EA told investors what they want to do with EA Sports College Basketball.
Insider Gaming reported on EA’s latest investor meeting. EA CEO Andrew Wilson would not commit to anything about EA Sports College Basketball. But he did tell them what they want to do.
EA’s Ambition For EA Sports College Basketball
We feel like we deliver that incredibly well with College Football. We’d love to do the same for basketball. All 350 programs, men’s and women’s teams, the iconic traditions and rivalries, and of course, March Madness.
What 350 Programs Are He Talking About?
US college basketball is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They have their own jargon for how each college is organized for the purposes of athletic competition.
The NCAA refers to each college that plays by their basketball programs. So, instead of giving the name of the school, or calling them basketball teams, they’re called basketball programs.
Andrew Wilson did not refer to the NCAA by name, but he is talking about something NCAA related. NCAA’s Division I has a little over 350 programs, or basketball teams, playing under the same division. 68 of those programs have women’s basketball teams.
Why Andrew Wilson Didn’t Name The NCAA
People who are familiar with US college basketball would know Wilson was talking about Division I. But there’s a good reason why he didn’t refer to them by name.
A basketball player sued the NCAA because college athletes like him were not getting paid for appearing in sports games. The NCAA’s own rules did not allow these athletes to get paid.
After losing in court, NCAA changed their rules so that college athletes can get paid endorsements and sponsorship deals. But now, video game companies like EA and 2K Sports won’t use the NCAA brand in their games anymore.
What Else Can EA Do
The NCAA has two other men’s divisions with other participating colleges. It also has two rival organizations that organize college basketball, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
EA could be even more inclusive than before, bringing these other colleges in these organizations into their game too. EA already did this with EA Sports FC.
Those teams and schools and their fans would be really happy to be part of EA’s games. EA has a financial incentive to bring in as many teams to as many of their games as possible too. And this is true for all the sports games they have.
But then again, just because EA wants to bring all those teams into their game does not mean that they will be able to. They apparently signed a deal with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), who represents these schools and programs. But we won’t know for sure until EA officially announces their game.
