Updates

The NFL unveiled its plans for the HBCU student finalists who participated in the third annual EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 23 x HBCU Tournament with an exclusive experience during Super Bowl LVII week. Students will travel to Phoenix for a week filled with job shadowing opportunities and events with the NFL along with the Madden NFL 23 x HBCU finals. Each student finalist will receive a ticket to attend Super Bowl LVII on February 12.

Throughout the week, the NFL will host the student finalists to learn the business side of football at various events. Students will receive valuable career advice from NFL executives and key stakeholders while participating in immersive job training. Additionally, Microsoft has expanded its sponsorship support and will be creating a custom networking event at the Microsoft office in Tempe where students will get a chance to connect with employees.

Leading up to the finals, EA's Next Generation Talent team is hosting enhanced career development sessions, including tips for creating LinkedIn profiles, resume building, networking strategies, email etiquette and more. These sessions are uniquely designed to prepare and equip the students with fundamental skills for life after college.

Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys linebacker), Tiffany Green (ESPN Commentator), and Erin Ashley Simon (XSET's chief culture officer and co-owner) will serve as hosts of the Madden NFL 23 x HBCU tournament finals show on February 11 at 3:00 p.m. ET on the NFL YouTube channel. HBCU finalists will go head-to-head competing for the Madden NFL 23 x HBCU title and a piece of the $70,000 prize pool in cash and prizes.

"I am extremely excited to partner with the NFL to participate in the Madden NFL 23 X HBCU Tournament," said Parsons. "Programs like this are essential to promote professional skills and competition amongst the next generation of leaders in gaming and sports."

The Madden NFL 23 x HBCU Tournament is driven by the NFL's commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in both traditional sports and esports. The program had significant growth in its third season, with player participation increasing by 200% year over year.

School representation increased by more than 44% to 56 schools, with the finalists representing 11 HBCUs. To diversify student point of entry and participation, the NFL hosted the first all-women's bracket to encourage more women participation, and the first Madden HBCU Showcase, where students submitted video applications to be a part of the esports production and experienceship. Kaleb Levarity from Florida A&M and Antoine Richardson from Southern University were both selected.

Madden NFL 23 HBCU Top Student Finalists

This year's tournament features prizes and support from official partners of the NFL:

• Microsoft: Donating Xbox Series X + Surface Pro products.
• Visa: Contributing Visa prepaid products for each of the students to help pay for their meal expenses during the week.
• Other partners include Fanatics, Fan Creations, Igloo Products Corp., New Era Cap LLC, Rico Industries, Inc., SOAR (Prime Brands Group), Sporticulture, STARTER (G-III Apparel Group), Zipchair, and Zippo who have donated prize packages, featuring the favorite teams of each of the students.

Learn more about the NFL’s partnership with HBCUs and the opportunities it provides.