This summer, EA Sports will be releasing its long-anticipated college football video game. And for the first time ever, the players included in the game will be compensated for their name, image, and likeness – but they won’t be paid much.
According to ESPN, players will be permitted to opt into the game and will receive $600 in compensation as well as a copy of the game.
“All athletes who opt in to have their name, image and likeness appear will eventually receive $600, plus a copy of the game that’s typically valued at $70. Athletes would remain in the game for their entire careers but could opt out of future editions if they choose. Athletes who remain in the game for multiple years will be paid annually, and players who transfer will continue to be compensated as long as they are on a roster,” Michael Rothstein wrote for ESPN.
EA, which is worth more than $37 billion, has budgeted $6.6 million to try to secure the NIL rights of 11,000 players, at a mere $600 each, for the new college football video game. https://t.co/5HjSzGPmI8
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 22, 2024
But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, this is not all that much money compared to what EA Sports is worth.
“EA, which is worth more than $37 billion, has budgeted $6.6 million to try to secure the NIL rights of 11,000 players, at a mere $600 each, for the new college football video game,” Pro Football Talk said in a post on X, the website that was formerly known as Twitter.
We’ll have to see how many players decide to opt in.
[ESPN]
