The college football world is absolutely buzzing over the awaited launch of EA Sports College Football 25. It’s been a long eleven years, but college football fans will get a new video game title for the first time since EA Sports NCAA Football 14. Lawsuits and other blockades kept it from happening, but now, we’re well on our way. The game is set to come out this summer. However, challenges are emerging, namely over the payouts for the game.
As part of a licensing agreement, players who opt into the game will receive $600 and a free copy of the new EA Sports College Football 25 title. This isn’t enough, according to the College Football Players’ Association. Pro Football Talk wrote an article Thursday with quotes from the group, who are furious with EA over their handling of this.
The CFBPA believes the players are being “treated like children,” the article, which came via Front Office Sports.
Via Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk wrote that the group told Front Office Sports, “The news here is that this is the first group licensing deal in sports business history to not include royalties. CFB players get a video game instead of royalties. The athletes of the second-most popular sport in America are being treated like children. Video games instead of [cash].”
The players face challenges themselves, though, as reactions from that quote revealed.
Roughly 11,000 players will be in this game. Each one accounts for 9 one thousandths of a percent. How much money is .009% of royalties? https://t.co/Zea8jmcdMr
— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) February 22, 2024
The bottom line is the appeal of the EA Sports college football game was never about the individual players.
College athletes aren’t being treated like children in this process, they’re just being treated like adults who have very little leverage in the negotiation. https://t.co/Stf16vKn25
— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) February 22, 2024
I manually typed in the name of every single player on every single roster in NCAA Football 2005 and I will absolutely do it again https://t.co/KLtmow8prc
— Parker Thune (@ParkerThune) February 22, 2024
$600 to get to be in a video game, one of the most iconic video games of all time on top of it???
Gotta say – if you don’t like it and believe you’re worth more, opt out. But you’re going to be in a video game and you can sell autographs of the game. Market it. https://t.co/KE1lk2fjsI
— Infamous Swiss (@infamous_swiss) February 22, 2024
This is getting out of hand. We used to play the game without names on the jersey. Guarantee the game would be good with or without the names just like it used to be. $600 and the game for free should be more than enough if you’re actually a decent player. https://t.co/5NsK5vfp52
— Handout 👑 (@drewcydrew12) February 23, 2024
