EA Sports’ 'game changing' proposal to FBS college football players

EA Sports is the company behind popular sports video games like Madden, FIFA, NHL and NBA games. They’re known for making their simulations as realistic as possible, and have made an intriguing proposition to FBS college football players to help their EA Sports College Football 25 mirror real life competition.

According to Fox Sports, EA Sports has offered $600 to every FBS college football player who opts into the game. That means their name and image and likeness can be simulated by EA Sports in the newest iteration of the college football video game.

Additionally, each college football player that opts in will receive a free copy of the video game. In theory, this would allow widespread playing of the game in college dorm rooms and other social gatherings. According to Statista, 36% of video game players are ages 18-34.

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This is a major change in video gaming experience, as previous versions only had player numbers or fake names for athletes in the game. For example, if a video gamer was playing with the Clemson Tigers circa 2020, the quarterback wouldn’t have been “Trevor Lawrence.” It would have been a “number 16” on Clemson playing under center, or someone under a different moniker.

The NCAA announced a change to its NIL(name, image and likeness) rules in the summer of 2021, which allowed players to profit off of their identity for the first time. This shift in policy is what allows a company like EA Sports to offer deals to college athletes.

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Forbes and others have taken a look at how NIL earning power for student-athletes across sports and genders differs based on the popularity of the games they’re involved in. Some might applaud EA Sports for offering the same amount of money to opt in for college football stars and student athletes who barely get on to the field.

With the introduction of NIL has come advice from consultants about how student-athletes can maximize their income. College Football Players Association vice president Justin Falcinell told NBC Sports that players should decline EA Sports’ offer. “It is just a ridiculously low amount of money, given the context and the hype that surrounds this game.”

Falcinell pointed out that NFL players received $17,000 for opting into the Madden video game in 2019, and that sum may have been as high as $28,000 in 2023.

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According to Yahoo Sports, over 10,000 FBS college football players have opted into the game as of early March 2024.

That has to be viewed as a huge win for EA Sports, who discontinued making college football video games after 2013. Authenticity was always a problem, and the potential for breaking amateurism laws was too great, according to a piece by SB Nation from 2015.

While it looks like a healthy majority of FBS college football players will be part of EA Sports College Football 25, University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning has decided not to opt in, according to Sports Illustrated.

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According to Texas Football reporter Anwar Richardson, Manning declined to be in the game because he “is focused on playing football on the field.”

While it looks like most of the college football player population will be in the game, coaches will not have the opportunity to opt into EA Sports College Football 2025, according to USA Today.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin would like to be featured in the game even if he isn’t paid for it, according to Bleacher Report. “The kids like to play it. When they’re picking the team, you would want recruits to play with the coach,” Kiffin said.

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EA Sports College Football 25 is set to be released in the summer of 2024, which times up well with college football teams preparing for the new season.

Let us know in the comments section whether EA Sports’ attempts to make the video game more realistic would motivate you to purchase it!