So the NCAA is moving ever-so-slowly towards name, image, and likeness payment. Cool. JP wrote about it.

But the big takeaway for me has been the impact on video games.

While it’s ridiculous to suggest that it is the ultimate end point of player payment, it makes sense that it is the overwhelming concern Average Fan X has about it. Not everyone is, or knows, a college athlete who would benefit from this. Nor does the average person have a local business they’d shell out money to have a player endorse.

The average person plays video games.

And, the Twitter thread Rodger Sherman put together more or less shows that EA Sports wants to bring that game to market.

I find the idea that there needs to be a group bargaining tool laughable to gain approval from the players. EA Sports simply needs to send them waivers (with download codes) to have them sign. Certain guys would likely need to get some money out of the deal and could negotiate with EA Sports. Maybe a couple players drop through, hoping to strike a big payday, but the overarching dollar figure would not approach the approximate $30 million Madden pays out members of the NFLPA.

In other words, EA Sports would serve as that group bargaining tool for college players. Through their likeness harvesting, they would be able to put out a college football game with the PLAYERS and not the SCHOOLS.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Sidenote - Imagine the conversation which would exist between EA Sports and Ohio State (for example): “Oh, that isn’t a team in scarlet and grey playing at The Horseshoe, just a team wearing red and silver playing at fake stadium which resembles The Horseshoe.”

It’s with that in mind that I have decided to come up with the fake schools to be used in AMATEUR FOOTBALL 2022. Please provide any suggestions you may have.

The Lakes Conference

Ann Arbor Oak

Appalachian Cougars

Bloomington Cutters

College Park Tortoises

Columbus Villains

Edina Cake Eaters

Evanston Martinis

Iowa City Tigers

Lansing Magic

Lincoln Navigators

Madison Growlers

Newark Red Planes

Urbana Champagnes

West Lafayette Locomotives

The Plains Conference

Ames Hoorays

Austin Cattle

Ft. Worth Stockyards

Norman Laters

Lawrence Ofarabias

Lubbock Flatlanders

Manhattan Manzanitas

Stillwater Pickens

Town Morgans

Waco Shiplaps

The Western Conference

Berkeley Hippies

Boulder Bison

Westwood Wizards

Corvallis Dams

Eugene Knights

Los Angeles Horses

Palo Alto Startup

Pullman Threeforks

Salt Lake City Golden Spikes

Seattle Bezos

Tempe Diablos

Tuscon Dirt Bags

The Eastern Conference

Atlanta Bees

Allegheny Rivers

Blacksburg Turkeys

Bluegrass Thoroughbreds

Chapel Hill Rams

Charlottesville Founders

Chestnut Hills

Coral Gables

Durham Balls

Onondaga Clementine

Raleigh Rally

Spartanburg Spartans

Tallahassee Floridamen

The Action Conference

Bowling Greens

Cuyahoga Tires

DeKalb Oasis

Erie Buffalo

Hocking Athenians

Kalamazoo Kalamities

Maumee Glaziers

Mount Pleasant Maroons

Muncie Lettermen

Oxford Commas

Portage Woolwicks

Ypsilanti Yps

The Rockies Conference

Ada Stallions

Albuquerque Wolves

Colorado Springs Pilots

Fort Collins

Honolulu Islanders

La Jolla Hoyas

Laramie Wranglers

Logan Wolverines

Paradise Roses

Reno Aces

Santa Clara Sparks

The Disjointed Conference

Annapolis Sailers

Broken Arrow Haboobs

Greenville Marauders

Hamilton Catbears

Harris Catamounts

New Orleans Grenades

Philadelphia Hoos

Shelby Exotics

Tampa Daze

University Park Joneses

The Connected Conference

Birmingham Magicians

Boca Ratons

Bowling Green Bolins

Denton Chartreuse

El Paso Sol

Hattiesburg Gilded Birds

Houston Oilers

Huntington Lightning

Mecklenberg Swarm

Miami Pumas

Murfreesboro Dropkicks

Norfolk Folks

Ruston Doges

San Antonio Meepmeeps

The Suspenders Conference

Atlanta Jaguars

Boone Climbers

Jonesboro Crowleys

Lafayette Creoles

Mobile Ports

Myrtle Beach Boatercycles

Ouachita Forest

Pike Pikes

San Marcos Outlets

Statesboro Blues

Independents

Amherst Militia

Golden Domers

Las Cruces Mules

Lynchburg Fire

Provo Peaks

Storrs Malamutes

West Point Infantry

The Southern Conference

Athens Bagdroppers

Baton Rouge Bagdroppers

College Station Bagdroppers

Colombia Bagdroppers (W)

Colombia Bagdroppers (E)

Fayetteville Bagdroppers

Gainesville Bagdroppers

Knoxville Bagdroppers

Lexington Bagdroppers

Nashville Bagdroppers

Opelika Bagdroppers

Oxford Bagdroppers

Starkville Bagdroppers

Tuscaloosa Bagdroppers