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http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2013/july/ncaa+will+not+renew+ea+sports+contract
 (http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2013/july/ncaa+will+not+renew+ea+sports+contract)

May not be a bad thing for either party.

Oh well. Just call the next one College Football '15 and say piss on the NCAA and piss on Ed O'Bannon.  :nod:

I don't understand the bad feelings about O'Bannon. The NCAA, EA nor anyone else should be using the likenesses of people without paying them for it. And yet, they've done it and been getting away with it for years.

That press release sounds like the NCAA is seriously worried about this lawsuit and is abandoning EA's ship. They may not have actually licensed to EA the use of athlete's likenesses, but they sure did profit from it.

Because it's pure and simple greed. What real "likeness" is used on these games? On last year's game, Justin Hunter had hair halfway to his waist, for pete's sake.

How did you know it was him?  :biggrin:

So maybe Hunter just sue UT if someone wears No. 11 this year, since that's his "likeness."

Look, these guys are given a free education worth tens of thousands of dollars. They also get the notoriety that many of them revel in. And they get a big leg up for job opportunities once they're out of school simply because they played the game.

I hardly see a nameless anime version wearing their number and playing their position as an entitlement for them to receive money. It's greed. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't believe that because they have received a "free" education that they should be required to sign away the profits from the use of their image, likeness and, in some cases, their actual names. Tens of thousands of dollars for an education is nothing compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that companies, schools and the NCAA make off these guys. They have to sign away their rights in order to receive a scholarship to play college football, which in all practical terms means NCAA football.

Call it greed, but that applies to everyone. And there's no reason that the athletes should be criticized for their greed in light of the massive greed of everyone else.

Same reason I think Spurrier's (and others') crusade to have college players paid is hogwash.  As if the free ride they get isn't enough, now they need "spending money" too?  Talk about a slippery slope.  I know colleges are making billions off of it but nobody's forcing these guys to line up and play football, these "poor" athletes know the deal.

Wait. So now a school should not be allowed to make a profit off its football program unless players are paid a salary? Sorry, but not only is that a terrible argument, it would completely end college sports as we know it, with repercussions that extend well beyond the football field.

Try playing football as a profession without competing in the NCAA first. They are more or less forced to be NCAA athletes if they want to pursue that profession. It's not really a free market and can't be. I think Spurrier actually makes a really valid point about paying players a stipend-- they are more or less student workers, for good or for ill-- and my only objection is a practical one: that it prices out some schools that are less profitable.

I didn't say anything about paying the players a salary. Let's start with this "free" education idea. I don't believe it's free because it's not. It's a business deal. Both sides get something. The player is paid with an education and the college is paid cash from ticket sales, souvenir sales and TV and bowl revenue. While the player is in school, playing for the school, I have no problem with the school making as much money as it can from the deal.

But when the player is gone, the deal is done. Why should anyone make money off someone without compensating them for it? And if the deal is over with the school, why should entities such as EA or the NCAA get anything out of it when they weren't part of the business deal to begin with.

If the players get a little more walking-around money, I'm not going to get upset by it. But I never even suggested anything along the lines of some substantial sum like a salary. My gripe is what happens when they are not at the school anymore and those companies that profit from them.

They get more than the academic education.  If the athlete aspires to play professional football, he gets everything he needs to help him achieve that goal, including: many hours of personalized instruction from coaches; a field upon which to display and hone your talents; high quality competition; excellent film of yourself in practice and in games; a phenomenal training facility with a strength and conditioning coach; an opportunity to become nationally (and certainly regionally) known, which gives you a head start on endorsements after college; etc.

I'm not saying the players get the best end of the deal, but what they get is highly valuable.  It is worth much more than just the free tuition and room/board.

Non-athletes, because they usually don't make money for the school, often have to pay for an education and get unpaid internships before reaching a place where they can have a high-paying career.

Well, dingleberries.  Just as we are on the verge of getting good again, they aren't going to make it anymore.  That sucks.  I love to play but we've sucked so bad the last few years that online play has been agonizing.  Poop.

If this is truly the end of the line for the NCAA Football franchise, at least EA got a version of Rocky Top with crowd vocals on there before calling it quits.  :dude:

But did they capture the Woo?

Sorry; I misinterpreted what you were saying. I still can't agree, though. Well, I DO agree that if anyone is compensating off players once their playing days are behind them and they're out of school that they're entitled to a share of that. I'm just not sure how much that's happening. As for the EA Sports series, each year's game is pretty much obsolete by the next year, when those current players have graduated or moved on.

Here is a primary reason why I think players who think they're entitled to something are being greedy: When I went to school, I worked. My own fault, for not studying harder in high school and earning scholarships, but hindsight is always clearer than foresight. I scheduled my classes so that I didn't have anything on Fridays. I left Cookeville as soon as my Thursday evening class was complete, drove home, went straight to work and worked all weekend, completing my last shift late Sunday night. As soon as I finished work Sunday, I would drive back to Cookeville. There were many times when I would pull into the parking lot on Sunday nights and literally couldn't remember the drive from Oneida to Cookeville. It's many wonders that I didn't fall asleep and wreck.

I know that players have to make a lot of sacrifices, too. In fact, I think most people overlook those sacrifices. I can't imagine putting in the hours required to play ANY varsity sport (maybe basketball more than football, even) and still maintain honors' status in the classroom. But here's the difference: Those players have tremendous resources made available to them, simply because they're players. If they're willing to show the dedication, they will not be allowed to fail in the classroom. As for me, no one cared that I didn't finish a project in time for my 8 a.m. Monday morning class because I was working all weekend. I just had to suck it up, because I had to pay my tuition, books, etc. etc.

Maybe it's me who's being selfish, but I can't feel too much sympathy for the players.