News Post

Sparty The Spartan From Michigan State University Selected as NCAA Football 09 Cover Mascot For The Wii

04:43 PM - March 18, 2008 by Steve_OS

SPARTY THE SPARTAN FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
SELECTED AS NCAA FOOTBALL 09 COVER MASCOT FOR THE WII

March 18, 2008 – The people have spoken! EA SPORTS asked college football fans to vote and determine which college mascot would have the honor of being on the cover of NCAA Football 09 for the Nintendo Wii. Although it was a tightly contested race, Sparty the Spartan from Michigan State University came out victorious.

Sparty the Spartan is Michigan State University’s fearless and loveable mascot and a figure known throughout the state of Michigan across the nation. Sparty, the heart of Michigan State, is a National Mascot Champion and has participated in the Universal Cheer Association’s National Championships.

Through the NCAA Football 09 Wii Cover Mascot Challenge, fans went online and cast more than 700,000 votes for their favorite mascots. Mascots from Central Florida, Washington State, Auburn, LSU, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa State, Alabama and Penn State rounded out the top ten.

NCAA Football 09 for the Nintendo Wii will focus on a more stylized gameplay that is quick and easy for fans to jump in and out of great head-to-head action, or manage their favorite college team through the “Dynasty Mode”. New to the Nintendo Wii platform, NCAA Football 09 will feature EA SPORTS Family Play controls, a multiplayer social experience that allows novice users to compete against advanced players and still enjoy success. The Easy Play controls are designed for the more novice fans, but also feature a traditional default setting for the more seasoned veterans. NCAA Football 09 will feature close to 200 schools from both the FBS and FCS divisions, making it the most authentic college sports gaming experience available for the Nintendo Wii.

For more information, please visit www.ncaafootball09.com.

Game: NCAA Football 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 95 - View All

NCAA Football 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Gamecocks625 @ 03/18/08 04:57 PM

Definitely looking forward to it, but the cover art itself is horrible. You would think the artists at EA would come up with something better. It looks like someone threw it together at the last minute.

# 2 D.Winn @ 03/18/08 05:32 PM

Glad i dont own a wii. I got to THE University of Alabama and i dont want to see that dumb looking mascot on the cover of my game. Why cant they get real athletes? Yes im a ***** hahahh BIG AL FOR LIFE

# 3 fistofrage @ 03/18/08 05:41 PM

Fight, Fight, Fight Team Fight.....Victory for MSU.

If the Alabama Elephant got chosen, would Bama count that as a National Title?

# 4 ChicagoSparty @ 03/18/08 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fistofrage


	Fight, Fight, Fight Team Fight.....Victory for MSU. If the Alabama Elephant got chosen, would Bama count that as a National Title?

The Elephant was first choice, until EA discovered it was ineligible due to illegal recruiting benefits.

# 5 Vadiplomat04 @ 03/18/08 08:11 PM

Its important to note that their will be 1-A and 1-AA teams in the Wii version. I'll bet that 1-AA teams will be in the PS3 and Xbox 360 verison as well.....so to all you people who were saying "Im not buying the game if 1-AA teams aren't in it" it's looking like your going to have to pull out your wallet's this year.

# 6 Husker_OS @ 03/18/08 08:24 PM

Michigan State? That's surprising. I figured one of the big schools like Texas or Ohio State would get it.

# 7 TrevJo @ 03/18/08 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vadiplomat04


	Its important to note that their will be 1-A and 1-AA teams in the Wii version. I'll bet that 1-AA teams will be in the PS3 and Xbox 360 verison as well.....so to all you people who were saying "Im not buying the game if 1-AA teams aren't in it" it's looking like your going to have to pull out your wallet's this year.

I will buy it whether it has I-AA or not, but I am certainly in the camp of hoping I-AA is in the game for Xbox 360! But, even though they are doing it for the Wii, I will not believe it for the 360 until I see it.

# 8 WazzuRC @ 03/18/08 08:38 PM

I don't understand. The polls closed last Friday and the updated standings showed Washington State the winner with Michigan St. 4th overall behind UCF and another school.

# 9 The GIGGAS @ 03/18/08 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vadiplomat04


	Its important to note that their will be 1-A and 1-AA teams in the Wii version. I'll bet that 1-AA teams will be in the PS3 and Xbox 360 verison as well.....so to all you people who were saying "Im not buying the game if 1-AA teams aren't in it" it's looking like your going to have to pull out your wallet's this year.

The Wii is going to use the previous gen's engine. That's why it'll have 1-AA, while 360 and PS3 probably will not.

# 10 cdj @ 03/18/08 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamecocks625


	Definitely looking forward to it, but the cover art itself is horrible. You would think the artists at EA would come up with something better. It looks like someone threw it together at the last minute.

That cover art is not the final version. It's just something the online staff put together for the Mascot Challenge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WazzuRC


	I don't understand. The polls closed last Friday and the updated standings showed Washington State the winner with Michigan St. 4th overall behind UCF and another school.

Those results were from Monday. Despite stating they were 'Current Standings', they were not.

# 11 Sausage @ 03/18/08 11:55 PM

I hope the Wii version is really important to the NCAA team and have top notch development. They need to talk to the team that worked on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Wii and get some tips and ideas. Peace.

# 12 Gibbz @ 03/19/08 12:00 AM

That cover looks horrendous...

# 13 Gamecocks625 @ 03/19/08 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdjacobs


	That cover art is not the final version. It's just something the online staff put together for the Mascot Challenge.

Are you sure? I really hope you are right, as I was expecting more from EA in that area.

Anyways, can't wait to give the ol' Wii version a spin!

# 14 RACZILLA @ 03/19/08 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamecocks625


	Are you sure? I really hope you are right, as I was expecting more from EA in that area. Anyways, can't wait to give the ol' Wii version a spin!

I can confirm that this isn't the final cover. Because voting ended Friday and we announced just a few days later, we devised an interim cover while the final pack art is being created. When we have the final art, we'll post it on the web site and send it through to the community sites as well.

# 15 thmst30 @ 03/19/08 05:02 PM

PS3 and 360 will not have 1-AA. Its in the Wii because its was built upon the PS2/Xbox version of the game. So you will be playing that version with the new Wii features. Thats all. If they were going to put 1-AA in the 360/PS3 version, I believe they would have already announced something before saying they are in the Wii version. Also I've said it a number of times, the guy who did the artwork for Texas St. was told flat out by an EA employee that 1-AA would not be on current gen consoles this year.

# 16 The GIGGAS @ 03/19/08 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thmst30


	PS3 and 360 will not have 1-AA. Its in the Wii because its was built upon the PS2/Xbox version of the game. So you will be playing that version with the new Wii features. Thats all. If they were going to put 1-AA in the 360/PS3 version, I believe they would have already announced something before saying they are in the Wii version. Also I've said it a number of times, the guy who did the artwork for Texas St. was told flat out by an EA employee that 1-AA would not be on current gen consoles this year.

Yeah, figured.

# 17 Gamecocks625 @ 03/19/08 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RACZILLA


	I can confirm that this isn't the final cover. Because voting ended Friday and we announced just a few days later, we devised an interim cover while the final pack art is being created. When we have the final art, we'll post it on the web site and send it through to the community sites as well.

Great! Thanks for the reply, RAC

# 18 D.Winn @ 03/21/08 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fistofrage


	Fight, Fight, Fight Team Fight.....Victory for MSU. If the Alabama Elephant got chosen, would Bama count that as a National Title?

Sooooo...the last time Michigan State won a championship was when?...how many national titles...hahahah..DOOOSH!!

# 19 Thrash13 @ 03/22/08 06:10 PM

It's a cover for crying out loud. Who gives a crap what it looks like. It could have a pile of crap on the cover, and I'd still buy it if the reviews were solid. Seriously, if the cover is that big a deal to you, get some cardboard or something to cover it up with.

Like others have stated, I just hope EA Sports actually takes some time to make the Wii version decent. All the other EA Sports' Wii games have been missing some detail. They have some positives, but it seems there are always more negatives.

# 20 Gamecocks625 @ 03/24/08 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrash13


	It could have a pile of crap on the cover, and I'd still buy it if the reviews were solid.

Unfortunately, this would not appeal to many in the Wii userbase

At any rate, I am definitely looking forward to what EA has in store for the Wii version. Hopefully they didn't remove features such as "create-a-school", "create-a-player", and the ability to name your rosters. Assuming EA doesn't go overboard with some wacky ideas, this should be a solid game.

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Sparty The Spartan From Michigan State University Selected as NCAA Football 09 Cover Mascot For The Wii