The end of college sports video games?

[jesmu84]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9728042/ea-sports-stop-producing-college-football-game

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pretty much.  The EA guys we deal with said that in no uncertain terms awhile back.  By the way, this has a revenue impact on the schools as EA pays more licensing fees to schools than almost anyone else.  Part of it makes me chuckle, the settlement that is.  300,000 players are going to get checks, of which 299,000 of which probably no one could identify that bought the game.  My son has a bunch of these games and we get it for the teams, he could not care less what players it represents.  That's just a focus group of one, but I find it difficult to imagine that the owners of these games know 99.9% of the players in the game that aren't on their favorite team, let alone when you get into all the small schools, and 3rd and 4th string type players. 

It will be interesting to see what kind of check these "exploited" players got.....which is also kind of funny.  Ask many college basketball and football players what video games they like to play, and it is the EA games that feature their school.  They like to be in the game.  Well, that's now gone.   Be careful what you wish for...unintended consequences. 

[Jay Bee]

It will be interesting to see what kind of check these "exploited" players got.....which is also kind of funny.  Ask many college basketball and football players what video games they like to play, and it is the EA games that feature their school.  They like to be in the game.  Well, that's now gone.   Be careful what you wish for...unintended consequences. 

Exactly. This is more about ambulance chasing d-heads than kids being upset that they are "kind of" in the game.

Many people do obsess over getting the rosters right, though. Because the players don't come "named" in the game, you have to go through and edit them... there are many people that do, with a few versions widely, widely distributed.. often much of that work is done pre-release as some people find a way to get the game early and start work on "making the real rosters".

Unfortunate.

[MerrittsMustache]

I'd like to know some info on the players involved in the lawsuit. Primarily, how many of them actually made some money playing professionally? I'd have to guess it's not many.

[reinko]

Tommy Frazier was ILL in NCAA 94.

[starting5]

I miss the ea college hoops game.  I think one year they had McNeal with long braids and they always had the numbers wrong.  If I was not an MU fan I would have never known the difference.
People get lazier by the minute always trying to find a way to make money without doing any work for it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

$40 million settlement.

Let's see, lawyer fees will be probably 40%, or $16M.

That leaves $24M left.  The claims are 200K to 300K players impacted, let's split the difference for simplicity...250K.

So 250k student athletes take home a piece of $24M, or about $96 per person.  Enough to buy almost 2 EA Games.


Even if the $40M is net of lawyer fees, you're talking only $160 per player.   Don't spend it all in one place...meanwhile, no more college sports video games. 

This is progress.

[MerrittsMustache]

$40 million settlement.

Let's see, lawyer fees will be probably 40%, or $16M.

That leaves $24M left.  The claims are 200K to 300K players impacted, let's split the difference for simplicity...250K.

So 250k student athletes take home a piece of $24M, or about $96 per person.  Enough to buy almost 2 EA Games.


Even if the $40M is net of lawyer fees, you're talking only $160 per player.   Don't spend it all in one place...meanwhile, no more college sports video games.  

This is progress.

It wasn't about the money. It was the principle of it  

Kudos to the players for not getting any money AND shutting down a popular and successful video game franchise.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It wasn't about the money. It was the principle of it  

Kudos to the players for not getting any money AND shutting down a popular and successful video game franchise.

+1

[Jay Bee]

The goal has been achieved.

Ambulance chasing attorneys will be paid big money.

[GGGG]

The goal has been achieved.

Ambulance chasing attorneys will be paid big money.

Yes.  Looks like the defense attorneys and plaintiffs have figured this all out.

[MarsupialMadness]

Btw, never seen this, which is surprising considering how much I play video games:

[NavinRJohnson]

Even if the $40M is net of lawyer fees, you're talking only $160 per player.   Don't spend it all in one place...meanwhile, no more college sports video games. 

This is progress.

Yet again, extremely easy for the guy who is well paid for his work to say. Why does EA have a God give right to profit off of college athletics? Please answer that for me.

Not only are these troublemakers who want to see players get their piece of the pie, or at least limit others ability to profit off of them, potentially messing with the success of college basketball and your beloved Marquette Warriors, now they are taking away one of your favorite video games. Oh the horror! Don't they know those players play college basketball for your amusement?

[MerrittsMustache]

Yet again, extremely easy for the guy who is well paid for his work to say. Why does EA have a God give right to profit off of college athletics? Please answer that for me.

Not only are these troublemakers who want to see players get their piece of the pie, or at least limit others ability to profit off of them, potentially messing with the success of college basketball and your beloved Marquette Warriors, now they are taking away one of your favorite video games. Oh the horror! Don't they know those players play college basketball for your amusement?

EA Sports signed a contract with the NCAA (which recently was not renewed) giving them the sole rights to produce a college football game for about the last 10 years or so.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Over the years I have been I have been invited to join class action suits against products, investments etc where the payoff for the attorneys is in the 100's of millions. Where I to pursue my due I would receive a coupon for a can of soup or something. I currently am involved in one where the attorneys allege the company issued misleading performance data to enhance the stock. The legal filing purports that they will receive literally several hundred million dollars in fees while I would be reimbursed some cents per share I purchased in that time frame. Didn't bother to join.   I place these parasites on par with ambulance chasers as they contribute nothing to society.

[NavinRJohnson]

EA Sports signed a contract with the NCAA (which recently was not renewed) giving them the sole rights to produce a college football game for about the last 10 years or so.

That's all fine and good. I get it, but it all comes back to the central question of should the NCAA be selling that which exists because of the individual players involved, when they don't provide the players a piece of the pie? It's an easy answer.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I got $5 from account and $12 from another in the big M&I fees class action settlement that just came down.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Best I have ever received was about $160 voucher from the Microsoft suit years ago, it did pay for a new lcd monitor

read the (IMO) hilarious Grisham book The King of Torts

[brandx]

That's all fine and good. I get it, but it all comes back to the central question of should the NCAA be selling that which exists because of the individual players involved, when they don't provide the players a piece of the pie? It's an easy answer.

+1

[Jay Bee]

That's all fine and good. I get it, but it all comes back to the central question of should the NCAA be selling that which exists because of the individual players involved, when they don't provide the players a piece of the pie? It's an easy answer.

No it's not an easy answer and your answer is foolish.

Why doesn't the Bradley Center give some cash to student-athletes? How dare ESPN broadcast highlights and not pay out money to student-athletes. Champion brand... that shirt you sold with some number on it, pay a student for it!  Right?...

[NavinRJohnson]

No it's not an easy answer and your answer is foolish.

Why doesn't the Bradley Center give some cash to student-athletes? How dare ESPN broadcast highlights and not pay out money to student-athletes. Champion brand... that shirt you sold with some number on it, pay a student for it!  Right?...

Ummm...actually, yes. Thinking maybe this is another like your obviously tongue in cheek vikings posts, because the Bradley Center is obviously a very stupid example, since MU pays to play there, but the others? Absolutely? Have you been paying attention? Ed O'bannon, Johnny Manziel, Jay Bilas...those names ring any bells with you? Champion, ESPN, CBS, EA Sports as pointed out here, pay buckets of money to the NCAA for the right to broadcast, use logos, school names, etc. without the players, exactly how much would those rights be worth?

[Jay Bee]

What's wrong w/the BC? Why don't they have to pay in tour crazy world?

The BC makes $ off of MU basketball.

BTW, the value of my degree is enhanced by the basketball program. Do I owe Jamil a cut?

[NavinRJohnson]

What's wrong w/the BC? Why don't they have to pay in tour crazy world?

The BC makes $ off of MU basketball.

BTW, the value of my degree is enhanced by the basketball program. Do I owe Jamil a cut?

[ChicosBailBonds]

That's all fine and good. I get it, but it all comes back to the central question of should the NCAA be selling that which exists because of the individual players involved, when they don't provide the players a piece of the pie? It's an easy answer.

Should my son's high school charge for tickets to his football game?  How about my daughter's elementary school that charges tickets for the holiday (can't say Christmas) show for $2 each. 

Should my daughter get a piece of the action since she will be on the stage with her reindeer ears singing carols?

[NavinRJohnson]

Should my son's high school charge for tickets to his football game?  How about my daughter's elementary school that charges tickets for the holiday (can't say Christmas) show for $2 each. 

Should my daughter get a piece of the action since she will be on the stage with her reindeer ears singing carols?

Really? If that's your defense of the NCAA you might just want to say you agree with me, because its just as dumb as what JB said. Dumber, actually. Is your daughter allowed to earn money? Is anyone paying your daughter's school large sums of money for the right to produce a video game or broadcast the Christmas Concert? If you daughter changes schools, does she have to sit out the Christmas concert at her new school next year?