Update on 1UP/ESPN roster article controversy

by pastapadre
Posted May 25th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

Update: Todd Zuniga has responded in the comments and now his blog. It is greatly appreciated, however much of the damage that has already been done by the original article can’t be corrected. I have edited my title though to reflect the current situation.

There have been long running issues that have come with the ability to edit roster files for NCAA games. For years now there have been those who have profited off the rosters, in many cases after having stolen them from someone else who did all of the work. Not only is it immoral, but with the NCAA licensing it is illegal to profit off of the names of amateur athletes.

Numerous websites have been created to solicit along with eBay having being another consistent place this occurs. Unsuspecting consumers have continually been ripped off. And it is no small “business”. The most active roster sellers have been known to rake in well over $50,000 off a game like NCAA Football which is the primary “seller”.

One of these scumbags is Brian Kaldenberg of gamerosters and now fkrosters (which he bought back in December). Not only is he a well known thief across the community having been shown to have stolen rosters numerous times in the past (which have been made by others through hundreds of hours of work) but he will even come right out and admit it. This was the case earlier today in postings on Operation Sports where he was throwing it in the face of everyone. Not to mention he has even been sued by the NCAA in the past.

Recently Todd Zuniga of 1UP irresponsibly featured Kaldenberg in an interview. This was then carried by ESPN Videogames which is driven by 1UP created content. It is extremely disappointing that these media outlets would support such an endeavor and the person behind it.

In the past this put at risk the actual ability to make player edits at all in NCAA branded games. It looks like now though with the addition of the EA Locker and 2K Share those will fill in by providing user created rosters for free and to anyone who has online access.

The important thing it to NEVER pay for rosters. There are places to get them for free even if you don’t have online access to download them through the EA Locker. Do anything you can to spread the word about the feature and prevent as many as possible from being duped into the roster scam by people like Kaldenberg. Hopefully the talk that has been ongoing over the past few years where the NCAA may agree to include named rosters will come to fruition in the future and put to bed the issue completely.

Tags:

http://purpreign.blogspot.com/ B.

It seems like he’s either totally nuts or he might just see the writing on the wall.

Either way, it’s good that you and the OS commenters are putting people on game.
http://purpreign.blogspot.com/ B.

It seems like he’s either totally nuts or he might just see the writing on the wall.

Either way, it’s good that you and the OS commenters are putting people on game.
http://purpreign.blogspot.com B.

It seems like he’s either totally nuts or he might just see the writing on the wall.

Either way, it’s good that you and the OS commenters are putting people on game.
yandor

nice job zuniga giving exposure to that idiot. he also stated that ea had bought the rights to college basketball, might want to work on his facts also.
yandor

nice job zuniga giving exposure to that idiot. he also stated that ea had bought the rights to college basketball, might want to work on his facts also.
yandor

nice job zuniga giving exposure to that idiot. he also stated that ea had bought the rights to college basketball, might want to work on his facts also.
pastapadre

So I think it was two years ago that I tried putting up “free rosters” on ebay where the pages showed where they could be found. Of course ebay yanked my auctions and let the others continue. Which, BTW, ebay has gone down the crapper the last few years in a sad way (off-topic I know…)
pastapadre

So I think it was two years ago that I tried putting up “free rosters” on ebay where the pages showed where they could be found. Of course ebay yanked my auctions and let the others continue. Which, BTW, ebay has gone down the crapper the last few years in a sad way (off-topic I know…)
pastapadre

So I think it was two years ago that I tried putting up “free rosters” on ebay where the pages showed where they could be found. Of course ebay yanked my auctions and let the others continue. Which, BTW, ebay has gone down the crapper the last few years in a sad way (off-topic I know…)
baumy300

That guy is hilarious. Stupidest “businessman” I’ve ever seen.
baumy300

That guy is hilarious. Stupidest “businessman” I’ve ever seen.
baumy300

That guy is hilarious. Stupidest “businessman” I’ve ever seen.
http://1up.com/ Todd Zuniga

Hey, it’s Todd Zuniga–just got wind of all of this, and wanted to respond (and will respond more on my blog in minutes).

But first, for the college hoops license, check this link.

Okay, now for the rosters: this is a shock to me, and I’m currently looking at the Brian Kaldenberg situation. There was no way for me to know that he stole roster files that he was given for free, and when I dug up the story, I thought it was a great way for people to get names in NCAA Football. To me, it’s worth paying for, as it’s a huge, massive, insane amount of work.

Did I dig deep enough? Apparently I didn’t. I never thought to check into court records.

As for the headline to this story, seems downright ridiculous. By posting a story about a roster update site I don’t feel like I’m walking around wearing a Brian Kaldenberg for President t-shirt. It was one site amongst many (much like a site I’d written about in the old OPM days, run by DT Lindner: http://www.psxsports.com/).
http://1up.com/ Todd Zuniga

Hey, it’s Todd Zuniga–just got wind of all of this, and wanted to respond (and will respond more on my blog in minutes).

But first, for the college hoops license, check this link.

Okay, now for the rosters: this is a shock to me, and I’m currently looking at the Brian Kaldenberg situation. There was no way for me to know that he stole roster files that he was given for free, and when I dug up the story, I thought it was a great way for people to get names in NCAA Football. To me, it’s worth paying for, as it’s a huge, massive, insane amount of work.

Did I dig deep enough? Apparently I didn’t. I never thought to check into court records.

As for the headline to this story, seems downright ridiculous. By posting a story about a roster update site I don’t feel like I’m walking around wearing a Brian Kaldenberg for President t-shirt. It was one site amongst many (much like a site I’d written about in the old OPM days, run by DT Lindner: http://www.psxsports.com/).
http://1up.com Todd Zuniga

Hey, it’s Todd Zuniga–just got wind of all of this, and wanted to respond (and will respond more on my blog in minutes).

But first, for the college hoops license, check this link.

Okay, now for the rosters: this is a shock to me, and I’m currently looking at the Brian Kaldenberg situation. There was no way for me to know that he stole roster files that he was given for free, and when I dug up the story, I thought it was a great way for people to get names in NCAA Football. To me, it’s worth paying for, as it’s a huge, massive, insane amount of work.

Did I dig deep enough? Apparently I didn’t. I never thought to check into court records.

As for the headline to this story, seems downright ridiculous. By posting a story about a roster update site I don’t feel like I’m walking around wearing a Brian Kaldenberg for President t-shirt. It was one site amongst many (much like a site I’d written about in the old OPM days, run by DT Lindner: http://www.psxsports.com/).
http://1up.com/ Todd Zuniga

Oh, also: I want the best to come of all this, so maybe you can help point me in the direction of free rosters. If they’re easy to get to, then I want to make lemonade out of the Kaldenberg lemons.

Let’s do it!
http://1up.com/ Todd Zuniga

Oh, also: I want the best to come of all this, so maybe you can help point me in the direction of free rosters. If they’re easy to get to, then I want to make lemonade out of the Kaldenberg lemons.

Let’s do it!
http://1up.com Todd Zuniga

Oh, also: I want the best to come of all this, so maybe you can help point me in the direction of free rosters. If they’re easy to get to, then I want to make lemonade out of the Kaldenberg lemons.

Let’s do it!
baumy300

[quote comment="22078"]Oh, also: I want the best to come of all this, so maybe you can help point me in the direction of free rosters. If they’re easy to get to, then I want to make lemonade out of the Kaldenberg lemons.

Let’s do it![/quote]

Sometimes on operationsports.com people post their roster files on there. Also, with the EA locker feature this year there should be plenty of free rosters to download. Look for guys like Fairdale_Kings. Some people have amazing detail put into their work.
baumy300

[quote comment="22078"]Oh, also: I want the best to come of all this, so maybe you can help point me in the direction of free rosters. If they’re easy to get to, then I want to make lemonade out of the Kaldenberg lemons.

Let’s do it![/quote]

Sometimes on operationsports.com people post their roster files on there. Also, with the EA locker feature this year there should be plenty of free rosters to download. Look for guys like Fairdale_Kings. Some people have amazing detail put into their work.
baumy300

Oh Todd, don’t know if this helps/matters, but throughout the year some people make updates to their rosters, especially with the player ratings. Think of guys like Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin who have breakout years. They adjust their ratings as the season goes, therefore keeping accurate, up to date rosters available.
baumy300

Oh Todd, don’t know if this helps/matters, but throughout the year some people make updates to their rosters, especially with the player ratings. Think of guys like Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin who have breakout years. They adjust their ratings as the season goes, therefore keeping accurate, up to date rosters available.
baumy300

Oh Todd, don’t know if this helps/matters, but throughout the year some people make updates to their rosters, especially with the player ratings. Think of guys like Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin who have breakout years. They adjust their ratings as the season goes, therefore keeping accurate, up to date rosters available.
Darren

That thread on OS was hilarious!!
Darren

That thread on OS was hilarious!!
Darren

That thread on OS was hilarious!!
trojan92

Nice article Pasta, I almost bought a roster update from one of these idiots last year. Lucky for me I held out a little bit longer and got it for free.
trojan92

Nice article Pasta, I almost bought a roster update from one of these idiots last year. Lucky for me I held out a little bit longer and got it for free.
trojan92

Nice article Pasta, I almost bought a roster update from one of these idiots last year. Lucky for me I held out a little bit longer and got it for free.
http://www.ncaastrategies.com/ cdj

Great article, pasta. Items like this really need to be brought to light. A large demographic of gamers are getting ripped off by this scam and this article only brings in more victims.

Unfortunately, there is the perception that gaming sites do not put much pride or effort into their coverage of sports games. Articles like the one by 1UP.com only add to that perception.

Had he done a Google search on this character, within the first few pages the author would have found info on the NCAA lawsuit, incidents on facebook & wikipedia, and a bad reputation on community sites. This character lives for website hits, Google ranking, and stealing the work of others.

Gamers are beginning to ignore the reviews and commentary on sports games from sites such as 1UP, IGN, ESPN.com Video Games, kotaku, etc. given irresponsible reporting such as this and also not properly evaluating certain game features (online play, for example) and not looking to see if community wishes are addressed from year to year. They treat these franchises as if they were second-rate, not doing their homework like they do for titles such as Halo, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, etc. They blatantly disrespect sports gamers and this trend must come to an end.

Given that said author claims to be ‘the Sports Games Guy,’ his article was extremely disappointing.

Gamers into sports titles now rely on impressions from community member sites like PastaPadre, ConsoleSports, ncaaStrategies, MaddenMatrix, etc. Thankfully, it seems as if EA Sports and 2K Sports recognize this and have included the community in the feedback process.
http://www.ncaastrategies.com/ cdj

Great article, pasta. Items like this really need to be brought to light. A large demographic of gamers are getting ripped off by this scam and this article only brings in more victims.

Unfortunately, there is the perception that gaming sites do not put much pride or effort into their coverage of sports games. Articles like the one by 1UP.com only add to that perception.

Had he done a Google search on this character, within the first few pages the author would have found info on the NCAA lawsuit, incidents on facebook & wikipedia, and a bad reputation on community sites. This character lives for website hits, Google ranking, and stealing the work of others.

Gamers are beginning to ignore the reviews and commentary on sports games from sites such as 1UP, IGN, ESPN.com Video Games, kotaku, etc. given irresponsible reporting such as this and also not properly evaluating certain game features (online play, for example) and not looking to see if community wishes are addressed from year to year. They treat these franchises as if they were second-rate, not doing their homework like they do for titles such as Halo, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, etc. They blatantly disrespect sports gamers and this trend must come to an end.

Given that said author claims to be ‘the Sports Games Guy,’ his article was extremely disappointing.

Gamers into sports titles now rely on impressions from community member sites like PastaPadre, ConsoleSports, ncaaStrategies, MaddenMatrix, etc. Thankfully, it seems as if EA Sports and 2K Sports recognize this and have included the community in the feedback process.
http://www.ncaastrategies.com cdj

Great article, pasta. Items like this really need to be brought to light. A large demographic of gamers are getting ripped off by this scam and this article only brings in more victims.

Unfortunately, there is the perception that gaming sites do not put much pride or effort into their coverage of sports games. Articles like the one by 1UP.com only add to that perception.

Had he done a Google search on this character, within the first few pages the author would have found info on the NCAA lawsuit, incidents on facebook & wikipedia, and a bad reputation on community sites. This character lives for website hits, Google ranking, and stealing the work of others.

Gamers are beginning to ignore the reviews and commentary on sports games from sites such as 1UP, IGN, ESPN.com Video Games, kotaku, etc. given irresponsible reporting such as this and also not properly evaluating certain game features (online play, for example) and not looking to see if community wishes are addressed from year to year. They treat these franchises as if they were second-rate, not doing their homework like they do for titles such as Halo, Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, etc. They blatantly disrespect sports gamers and this trend must come to an end.

Given that said author claims to be ‘the Sports Games Guy,’ his article was extremely disappointing.

Gamers into sports titles now rely on impressions from community member sites like PastaPadre, ConsoleSports, ncaaStrategies, MaddenMatrix, etc. Thankfully, it seems as if EA Sports and 2K Sports recognize this and have included the community in the feedback process.
Ben

This is why I love your site! Great job for calling out this a-hole Pasta.
Ben

This is why I love your site! Great job for calling out this a-hole Pasta.
Ben

This is why I love your site! Great job for calling out this a-hole Pasta.
pastapadre

CDJ- Thanks for the thoughts. I definitely agree with the perception surrounding sports gaming by the major media outlets. The one person who I feel really respects these games the most is Jon Robinson, which is why I try and link to his content at Gametap frequently.
pastapadre

CDJ- Thanks for the thoughts. I definitely agree with the perception surrounding sports gaming by the major media outlets. The one person who I feel really respects these games the most is Jon Robinson, which is why I try and link to his content at Gametap frequently.
pastapadre

CDJ- Thanks for the thoughts. I definitely agree with the perception surrounding sports gaming by the major media outlets. The one person who I feel really respects these games the most is Jon Robinson, which is why I try and link to his content at Gametap frequently.
pastapadre

Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.
pastapadre

Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.
pastapadre

Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.
baumy300

Wait, did I just help the guy from 1up get rosters to cheat like Kaldenberg?

I’m under the understanding that he is going to use free rosters to make Kaldenbergs obsolete, or he is at least going to promot where to get free rosters.

What exactly is going on?
baumy300

Wait, did I just help the guy from 1up get rosters to cheat like Kaldenberg?

I’m under the understanding that he is going to use free rosters to make Kaldenbergs obsolete, or he is at least going to promot where to get free rosters.

What exactly is going on?
baumy300

Wait, did I just help the guy from 1up get rosters to cheat like Kaldenberg?

I’m under the understanding that he is going to use free rosters to make Kaldenbergs obsolete, or he is at least going to promot where to get free rosters.

What exactly is going on?
baumy300

[quote comment="22086"]Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.[/quote]

Ok thanks. I didn’t see that before I made my last post.

Thanks Pasta.
baumy300

[quote comment="22086"]Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.[/quote]

Ok thanks. I didn’t see that before I made my last post.

Thanks Pasta.
Aaron

Thumbs up on showing the tool who steals and markets off of others hard work. CDJ- Agree 100%, I never check those sites you mentioned since most of the reviewers are clueless and just throw out a numner to make the company happy. EG: Peter Moore and his interview with Pasta about being content with the quality since the ‘meta scores’ were high..its strange how users rated it alot lower than that
Aaron

Thumbs up on showing the tool who steals and markets off of others hard work. CDJ- Agree 100%, I never check those sites you mentioned since most of the reviewers are clueless and just throw out a numner to make the company happy. EG: Peter Moore and his interview with Pasta about being content with the quality since the ‘meta scores’ were high..its strange how users rated it alot lower than that
baumy300

[quote comment="22086"]Just added in a comment from Todd Zuniga which was caught in the spam filter because of the number of links included.[/quote]

Ok thanks. I didn’t see that before I made my last post.

Thanks Pasta.
Aaron

Thumbs up on showing the tool who steals and markets off of others hard work. CDJ- Agree 100%, I never check those sites you mentioned since most of the reviewers are clueless and just throw out a numner to make the company happy. EG: Peter Moore and his interview with Pasta about being content with the quality since the ‘meta scores’ were high..its strange how users rated it alot lower than that