A little more than a month after the National Football League granted exclusive rights to Electronic Arts, America's favorite pastime struck out a deal of its own. The Major League Baseball Players Association has entered into a seven-year exclusivity agreement that makes Take Two Interactive the official third-party video game vendor for almost everything baseball.

The agreement, which begins at the start of the 2006 playing season, grants the video game maker the right to develop and market "manager-style baseball video games" for "current and next-generation" gaming consoles, PCs and hand-helds. It is unknown whether or not the agreement is sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB).

Despite the impression that the agreement puts Take Two on steroids -- effectively ending the competitive battle over baseball video games -- console makers are still able to produce sports franchise games with third-party publishers like Take Two rival Electronic Arts. However, the likeness and names of players would be off limits.

Time will tell whether or not the deal will enable Take Two to wedge its way past EA in the baseball arena, but in the world of video games, contracts are increasingly being used for competitive advantage. The National Football League and NFL Players Association effectively locked Take Two out of professional football when it granted EA an exclusive five-year contract.

Also last week, EA obtained sole possession of the ESPN brand for use in its video games. The deal with the cable sports channel is good for a duration of 15 years.