• by Aaron Baar , July 8, 2013

For the first time ever, a professional sports star’s appearance in his league’s All-Star game will be determined not by his performance on the real field, but rather on the virtual one. 

Via a partnership with Major League Soccer, Electronic Arts is launching a promotion through which fans can propel one forward into the league’s All-Star Game by scoring goals on its FIFA Soccer 13 game. 

For the weeklong promotion, which started on July 3, online fans can attempt to score as many goals as possible with their favorite MLS all-star forward candidate. Each goal scored will count as one vote, and the player with the most votes on July 10 will take the final spot on the league’s All-Star Fan XI team. (The other nine players were selected by fan vote online at MLSsoccer.com, text message and Twitter.)

“This is the next natural step in fan voting. We think it’s pretty cool for people to be able to vote with their thumbs,” David Pekusa, senior marketing manager for FIFA 13, tells Marketing Daily. 

The promotion is a first to unite the virtual world with a league’s real-world All-Star game play. It’s a measure of the importance of gaming to EA’s league partners that it could come about, Pekusa says. 

“One of our objectives is to be integrated into the real world of sports. We want to be a part of the conversation when it comes to being part of the game,” he says. “It’s a chance to provide our fan base and our community with real-world engagement in a meaningful way.”

EA will tout the promotion through banner ads and breaks during its FIFA 13 game play and through its Facebook and YouTube communities, Pekusa says. MLS will also promote the contest through its channels, he says.