I suppose there are two ways to take this ($$)…
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Monday the school won’t participate in EA Sports’ revived college football video game until “rules have been finalized governing the participation of our student-athletes.”
“As those rules are developed, it is our strong desire that student-athletes be allowed to benefit directly from allowing their name, image and performance history to be used in the game,” Swarbrick said in a statement. He said Notre Dame welcomes the return of the game, pending these changes.
… either that Notre Dame supports college athletes’ NIL compensation rights or that it’s simply cheap talk in the hope that no path to compensation rights ever becomes a reality, but I’m gonna hope it’s the former.
Either way, it strikes me as an indication of the game’s popularity and schools’ desire not to piss off its fans needlessly.
Get The Picture 
EA, sensing the changing tide in college sports, announced plans to bring their college football game back. However, if and when, that occurs is to be determined. Talk about moot points! He has effectively said nothing.
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EA is deeply buried in getting Battlefield 6 right, already pushed back. They need their flagship to be back strong and recover from a ton of bad publicity. They are also working on 2 Star Wars titles, which should be homeruns, but they’ve screwed up all things SW because they are EA.
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I’m still enjoying Battlefront 2, although I picked it up long after any problems would have messed with the game. Do you know if Squadrons is any good?
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Squadrons is ok, for what it is. I got it on sale, to play with some guys i played Battlefront with. The population was getting low quickly, and spawn killing is a thing which really sux the life out of the game. I am not big on flying, and the guys I know that are, played it like a month, and hung it up. if you like flying and get the game fro $10 or less, might be ok for a short while. I played just a few hrs and wish I never bought it; I knew better and did it anyway.
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I actually don’t think that they would oppose use of students in EA Sports games. Why would they? The school also gets exposure from it and doesn’t have to pay for it. They may not be doing it ‘for the kids’, so to speak, but they probably realize that a rising tide lifts all the boats. [I specialize in clichés].
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I had assumed that most programs would do this, especially those with any ability to read the room and those who currently enjoy recruiting success. The S-A are steadily gaining more power.
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ND always wants special rules..f em.
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Either that or if any monetary negotiation exists between ea and institutions likeness prior to the reintroduction of said game, nd is on that also….
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Would it be ironic if EA went ahead and made the game without Notre Dame in it, but replaced them with a fictional school based in Indiana that was clearly a substitute for Notre Dame? Similar enough that you know who it’s supposed to be but just different enough to avoid getting sued for any financial benefit.
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The Burned Cathedral Wrasslin Leprechauns of Elkhart, Indiana!
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Honestly, it sounds like Notre Dame is on the right side of this. They aren’t going to be taking EA’s money for their trademarks unless the players also benefit somehow from NIL. So, good for the Irish. And, frankly, by the time the game is ready to go after two years or so of development, the NIL thing will hopefully be settled because I don’t know that the game is going to be as fun if it doesn’t reflect the actual teams on the field. And, either way, I’d simply like to see the players be able to benefit.
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Tell Jack to join a conference and play Big Boy Football every Saturday then get back to me…until then the irish can go pound sand
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Per Sagarin, Notre Dame’s SOS last three seasons: 31, 37 and 51.
Ironically, the lowest number came in a season when ND played in a conference.
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Yeah, Notre Dame certainly seemed to have an easier go of things against an all-ACC schedule when they didn’t have to take on the likes of USC or Michigan or any other Pac 12 or Big Ten schools. Coach Kelly would probably sign up for a full ACC membership with enthusiasm. Joining the Big Ten might be a different story, but just any old conference? I feel like Notre Dame is an 11-1 or 10-2 team in the ACC for the foreseeable future if they were to join up today. Possibly 12-0 if they avoid Clemson until title game time.
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It’s not ironic that the ACC sucks. 🙂
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There’s no denying that Clemson is just ridiculously good and has been for the better part of the decade but it’s also undeniable that they’ve benefitted greatly from having a very easy neighborhood in which they get to be the bully.
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Haha their schedule is tougher than pretty much anyone in ACC and pac 12.
Except for the crazy covid year, conference needs them more than they need a conference (for football anyway).
I don’t blame them for staying independent as long as possible.
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Just guessing, but player compensation for Madden is probably negotiated through the NFL and the Union. Not sure I see how the economics and logistics work for EA to negotiate with all the individual college players and would expect the payouts/royalties to be very small. How many ways can you slice the fees on a $50 game? Maybe if they go subscription model they generate more revenue, but still… I don’t play or know how much games cost or are paid for today, so I’m just speculating.
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