EA is teaming up with the NFL, ESPN and Disney XD to broadcasts the upcoming Madden NFL 18 Championship Series. The broadcast will start with the final rounds of the Club Championship and continue into the Ultimate League and Championship Series. 

This marks EA’s latest attempt to break into the esports scene. While they’re still referring to the events as ‘competitive gaming,’ their press release does use the word esport multiple times. That might seem like a nuanced fact, but EA has been weird about labeling anything related to Madden or FIFA as an esport, for some reason. 

The four-way partnership will feature 16 of the top Madden players battling it out from February 2 until the NFL Draft on April 28. The series will be broadcast on a combination of ESPN and Disney platforms, as well as streaming channels. According to Todd Sitrin, GM of the Competitive Gaming Division at EA, “The Madden NFL Ultimate League is purposely designed to make superstars of our best players, allowing viewers to develop player loyalties and follow competitor rivalries.”

The timing of this new series is one of its more interesting aspects. For nearly half the year, football fans are enamored with the NFL. Having this series coincide with two of the biggest football events of the year (draft day and the Super Bowl) is a good way to get attention. At the same time, fans might find it difficult to keep up in-between.

For general sports fans, February through April features the second half of the season and playoffs for both the NBA and NHL. Soccer is in full swing around the world and the MLB is gearing up with spring training and the start of the season. For esports fans, League of Legends, CS:GO, Overwatch and others are at the center of attention. And on top of all that, the Winter Olympics and The Bachelor Winter Games will be taking up most of February.

The summer, when there isn’t much to watch aside from baseball, or the early fall when the NFL and NCAA football are just getting started, seems like they’d be much better times with much lower amounts of competition. 

Of course, all of this is completely moot if EA can’t put out a product people actually want to watch in the first play. Truthfully, that’s where their focus should be. If they can’t manage to create a ‘competitive gaming’ product that people actually want to engage with, then timing is the least of their worries.