With the NIL (Name, Image and likeness) deal assisting players’ marketability and funding, college student-athletes are able to get paid for their image. This has shaken-up the landscape of college sports as athletes transfer for more money and the top schools are not getting the best players.
A situation has unfolded with the release trailer for National Collegiate Athletics Association 25 (NCAA), the college football game being expected to be released. Questions began to circulate about how the NIL deal and the players would be affected by the game release.
With the heads of the college boards coming together to work on a solution. An agreement came up for players to not be forced in the game or their name be put in the game without their permission.
Student-athletes are now given the option to be put in the game with a return for them. Athletes would be given a total of $600 and a copy of the game for free, with the value of the game being $70.
With head coaches of each conference meeting with their players to make their official decision across the NCAA. If players accept this clause, they will be giving up their names, faces and likeness to be used in the game.
This alone is a groundbreaking accomplishment because over the years prior, NCAA games did not have the actual faces, names and likeness of players. Before this they would instead use fake names or names close to real players.
This clause has given players more reason to be in the game as Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager of EA Sports, reported an estimated 10,000 players have agreed with the terms.
As that rises the total number of payouts being $6,000 and EA Sports executives and group general managers believe that is worth the price to bring back a franchise that hasn’t been played or made again for over 12 years now.
As EA Sports look to create the most realistic game as possible while giving the proper respect to the players, coaches and schools of the respective teams.
NCAA 25 does not have an official release date, but the projection looks to be in the summer of 2024. Released this year or not, fans’ excitement cannot be more buzzing as the trailer has over 238,000 views on YouTube in the span of two weeks.
