An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

[Kanobi]

This thread might be closed at some point but I wanted eyes on this, hopefully the eyes of those who can make some things happen via twitch, youtube, blogs etc and get this out there, preferably in the hands of some higher-ups...movers and shakers.

To whom it may concern,

This note is regarding an issue that is somewhat broad in scope but encompasses a relatively small segment of our society. This complaint centers on the exclusive licensing contracts that the National Football League (NFL) and Nation Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has with EA Sports for the Madden NFL video
games.

Trust that I speak for MANY consumers and avid players of video-game sports, particularly football, in saying the NFL and NFLPA are contradicting their own principles and short-selling their own representation in the realm of video game sports with their exclusive partnership with EA Sports.

For all of the NFL's and NFLPA's emphasis on fair competition, they have completely prevented that same fair competition in the arena of sports video games by not allowing other video game developers/publishers access to the NFL/NFLPA licenses so that they can compete with EA Sports in the football video game market.

There are other video game developers/publishers with the technical skills and resources to produce an NFL video game that is far superior to that of the current Madden NFL video games.

One such developer/publisher is the company 2k Sports - https://www.2k.com/

2k Sports has produced an NBA video game series called NBA 2k - https://www.2k.com/games/nba-2k16

Though their NBA2k video games have been widely regarded as THE standard in that field and far superior to the 'NBA Live' video game series produced by EA Sports, the 2k team continues to push the envelope in innovation and refinements to their game to ensure the consumer is getting the most realistic and authentic representation of the NBA and the game of professional basketball.

Here is a video of the 2k developers describing some of the key enhancements and upgrades they made to NBA2k16 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK2FUST36hE

Sadly, they are blocked from providing consumers that same innovative, industry-leading quality in an NFL video game because of the exclusive contracts the NFL and NFLPA have with EA Sports for use of their licenses.

The Madden NFL video game produced by EA Sports has only recently introduced features in its Madden NFL 16 game that were innovated almost ten years ago in a football video game produced by 2k Sports known as All-Pro Football 2k8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NRwOfQkOVk

All Pro Football 2k8 used fictional teams with rosters composed of legendary former NFL players because 2k could no longer legally use existing NFL teams or players in their games.

To this day, All Pro Football 2k8 is widely considered the best football video game ever made despite it being nearly 10 years older than Madden NFL 16 and not having use of the NFL license.

Now, consider what 2k would have been able to achieve with an NFL/NFLPA licensed video game had they never been blocked from use of those licenses and were able to continue refining and innovating, pushing the envelope of their version and representation of the NFL and professional football.

They would arguably have an NFL-licensed video game today (NFL 2k16) that rivaled their NBA 2k16 video game in industry-leading, standard-setting quality and innovation.

It can be argued that EA Sports, as a company and direct competitor of 2k Sports, foresaw this outcome and so to prevent it from happening, entered an exclusive partnership with the NFL and NFLPA for use of their licenses.

This is the equivalent of a starting quarterback paying a head coach and general manager for exclusive rights to the starting job regardless of his performance or any other quarterbacks on the roster showing more skill and potential.

That's why the NFL's and NFLPA's exclusive partnerships with EA Sports contradicts the league's own emphasis on fair competition.

2k Sports has already demonstrated the ability and potential to produce an NFL/NFLPA-licensed video game that is superior to that of the EA Sports Madden NFL game. But 2k Sports is legally and unfairly blocked from doing so.

Because of this, the NFL nor the NFLPA are seeing their interests represented to its fullest potential in the realm of video game football. In essence the NFL and NFLPA have sold themselves short with their exclusive licensing contracts with EA Sports.

More importantly, consumers and fans of the NFL and NFLPA are being deprived of having a CHOICE in the video game football market.

To you reading this...I know it was long but I beg that you get this letter through the proper channels in hopes that some action is taken that leads to the NFL and NFLPA reconsidering exclusive use of their license and allowing other highly talented and driven video game developers/publishers like 2k Sports a fair opportunity to compete.

Thank you so much for your time, it is truly appreciated and may you be blessed.

[Kanobi]

Re: An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

A highly interesting read on the backroom shadiness that basically killed All-Pro Football 2k and NFL2k - http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...is-Cheating-Us

Former NFL Player: EA Deal is Cheating Us
ANDY CHALK | 30 SEPTEMBER 2008 8:28 AM

A former NFL player has written an open letter to John Madden, calling for his support in a class action lawsuit on behalf of retired players while highlighting the hardball tactics employed by EA to push 2K Sports out of the football game.

Jeff Nixon, a free safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979 to 1984, penned the appeal in support of the Retired Players Class Action Suit against the National Football League Players Association and its marketing division, Players Inc. In it, he claims that instead of representing the interests of retired players, NFLPA executives provided a sweetheart deal to Electronic Arts which was "significantly below market rate." According to an email from NFLPA COO Andrew Feffer to Paul Cairns of EA Sports, the NFLPA negotiated a deal for EA that was less than half what it would have been without their "involvement and assistance."

While it's unfortunate that Players Association executives are apparently working against the very people they're supposed to represent, of greater interest to gamers is the impact this deal apparently had on 2K Sports, which found itself muscled out of the NFL videogame business. An internal email written by the NFLPA's Clay Walker takes credit for making the deal for the Hall of Fame player rights, and adds, "EA owes me a huge favor because of that threat was enough to persuade Take Two to back off its plans, leaving EA as the only professional football videogame manufacturer out there."

As it turns out, Take-Two's departure from the scene was not only bad for gamers, but also for the football players themselves, according to another email from Players Inc. attorney Joe Nahra. "We definitely aren't going to require you to pay an additional price unless you choose to add players that didn't sign off on the original deal. You have the existing HOF [Hall of Fame] players that responded to our letter for several years with no increase in cost," he wrote. "The per player price for most of these guys was tens of thousands of dollars less than what they were guaranteed by Take Two Interactive so it's a real coup that we were able to pull this off so cheaply."

"You have to remember that EA's total cost is only $200,000 per year," he continued. "We know that Take Two offered six figure deals to several former NFL players so the total cost is millions below market prices. That being said, we'll continue to go after the new inductees for the same price per player (around $2500) and I think we'll be successful."

Source: GamePolitics

More on this - http://gamepolitics.com/2008/09/30/l...adden-himself/

In Lawsuit Over Madden Payments, NFL Retirees Appeal to Madden Himself
September 30, 2008 by gamepolitics

NFL retirees who are seeking a bigger slice of the pie from licensing deals such as the one involving the Madden NFL video game series have appealed to the man himself.

In Parrish, Adderley et al vs NFL Players, Inc., a class action lawsuit scheduled for trial in U.S. District Court in California in October, the former players claim that they have not gotten their fare share of revenues despite being depicted as members of some classic teams in Madden. The retired players are suing NFL Players, Inc., the licensing arm of the players union, the NFLPA.

Jeff Nixon, 51, who played free safety for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-1984 is tracking the lawsuit on his blog. Nixon has penned an open letter to John Madden, calling for the football announcer and former NFL coach to support the retired players:

You are… the face and name behind the wildly popular EA Sports Video Game – Madden NFL… will you sit back and let the NFLPA and EA Sports continue to take advantage of our Hall of Fame players?



…Evidence in the Retired Players Class Action suit demonstrates that the NFLPA and Players Inc. were working against the interests of the retired players and in favor of your boss EA Sports. For example, this internal email from NFLPA Executive Clay Walker, confirms that Players Inc. negotiated a deal with EA on behalf of retired Hall of Fame players which was significantly below market rate:



“I was able to forge this deal with the HOF that provides them with 400K per year (which is significantly below market rate) in exchange for the HOF player rights. EA owes me a huge favor because of that threat was enough to persuade Take Two to back off its plans, leaving EA as the only professional football videogame manufacturer out there.”



…Instead of negotiating the best possible deal for the retired players which it purported to represent, the NFLPA and Players Inc. were doing favors for EA by reducing compensation to retired players, and driving a competitive licensee [Take-Two’s NFL2K series] out of the market…



And in this February 22, 2007 email from NFLPA Executive Clay Walker to Players Inc. in-house attorney Joe Nahra, the naked truth is exposed to the world:



“…The per player price for most of these guys was tens of thousands of dollars less than what they were guaranteed by Take Two Interactive so it’s a real coup that we were able to pull this off so cheaply. You have to remember that EA’s total cost is only $200,000 per year. We know that Take Two offered six figure deals to several former NFL players so the total cost is millions below market prices…"



John, these are your fellow Hall of Fame Players they are talking about! Are you going to let them get away with this? I know that EA is your employer, but come on…

[X_isBringingSexyBack]

Re: An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

I wish people would read the Pecover V. Electronic Arts documents, especially YouTubers like Bshadows who make these terrible videos spreading misinformation about what happened.

After reading those court documents, you quickly realize that EA was a scared kitten making kill moves in desperation. The memos the execs were sending made me laugh at how frightened they were, even admitting that Madden wasn't as good. But nobody likes to read...

Rather than get behind their dev kits and beat 2K in development, they had to do it through licensing. Still easily one of the most pathetic moments in gaming history that still negatively affects us today since the genre market was destroyed by the exclusive license.

[iNolaNightmare]

An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

The NFL simply doesn't care. I'm almost convinced it will never happen, despite the hope I constantly hold for it.

There is so much wrong with the NFL and it's much more than this exclusive license.

Keep in mind, you're dealing with a company who calls themselves a nonprofit organization.

[Hooe]

Re: An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

Keep in mind, you're dealing with a company who calls themselves a nonprofit organization.

The NFL dropped its tax-exempt status this past April.

[kjcheezhead]

Re: An Open Letter Regarding NFL, NFLPA, EA and 2k

It's in the NFL's hands now. They've gotten too big and make so much money with exclusives that they've quit caring about their fans.

I was listening to Mike and Mike in the morning talking about Cam Newton giving footballs to fans when he scores and how that gesture will turn that kid into a football fan for life.

I wish the NFL would take that attitude with video games. Not every kid likes madden, and with no football alternative quite a few turn to NBA games or FIFA or just skip sports games all together. A kid that would've grown up to become hard core fans of football, play the sport, go to games, buy more merchandise ends up a casual who just follows on occasion.

Say what you will about the quality of 2k5, Madden 05, NFL fever but the fans of those games were passionate. Their game of choice helped mold a love for football and the NFL in them. Just like Cam' s gesture, that era created hardcore fans that spend a fortune on other NFL products annually. I don't think the same can be said for the stale exclusive option that EA offers today.