For almost two decades, the NCAA has sponsored a college football video game through Electronic Arts Inc., but this year’s game, which was released on July 9th, will be the last to feature the NCAA’s logo on the cover.
The NCAA elected last week not to renew its contract with EA Sports beyond the current one, which will expire in June 2014. Meaning this year’s game, NCAA 14, will be the final NCAA-affiliated EA Sports college football game.
However, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) confirmed on Friday that it will continue its extension with EA Sports, meaning that more than 150 colleges, conferences and bowl game will continue to be represented in future games as normal, but the days featuring NCAA’s logo and affiliation in the title are over.
The CLC represents almost 200 colleges, conferences and bowl games, but some have yet to approve the licensing agent’s newly renewed three-year contract with EA Sports.
Under the current and future contracts between the CLC and EA Sports, player’s names are not legally allowed to be used in the video game, but a likeliness of each player is portrayed, including physical attributes and jersey number, among other characteristics.
At Tuesday’s Mid-American Conference Media Day in Detroit, Kent State running back Dri Archer spoke on the EA Sports using his likeliness in the game.
“I get a lot of tweets about people playing as me,” Archer said. “Every day I get a new tweet about people saying they didn’t make me fast enough, but it’s still a great feeling to be in a video game.”
He also said that being in the game has been like a dream come true for him, because while growing up, he was forced to use the “create a player” feature to play as himself, but now he’s automatically on the Golden Flashes.
While Archer, along with other Ohio running back Beau Blankenship, had only heard rumors surrounding the future of college football games with EA Sports, Blankenship agreed that he doesn’t mind his likeliness being portrayed in the video game series.
“It’d be nice if we got money, but I can’t ask for that,” he joked. “It doesn’t bother me at all, though. Every other player has the same situation and I just like being in it, because everyone loves that game.”
EA Sports’ college football games sell two million units, on average, each year, and though Archer and Blankenship both play the game, not every player does.
“I’m more of a Madden player, honestly, so I don’t play the game,” Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch said.
Lynch, who finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting last season, also said that he likes NCAA 14 and enjoys that his likeliness is used, because it makes fans want to play.
Although the NCAA will not sponsor the video game for at least the next three years, the opportunity to simulate the play of one’s favorite college football teams will continue for fans of the game — along with the players portrayed in it.
“I bought the game the day it came out and I play it every day,” Archer said. “I actually just finished my first season in my Dynasty and beat Alabama in the National Championship with Kent State. It was pretty cool.”
cl027410@ohiou.edu
