huge following, and if the NCAA can work out a deal where the college football players are compensated for their likeness and image it could be a win for both sides.
“Whoever wants to play the game can play it, they [EA and the NCAA] can make money off of it, and guys can get a little more cash,” Theus said. “If they work something out, it would be awesome.”
EA Sports has already said it would be willing to resume production of the game and pay the kids for their likenesses. But amateurism is in the fans’ best interests, right?
Get The Picture 
Put the game out with only school names and colors. Make the mods for player names, skills, and numbers open source and let the nerds take care of it. i.e. Mindcraft
Screw the likeness crap. I hate when lawyers mess up a good thing.
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Or make the game–then sell the players names as DLC. Buy the individual teams you want–don’t buy what you don’t (or package the teams by conference). Easy to track who spent money on what teams–then send part of that money to those players. I don’t see why it needs to be more complicated than this.
I don’t really care how they do it–I just want my game back.
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Yea I hear ya. I miss that game.
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You can download updated rosters, fwiw:
http://www.operationsports.com/forums/ncaa-football-rosters/837340-ncaa-football-14-2015-16-roster-update-ps3.html
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Pretty much agree, not a playa at all but it is a kid’s game and having the school’s name and colors is all it needs. Let the school earn the money and apply it as needed it to athletics as they see fit. This is a team game, we don’t need individuals paid for likeness.
Not to highjack the thread but on a related topic, I heard an interview with Tubbs over the weekend regarding Cincy’s plan to distribute COA funds. They are dividing it approximately in half, with $300 a month going to the players and the other half paid at the end of the semester (haven’t looked up their numbers and my details may be wrong.) I like this approach better than giving them a lump sum, have fears of what might turn up the weekend after a big checks hits all those hands at once, or their friends learn that they are a good target to hit on.
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I always worry that all my bosses are going to wind up dead or in jail after bonuses get handed out each year.
I am sure they have the same worries about their employees.
Also your post is super racist.
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I didn’t read it as racist. If a handful of players (historically speaking) can’t go on spring break and come back to pass a drug test–imagine giving 120 kids used to having no money in their pocket a bunch on a Friday. A handful are going to go wild that weekend. It sounds to me like the coaches are preaching the right things about that money (not that they weren’t preaching the right things about smoking pot before all the failed drug tests…)
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Make that 85 kids–not 120.
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I just fail to see the wisdom in the argument that, because poor kids have little experience with money, they shouldn’t be allowed to earn money.
Will some kids make poor decisions with their own money? Sure. Does that mean that their wise and benevolent overlords in the NCAA should just pocket it instead? Not in my opinion.
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So many use the term “racist” with no clue as to what it means, or how to apply it. You can take homage that you are in the majority as being a total fool. The idea of “race” never entered my mind in writing that, because race is rarely a thought in my thinking, except when dealing with idiots who cannot get away from thinking in colors. When you have no clue just keep your mouth shut.
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After reading that you post was “super racist”, I had to re-read it to see wth DawgPhan was referring too. I still didn’t see it.
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Yep, he has other issues I suppose. The major point is that young, or unsophisticated, people need help in learning how to manage a budget and space their spending. It happens to athletes when they get that first big bonus check, when kids go off to college leaving the nest for the first time, why so many lottery winners go broke within ten years, and why the government required forced savings for Social Security. Has nothing what so ever to do with skin color.
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The players need a group like the NFLPA to negotiate on their behalf and then split the money evenly across all scholarship players. Allow them to get money, but have it make no difference in which school they would choose.
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If EA thinks adding likenesses to it’s game adds value to their game, then by all means reimburse the kids for that added value.
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They dont just think it does. They know it does and, I believe, there is evidence to support that.
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The problem EA faces is that they have agreed to pay for their past sins. To go forward they have to get the individuals to agree since there is no NFLPA for college players. This make the return of the game, as it was, impossible.
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I realize that some of the commenters and readers here probably never played the EA CFB series or the other College Football games that came before it or were its contemporaries but for those of us who grew up with the game it was really one of the best things about college football fandom. I remember the first Bill Walsh College Football game for Genesis and how easy it was to win with Georgia if you turned Eric Zier into an Option QB and pitched to Hearst or ran the dive with Mack Strong.
As the games became more realistic you could play with your team or others and get an idea of where the weaknesses were going into the season. The year that Georgia started the season ranked number 1, I knew before the season started that we were going to have trouble stopping anyone if the EA guys were right about our secondary and offensive line. There were always debates over how some teams would be fantastically overrated i.e. the late Tressel era OSU teams, or any USC team after 2005. While other teams were sleepers if they had one great defensive player at an important position or a QB who could run and throw deep.
I feel like these games gave me more insight into how complex defenses and offenses were ran and how they could work than my own experience playing football in High School.
There is so much money out there and these games are so popular that I hope that something can be worked out.
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Just give every player a copy of the game. I’ve been too old for gaming for a while but I’d still play that game. Being it back.
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You know a business major would balk at that. “My likeness is more valuable than the $60 retail/ $15 cost of this game.”
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I believe the average settlement amount is close to $1000 per student-athlete.
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Imo, a copy of the game each season is plenty compensation. I’m sure they are worth more but it’s either have a game with generic teams/schools, which no one wants, or or take something less that allows the company to keep making a quality game that everyone wants back. Seriously, there are only a couple players on any give team whose likeness on a video game is worth 1k. It’ll never come back if they have to fork out 1k to every SA every time there is a new release.
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Given that it’s willing to bring the game back and pay the players, EA Sports seems to differ with your assessment of its business model.
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Great
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I don’t keep up with their business model. I just know it’s been a few years since they’ve put a game out and that a lot of people want it back.
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I’m just pointing out that your beef isn’t with EA Sports. It’s with the NCAA.
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NCAA: “Yes, you can have the Nike shoes. No, you can’t have a $1000 payment for your likeness from EA Sports. No, you can’t have cream cheese with that bagel, but peanut butter is OK.”
Why is it so hard for everyone to see these very clear distinctions?
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