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The Athletic compiled a team of all-time video-game greats from the past three decades of EA Sports NCAA Football.
theathletic.com
The game never has had real players, not technically, but we all knew “USC RB #5” was Reggie Bush, with the correct look, hometown, size and skills. That’s what made
Ed O’Bannon and others so upset and led to a hiatus of the game: The names might not have been there, but even casual fans knew who the players were.
EA Sports’ college football video game will
return next summer after more than a decade in dormancy. This time, thanks to a group licensing agreement with OneTeam Partners, the
real players officially will be in the game. Players will be able to opt into the game and be paid for their name, image and likeness to appear. If a player doesn’t opt in, he’ll receive a generic avatar — much like
“Jon Dowd” was Barry Bonds in EA Sports’ MVP Baseball 2005.
On3 Sports reported
players could receive around $500 each. Time will tell if star players try to get more.
O’Bannon didn’t want the game to end; he just wanted players to get paid. EA Sports said in a filing at the time it was
willing to pay the players, but the NCAA wouldn’t allow it, so EA Sports shuttered NCAA Football after its 2014 title in the face of more litigation. The sport suffered for it; a generation of fans lost a direct touch, and players didn’t get to see themselves — or, their likeness — in the game. They didn’t get to experience the fun of purchasing a copy and chasing the Heisman Trophy with their gamer images.
This year marks 30 years since the EA Sports game series debuted with Bill Walsh College Football in 1993. Over those 30 years and 21 titles, some players stand alone as all-time greats in the game. Their names may not officially have been a part of the game, but their virtual legacies live on.