As much as much as I would like to hold EA Sports responsible, I don't. I blame the NFL. From a business standpoint, EA did the smart thing by getting the exclusive rights to the NFL license. They had to protect themselves because developing games is very expensive. Don't you guys remember that 2K sold their game at 19.99 that year, and in doing so, undercut not only EA, but 95% of the other developers in business. 2K made a bad business decision that could have started a downward spiral, which could have resulted in a lower quality games for us or the end of the video game industry all together.
Does this mean that the lack of competition is a good thing? Absolutely not!
but, we should hold the NFL accountable. As a child, I loved the NFL. I looked forward to the releases of Madden as much as anyone else. There was a certain magic about the NFL. Sadly, I no longer feel that way. I don't buy Madden because of the NFL, I don't watch the games because of the NFL (See the last play of the Pro-Bowl, sickening) The exclusive agreement with EA is just the icing on the cake. Football was never intended to be commercialized the way it is today. The old school NFL would have never considered entering into any exclusive agreement such as the one with EA, because it hurts the fans and is wrong. Do you blame the underage teen who asks for the alcohol or do you blame the adult who gives it to him?
The NFL, by entering into this agreement is simply stating that is does not care about the fans. They have never questioned the fans to find out what they wanted? Do they care? Of course not! The people in those offices only care about what benefits them. "It's all about the money honey" Sad
Some other notables: Cancellation of the Philadelphia game due to a snow storm? (Really)
How about players complaining about field being too hard for the game that was moved to Minnesota's college stadium?
Need I say more?
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