As FIFA 16 hits stores and video game consoles on Tuesday, millions of gamers get set to put hours of time into one of the most popular sports video games in the world, but this time is going to be a little bit different.

For the first time in its 23-year history, female players from twelve women’s national teams — including Canada — are going to be playable in the game.

Long overdue and a sign of the growth of the women’s game, of course this wonderful piece of inclusionary news had to be marred. The game’s maker, EA Sports, announced Thursday that the NCAA had 13 players pulled from the game due to the fact that their appearance could jeopardize U.S. college eligibility requirements. Six of those players are Canadians: Kadeisha Buchanan, Jessie Fleming, Ashley Lawrence, Janine Beckie, Rebecca Quinn and Sura Yekka.

Buchanan was one of the breakout stars at this year’s Women’s World Cup, winning the award for best young player at the tournament. When she originally found about her inclusion in the video game, she tweeted: “This is super sick. Never would have thought in my life this would happen. Love it.”

EA’s statement about the players being pulled was rather pointed.

“The NCAA recently informed EA Sports that these 13 student-athletes would be risking their eligibility for collegiate athletics by being included in FIFA 16. We do not agree with this position. All rights were secured following standard protocol with national governing bodies and federations, and none of these NCAA student-athletes or potential student athletes were to be individually compensated by EA Sports for their inclusion in the game.”

The players will be replaced by other athletes who have suited up for the teams.

So, if you’re keeping track, this is reason No. 894,985,231 to hate the NCAA, and its inconsistent rule over its student athletes. The key here is that none of the players were going to be compensated, and money has been one of the main reasons for the NCAA to stick its noses into many issues. The timing is also strange, in that this was announced last May. At this late date, it feels a bit like Lucy Van Pelt pulling away the ball from Charlie Brown.

Efforts to reach the NCAA, EA and the athletes proved fruitless. In denying comment, one school’s communication director simply said: “It is the NCAA’s decision, we likely won’t have anything to add.”

The NCAA has long had a convoluted history with video games. Using the likeness and numbers of athletes for licensed video game products was part of a lawsuit about student athletes’ commercial rights, headed by former college basketball star Ed O’Bannon, that the NCAA lost last year. Perhaps that spooked the organization.

It is still an amazing day for women’s soccer fans, and good for video games too. This can’t be equated as a transformational moment for gender equality, but it is pretty cool. EA has been making strides, adding women’s hockey stars Hayley Wickenheiser and Angela Ruggiero to NHL 13’s legends roster and Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate to last year’s EA Sports UFC. So you can see the next step is adding full teams.

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After last’s summer’s Gamergate, a disgusting movement that harassed women in gaming whose biggest sin was advocating for more inclusion and representation in video games that is still rolling on, it’s good to see the gaming industry take these steps forward.

There is no way to quantify how many more people might buy the game and play as Christine Sinclair or Carli Lloyd or any one of their favourite female players. As well, considering how few opportunities women’s soccer fans get to actually see their heroes, the ability to flip on a console and play a game featuring some of the best female players in the world with the press of a few buttons on a controller is a great thing.

It’s too bad that some of the best young Canadians players in the world are going to have to wait to join their peers. But as their game grows, it is nice to see one of the modern hallmarks of athletic glory starting to get on the path to giving women equal footing on the virtual pitch.