Postscripts: EA Sports Opt-Ins, NCAA vs. NIL, Big 12’s Vegas Risk and Court Storming
What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, we’re opting into the game, NIL gets more fuel and the trip to Las Vegas is set for the Big 12.
They’re In The Game
The race is on to get into EA Sports College Football 2025. Earlier this week the video game giant opened the opt-in period for student-athletes to be in the game. With the opt-in comes a $600 stipend for name, image and likeness, along with a free copy of the game.
Within 12 hours, EA Sports reported that more than 5,000 student-athletes opted in. EA sent more than 11,000 contracts to student-athletes, who play for the 134 FBS programs.
One of the first Big 12 players I saw opt-in was Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks.
A few players will get more money through ambassador contracts. Those are likely to be the game’s biggest stars. Think Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who also opted in.
There was plenty of debate about the stipend and whether it was fair. For comparison, NFL players get a standard $25,000 contract to be in Madden. That’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. You’re talking 32 teams and roughly 50 or 60 players per team. We’re talking 134 teams and 85 scholarship players per team.
Last year at Big 12 Football Media Days I talked with several players about the game, knowing there was a chance it was coming this year. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, for example, still plays the last version of the college football game EA produced.
I asked them all roughly the same question — how much do you want to be in the game, if you get the chance?
The answer was universal — I don’t really care about the money or how much, I just want to be in the game. I’m paraphrasing, but that was the sentiment.
The fact that more than 5,000 players signed up in less than a day tells you everything. I’m not a video game guy. But I know enough people that are to know this game is a massive deal. I’ve asked enough players what they think about it to know that it’s a massive deal. Most of them won’t play in the NFL. This is probably their one chance to be in a video game.
For many of them, it’s not about the money. It’s about being in the game.
Can’t Stop That NIL Yet
In the definition of a Friday news dump, this happened.
So what did this mean? Well, the NCAA wants to enforce its Name, Image and Likeness rules. This injunction, for now, means it can’t. The suit was brought by the attorneys general for Tennessee and Virginia. But because it was a federal injunction, it applies nationwide.
Most notably, the judge ruled that a ban on using NIL money as a recruiting inducement “likely violates federal antitrust law.”
The case isn’t done yet. This is a temporary injunction for which Tennessee and Virginia were seeking relief. At some point, there will be a final ruling.
But the language the judge used in his ruling makes it look like a final ruling will be bad news for the NCAA, which is fighting battles on so many fronts that, at some point, the institution will probably implode.
Where that leaves us in college sports is unclear. But what is clear that in a future without the NCAA, money will matter more than ever.
Vegas Days
Big 12 Football Media Days are set — July 9-10 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Rebels. You know, the heart of Big 12 country, right?
I’m lukewarm to this. There is a conflict in Arlington. AT&T Stadium is hosting a CONMEBOL Copa América Quarterfinal on July 5, four days before Media Days. That’s a hard flip for stadium staff.
But with the SEC invading Dallas for its own media days at the Omni Hotel, the Big 12 is ceding its home territory at a time when it shouldn’t. Plus, the conference is basically giving up the free media it would usually get from Texas-based outlets, some of which won’t travel to Vegas.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says he wants the league to live at the “nexus of sports and entertainment.” Well I guess it’s time to get started.
Court Stormin’
Our Pete Mundo wrote a piece on Saturday about court storming after Wake Forest students stormed the court and it resulted in an injury to Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. He said later that he was targeted.
Pete’s take is that “Court Storming is the Dumbest Tradition in American Sports.”
I’m not with him on this one. I love it. When you upset a ranked team on your home floor, I have no problem if the fans want to storm the court. Is that risky, as Pete pointed out? Sure. But the Big 12 actually has a protocol for it. And it works. I’ve actually seen it work.
Those sorts of celebrations are part of the fabric of the sport. College basketball is enjoyed by college kids and when good things happen they should be allowed to celebrate. The spontaneity is part of it.
But a word to all college sports fans — if you keep injuring players, whether accidentally or on purpose, you’re going to lose the privilege and these great upsets will be lesser for it.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
