It was three years ago when EA Sports announced it would no longer make its college sports video games. Paul Kittredge . The announcement was made in the midst of a battle with former college players who alleged that the game maker and the NCAA were using their likenesses in the game without permission or compensation.It took another three years, but in 2016, players who were in the games for the past decade of the production of the college basketball and football games were paid off as part of a settlement (the median payout was about $1,000).Players who discussed their compensation checks in public were scrutinized on social media by fans of the game, and the man who lent his name to the fight for athlete royalties, Ed OBannon, also drew a lot of criticism.Over the years, rumors of the games resurrection have popped up among an audience eager to play again. In fact, just as the NCAA said it wouldnt support a game in the future, EA rounded up the top schools through licensing agent CLC and extended deals with guaranteed money through 2017.But after interviews with more than 10 inside sources -- including those in the video game industry and executives at schools -- as of now there is no traction on EA making a new college game.There are several reasons for this.In order to make a game worth buying, EA is going to have to use the players likenesses again. What the structure for payment would be is unclear because the settlement is one for past use, not a guide for the future.Also, the settlement which produced roughly $1,000 per player was for that class (football and basketball players in that time frame). Its certainly up for debate whether any royalty generated and distributed -- as of the last agreement, around $10 million total went to schools -- would have to be distributed to all student athletes, which significantly lowers the individual payout each athlete would get.Several athletic department sources suggested that the lack of an NCAA football game in particular has been detrimental to the sport, as young players have had to gravitate to other games. One AD wondered aloud whether schools would be willing to forgo their royalties and put the money into getting a game back on the shelves. He wondered how many kids have started watching European soccer games instead of college football on Saturdays as a result of playing EAs FIFA game.That idea, at least initially, has been shot down because there is still concern about the prospect of being sued. The schools and EA would have to be indemnified against any lawsuit in order to move forward with that plan.Another point often overlooked is that before the OBannon trial made its way into the spotlight, EA lost its right to make college games exclusively. That begs the question: Is there someone else willing to take on the legal responsibility to make the games?Two Alabama residents reportedly are going to try to raise $850,000 on Kickstarter at the beginning of September to begin making their own game by 2019.But beyond securing the licenses, it will be hard to make a quality game and set up distribution similarly to what EA had accomplished.That is unless Sony or Microsoft want to get involved. Whats their incentive? It may pay for console makers to use the game to sell the consoles. Imagine how many could be sold with an exclusive NCAA football game bundle.Having reported on the OBannon lawsuit from the beginning, I know theres little interest from fans on the nitty gritty of college athlete compensation. Most fans just want to know what happened to the video game. Right now, the future doesnt look particularly bright for a good game to be produced anytime soon. Deuce Lutui . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Neil Halleck . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/oscar-mcbride-jersey-for-sale/ . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. What is OTD?OTD stands for opportunity-adjusted touchdowns. It is a statistic that weighs every carry/target and converts the data into one number that indicates a players scoring opportunity. For example, if a player has an OTD of 3.0, it means that a statistically league average player who saw the same number of carries/targets in the same area of the field would have scored threee touchdowns. Bill Mackrides. OTD KeyLooks = Carries + targets Diff = Difference between the players total OTD and actual TD total Ru OTD = Rushing OTD Re OTD = Receiving OTD In5 = Carries by the player inside the opponents 5-yard line EZ = End zone targets ' ' '
It was three years ago when EA Sports announced it would no longer make its college sports video games. Paul Kittredge . The announcement was made in the midst of a battle with former college players who alleged that the game maker and the NCAA were using their likenesses in the game without permission or compensation.It took another three years, but in 2016, players who were in the games for the past decade of the production of the college basketball and football games were paid off as part of a settlement (the median payout was about $1,000).Players who discussed their compensation checks in public were scrutinized on social media by fans of the game, and the man who lent his name to the fight for athlete royalties, Ed OBannon, also drew a lot of criticism.Over the years, rumors of the games resurrection have popped up among an audience eager to play again. In fact, just as the NCAA said it wouldnt support a game in the future, EA rounded up the top schools through licensing agent CLC and extended deals with guaranteed money through 2017.But after interviews with more than 10 inside sources -- including those in the video game industry and executives at schools -- as of now there is no traction on EA making a new college game.There are several reasons for this.In order to make a game worth buying, EA is going to have to use the players likenesses again. What the structure for payment would be is unclear because the settlement is one for past use, not a guide for the future.Also, the settlement which produced roughly $1,000 per player was for that class (football and basketball players in that time frame). Its certainly up for debate whether any royalty generated and distributed -- as of the last agreement, around $10 million total went to schools -- would have to be distributed to all student athletes, which significantly lowers the individual payout each athlete would get.Several athletic department sources suggested that the lack of an NCAA football game in particular has been detrimental to the sport, as young players have had to gravitate to other games. One AD wondered aloud whether schools would be willing to forgo their royalties and put the money into getting a game back on the shelves. He wondered how many kids have started watching European soccer games instead of college football on Saturdays as a result of playing EAs FIFA game.That idea, at least initially, has been shot down because there is still concern about the prospect of being sued. The schools and EA would have to be indemnified against any lawsuit in order to move forward with that plan.Another point often overlooked is that before the OBannon trial made its way into the spotlight, EA lost its right to make college games exclusively. That begs the question: Is there someone else willing to take on the legal responsibility to make the games?Two Alabama residents reportedly are going to try to raise $850,000 on Kickstarter at the beginning of September to begin making their own game by 2019.But beyond securing the licenses, it will be hard to make a quality game and set up distribution similarly to what EA had accomplished.That is unless Sony or Microsoft want to get involved. Whats their incentive? It may pay for console makers to use the game to sell the consoles. Imagine how many could be sold with an exclusive NCAA football game bundle.Having reported on the OBannon lawsuit from the beginning, I know theres little interest from fans on the nitty gritty of college athlete compensation. Most fans just want to know what happened to the video game. Right now, the future doesnt look particularly bright for a good game to be produced anytime soon. Deuce Lutui . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Neil Halleck . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/oscar-mcbride-jersey-for-sale/ . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. What is OTD?OTD stands for opportunity-adjusted touchdowns. It is a statistic that weighs every carry/target and converts the data into one number that indicates a players scoring opportunity. For example, if a player has an OTD of 3.0, it means that a statistically league average player who saw the same number of carries/targets in the same area of the field would have scored threee touchdowns. Bill Mackrides. OTD KeyLooks = Carries + targets Diff = Difference between the players total OTD and actual TD total Ru OTD = Rushing OTD Re OTD = Receiving OTD In5 = Carries by the player inside the opponents 5-yard line EZ = End zone targets ' ' '
