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Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer
One of the biggest questions about the new EA Sports college football game has been answered as Notre Dame will be in the game.
The “or not” debate for schools to allow the use of their marks in games has been on the table for nearly two years, ever since the video game company announced it would be reviving the popular series. Part of the reason is because of schools' feelings about name, image, and likeness rules.
On Tuesday, Notre Dame announced it will participate in games scheduled for release this summer.
“After nearly two years of working with EA Sports, we are thrilled to announce that fans around the world can now play as the Fighting Irish in our upcoming college football franchise,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. I'm proud of that.'' . “The work EA Sports is doing to give more than 11,000 college athletes the opportunity to directly profit from their name, image and likeness is the first of its kind, and we are proud of it. I am proud to have been a part of the process.”
In a statement regarding the addition of the Irish player, EA Sports said Notre Dame has been an “excellent partner” throughout the addition process. “We work closely with Notre Dame and hundreds of other institutions to ensure that everything from the stadium to the mascot to the athlete names, images and likenesses faithfully represents their programs, traditions and unique atmosphere. Notre Dame is a great partner and we are honored to bring the Blue and Gold to College Football 25.”
Notre Dame's initial reluctance to allow its use in school games revolved around questions about the NIL going back to 2021 — nearly three years ago, when the NIL landscape was even cloudier. , EA Sports had not finalized plans for athletes to benefit from enrolling in the school. game.
Since then, NIL has been incorporated into the college sports landscape, allowing athletes to benefit from having their name, image, and likeness used, leading to Notre Dame being featured in the new EA Sports game. It is certain that it will appear.
EA Sports College Football 25 is the company's first college football game since 2013, when NCAA Football 14 was released, featuring then-University of Michigan quarterback Dennard Robinson on the cover.
