College football players urged to boycott EA Sports video game over NIL money

That's if the College Football Players Association can convince players to use what bargaining power they have to force the issue

College football fans are eagerly awaiting the EA Sports video game's return to shelves sometime in 2024, but now there's some concern over how much EA will pay to players in NIL compensation for the right to use their names and images in the game, with rumors that some may hold out entirely.

That's if the College Football Players Association can convince players to boycott the game in the hope that EA will re-think how much it will play the players for appearing in it, a move that organization is advocating for now.

"All current players should boycott this deal," CFBPA leadership committee member and former Clemson center Justin Falcinelli told On3 Sports.

He added, "It's an opt-in deal, and they should not opt into it. It is just a ridiculously low amount of money."

How low? Reports suggest that EA has put together a cash amount of $5 million in total with which to pay the players featured in the game, a figure that would average out to around $500 for each player. In addition, players are not expected to receive royalties from the game for their appearance.

Falcinelli added that the game is "a simple cash grab to just try to get you for the lowest amount possible."

Just how likely a large-scale boycott could be remains an open question. Most players may welcome the payout as an opportunity to gain some national exposure and build their brands, and there's a question of, on one hand, what kind of leverage the players would have in the absence of a labor union or other formal organization with mass membership, and on the other, how much leverage the players could really apply in a situation where school licensing matters more than individual player likenesses.

But it's apparently been a topic of conversation among players, as Oklahoma quarterback General Booty and Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels have both hinted that players are privately discussing among themselves the amount being offered.

EA Sports has engaged athlete marketing firm OneTeam Partners to handle the likeness issues with players. Time will tell how successful that effort is.

(On3)

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