In July of 2013, sports fans all around America lost their favorite video game when the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) announced it wouldn’t renew its contract with EA Sports. EA was hoping to continue the NCAA Football series as many colleges had approved a three year contract extension, but the game would have been missing some key components such as anything trademarked by the NCAA, like their logo. The game would’ve also been missing teams that didn’t approve the contract extension, with the most notable being Ohio State University. By the time September rolled around, EA Sports officially cancelled the series. This was because of a 2009 lawsuit led by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon. He felt it wasn’t fair that players’ likenesses were used in games but players weren’t making money out of it.

After the O’Bannon vs. NCAA trial, judge Claudia Wilken “opened the door for college athletes being compensated for the use of their names, images, or likeness (NIL)  in video games and during television broadcasts.” Her decision is being appealed by the NCAA. A second lawsuit against the NCAA led by sports litigator Jeffrey Kessler seeks to eliminate all restrictions against college athletes being paid, freeing players and EA Sports to strike whatever NIL deal they find mutually agreeable. Basically if Kessler wins, we get our favorite game back.

The steps to bringing the game back will be: EA Sports has to want to bring the game back, the NCAA has to drop its ban on paying players, and players themselves have to license out their NIL rights. We won’t find out for a while when a new game will be played, but for now America will have to live without a college football video game.