If there were ever any doubt about the ever-increasing cultural footprint of the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 6 was October’s best-selling game in the US, and also the No. 3 best-selling game of 2024 so far. Now, the franchise has apparently inspired the nationally ranked University of Kentucky men’s basketball team to reach new heights.
The Kentucky Wildcats are currently ranked No. 8 in the nation and undefeated at 5-0, which senior guard Koby Brea attributes to the team’s Call of Duty-inspired training program, Ball of Duty. During a press conference attended by Kentucky Sports Radio, Brea explained the rules of the Ball of Duty and how it was adopted by the team.
“We start to see more clips on film of how connected our team is defensively. How many kills we’re getting–you know, three stops in a row,” said Brea. “That’s something that we take pride [in] and it’s something funny that the coaches do. They call it Ball of Duty, and it’s just [because] a lot of guys on the team play Call of Duty… And that’s like a game within the game… Every game so far, we’ve been winning that battle.”
It’s a solid strategy for almost any sports team. Keeping the other side from scoring is the key to winning games. It sounds like the University of Kentucky coaches have simply put the idea of multiple defensive stops as “kills” into a concept that’s been embraced by their Call of Duty-loving players. If it inspires the team to play better defense, then the coaching team has done their job.
Once the players are off the court, they can dive into the new Black Ops 6 Zombies map in early December, or even play as a gun-toting raccoon in the latest DLC. Looking ahead, Microsoft has reportedly created a new committee to help shape the franchise’s future, and there are also early rumors about 2027’s Call of Duty game.