"Well boys, this has been real educational and all, but now let's part with that old EA Sports sayin': "Get the f--k out of my buildin'!"
And they're still not as bad/evil as Ubisoft.
I think the athletes have a case though. If it's a first amendment thing, try putting Tom Cruise's likeness on a game without his consent and see what happens.
True, but nobody is going to put Tom Cruise's likeness in a game that isn't a game about a Tom Cruise movie. In the same way, nobody is going to make a game just about college player XYZ.
When Cruise signs onto a movie, he presumably has a contractual clause relating to his share of the profits from the movie's game or the movie's merchandise or secondary goods, whatever.
In the same way, when a player agrees to play in the NCAA (I assume there's some sort of contract or agreement between the player and them) I think it's between the player and the NCAA to determine the terms of use of their basketball image. If the players are unhappy with the deal they made with the NCAA then I don't think it's EA's problem.
It's really easy to shit on EA because you like to, but they have the NCAA license and they went through the proper legal channels. I think they're in the clear here. In this case EA is the 'innocent consumer' who bought a bootleg and someone's trying to prosecute them for counterfeiting.
The underlying problem I think is with the NCAA and the players relationship; while most college students are basically functional retards I do think the way the NCAA denies them the fruits of their labor is unfair. Further, while I don't think their monopolistic position is illegal in itself, I do think the lack of player representation (or rather the lack of player accomodation) is abuse of it's position as the NCAA is really the one and only avenue to the NBA short of the few players who get picked up right out of HS. And hell, even some of them still enter college ball, basically denying themselves a ton of money and potential deals.
Players still benefit from the NCAA's advertising and facilities and scholarships and image, but that street goes both ways, the NCAA is nothing without it's players and in turn most of the players need the NCAA for the opportunities it presents. But I do think the players give more than they get.
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