By now, you've all heard about the blockbuster exclusivity deal between EA and the NFL, effectively punking out the competition by way of exclusion. I'd heard rumblings about such deals earlier in the year, but hadn't quite resolved myself to the notion that maybe, just maybe, this might actually happen. Which is probably why I was knocked back on my coal-mining keister when I read the news.

Fundamentally, I completely understand EA's point of view on this. They're number one in sales, and want to stay that way. They have the scratch and the influence to make a deal like this happen, whereas a company like Sega/Visual Concepts probably doesn't, at least not anywhere NEAR to the level that EA does. Still, I can't help but be deeply bothered by the whole thing. Ever since the announcement, all I've had playing in my head is that speech Michael Douglas gives in the movie Wall Street.

"The point is ladies and gentlemen that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of it's forms - greed for life, for money, knowledge - has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed - you mark my words - will not only save Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you."

Somehow, I just envision a faceless EA executive giving this exact speech, only replacing Teldar Paper with Electronic Arts.

Now look, I'm not here to demonize anybody. This is a caplitalist society, and business deals like this go down every day in a myriad of industries. This is just the first time in a long while when one of these deals has directly affected me, and my personal interests. I loved the ESPN games. I still do, in fact. I just worry that now, they'll be relegated to making some sort of Winning Eleven-esque generic version of football, and frankly, I just don't want to deal with that. The gameplay will certainly be there, but the ESPN games have also been about wholly authentic presentation. The way they capture the essence of an NFL broadcast, and the use of all the ESPN personalities. Hearing Chris Berman prattle on about Arena Football, or some fake brand of football made up for the game just does nothing for me, personally.

Then again, maybe it won't be all doom and gloom in the end. Right now, I envision a legal library full of panicked Sega lawyers, frantically pawing their way through every law book they can find, trying to find some obscure legal loophole that will allow them to sue to stop this. Even if they don't find the way, somehow, I don't think this is the end of anything--at least not in the short term. Ultimately, I think this is the beginning of a new chapter in what has been a long-running, very bitter, and intensely fascinating story. Even if the ending sucks, at least it'll be a wild ride.