By Lydia Jane Allison
Registration now open for HBCU students to compete in Madden NFL 25 tournament and earn a spot at 2025 Pro Bowl Games Week activation
NEW YORK — Dec. 4, 2024 — The National Football League and EA SPORTSTM continue their commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with this year’s edition of the Madden NFL x HBCU Tournament.
Aimed at empowering the next generation of diverse gaming and sports entertainment talent, the tournament offers exclusive HBCU student eligibility for a competitive, high-stakes Madden NFL 25 competition, with the top four finalists earning a trip to Orlando during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games Week. Participating students will battle it out for the title and gain hands-on experience working with EA SPORTS and a shadowing opportunity at a professional Madden NFL Championship Series broadcast.
“We are proud to continue this program for its fifth year in collaboration with EA SPORTSTM in our dedication to providing HBCU students with unparalleled competitive fun, mentorship and career experience,” said Ed Kiang, vice president of video gaming for the NFL. “This year’s program continues to celebrate the intersection of culture, sports and gaming while amplifying the voices of HBCU students.”
Registration is now open with online qualifiers Dec. 20-21, Jan. 3-4 and Jan. 10-11. Players will be invited for a last chance qualifier on Jan. 12 before they head to the elimination rounds Jan. 18-19. The top finalists will advance to Orlando during MCS Playoffs Week Jan. 28-Feb. 1, in conjunction with the 2025 Pro Bowl Games Week.
Finalists will have an opportunity to go behind the scenes with EA SPORTS in Orlando. They will get hands-on experience with how EA SPORTS produces games, connect with employees and leadership and learn about career opportunities that can help them as they continue in the collegiate journey.
For more information about the Madden NFL 24 HBCU Tournament, visit https://hbcutournament.nfl.com/.
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About the NFL HBCU Initiative
In May 2016, the NFL launched Strength of HBCUs, Impacting Pro Football Since 1948 in partnership with two prominent HBCU athletic conferences — the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The initiative has since expanded to also include other conferences and schools to recognize and strengthen its relationships with HBCUs across the country. Through these relationships, the NFL has developed several HBCU-focused programs to educate and connect students to careers in football administration and the sports industry at large.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.
In fiscal year 2024, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, Need for Speed™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS FC, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.
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