EA Sports, NFLPA, and Discovery Education Hosted the Community Event
Students and families at Franklin Middle School in Chantilly, VA anxiously lined the hall in anticipation for an evening of fun with Washington Redskins wide receiver Desean Jackson, offensive tackle Morgan Moses, and fullback Darrel Young. When the gym doors finally opened, they were in for much more than they imagined. Obstacle courses, video games, and photo booths set the stage for an unforgettable interactive Community Night hosted by EA Sports, the NFL Players Association, and Discovery Education to introduce the Madden NFL: Football By The Numbers educational initiative.
Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers is a first-of-its kind initiative to engage students in grades 5-9 with science and math content through an interactive digital learning game. Students at the Community Night were treated to an opportunity to play the new game, which connects concepts such as velocity, angles, and probability to offensive and defensive plays through famous Madden NFL Highlights.
“The NFLPA was looking for an educational partner and an opportunity for players to get out, connect with kids, and talk to them about the importance of learning and sticking to your studies,” Steve Scebelo, VP of Licensing and Business Development, NFL Players, Inc. told Pro Player Insiders. “Discovery Education had a wonderful program in place and what we needed was a partner who knew how to put it all together and that was EA Sports. We then identified Madden as the opportunity. Kids play it but they don’t think about the math concepts behind the game. So we were able to plug that in with Discovery and come up with Football by the Numbers. It’s amazing to now be able to introduce it and see the kids reaction.”
“We really see football as the thing that gets kids excited. Using that to teach math and science concepts like velocity, speed, and force is a great way to engage them. Then you add in that special component of gaming as a way for kids to learn and it really is a win-win,” said Mary Rollins, Senior VP, Discovery Education. “You’ve got the fun, excitement, and passion of the NFLPA, the gaming aspect with EA Sports, and Discovery Education brings to the table resources that are going to work within a classroom setting. It’s a really cool partnership.”
The Football By the Numbers program consists of interactive scenarios that are broken down into three sections: Explore, Learn, and Game Play. In “Explore,” students are introduced to football-related concepts, positions, and strategies that relate to the game. Students then “Learn” about specific math and science concepts as they relate to various offensive and defensive strategies. Lastly, students apply learnings during “Game Play.”
“Madden is my favorite game. I play it everyday so using it to learn math and science is pretty cool,” said Ishaan, a student playing the game at Franklin Middle School. “I’ve learned that football isn’t just about strength and athleticism, you have to be smart.”
“I think this game will generate a lot of excitement with the students,” explained Julie Robbins, an 8th grade math and science teacher at Franklin Middle School. “Not only will we be able to use it in the classroom, I think they’ll play the game at home too. That makes it so much more meaningful for them because it’s something that’s fun and engaging, and it applies to our curriculum.”
“We want to open these kids eyes to the fact that math and science isn’t just in the classroom. It’s everywhere they are whether they’re at a football game or watching it on television. It goes both ways,” states Ahmad Nassar, President, NFL Players Inc.
In addition to testing out the game, students were able to participate in activity stations to practice scenarios such as passing, blocking, and agility with their favorite athletes from the Redskins.
“I think I was the biggest kid out there,” Morgan Moses told Pro Player Insiders about his experience at the event. “Everything is based around education whether you know it or not so for EA Sports, the NFLPA, and Discovery Education to put together an event like this that deals with Madden, a football game that everybody loves to play makes it cool for the kids.”
“Football is similar to math. We have yardage we need to accomplish. You have to know what you need to get at certain times in the game,” Desean Jackson also told Pro Player Insiders. “I’m a father now and I just really want to help kids know the things they need to do in life to be successful. I want them to see it’s good to have fun but there’s also a time to get serious.”
“At the end of the day, you can put something on the board, you can say something to them but everyone learns differently. I personally like when people relate things to what I do on a daily basis similar to what they’re doing with the video game,” said Darrel Young. “I hope the students take away that players are cool but what we do is pretty serious. You have to go through school to get where we’re at and have an education to support you.”
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