Nike Dominated the EA Sports College Football 26 Cover

As the old saying goes, it just means more. No, we are not talking about the SEC. It is the never-ending battle between sports apparel brands.

Nike, adidas, and Under Armour remain locked in an arms race for attention. Clicks help convince the youngest generation of athletes and fans that one brand is cooler than its competition.

That battle spills off the field and into storefronts and video games. The two covers for EA Sports College Football 26 were revealed yesterday, and there was one clear winner — Nike.

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams and Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith share the cover of the standard edition. Both players represent Nike schools, which had seven Swoosh logos appear throughout the standard edition cover.

Meanwhile the Deluxe Edition features more than 20 current players, former players, and coaches. EA Sports did an excellent job of incorporating as many schools as possible and balling it up into the beautiful mess that is college football.

Plenty of fanbases are happy about their inclusion of the cover (even my UCLA Bruins have a flag in the top right corner). However, adidas and Under Armour cannot be excited about the final outcome.

The Nike Swoosh logo appears 13 times (thanks to the prominent placement of players and their perfectly placed uniforms and accessories). Jordan Brand, part of the NIKE INC. family, has one Jumpman logo on Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Meanwhile, the adidas 'Three Stripes' logo appears once (on the right wristband of Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt).

Lastly, the Under Armour 'UA' logo pops up once (on South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Dylan Stewart).

Why did Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love have to make the shape of a heart with his hands over the Under Armour logo? It's more like a facepalm if you are sitting in Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, right now. Under Armour always pours over every detail.

College football season cannot get here soon enough. Luckily, both editions of the videogame are available for pre-order and will launch on July 10. There is no doubt that the brands will resume their marketing wars with new uniforms, accessories, and equipment (both in the real and virtual worlds).

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