How the NFL brands itself in the American Classroom

[n2doc]

What happens when America's most dangerous sport is faced with declining youth football participation and an aging fan base? It turns to the shadowy world of education marketing to turn schoolchildren into brand loyalists.

Before he became a Washington, D.C.-area science teacher, Matt Ross worked in corporate marketing. So he knows a slick sell when he sees one. Case in point? NFL Rush Fantasy—Learn, Play, Score!, a classroom curriculum that purports to teach third- and fourth-graders math and critical thinking skills through the educational magic of ... Tom Brady's touchdown passes and Rob Gronkowski's receiving yardage.

Created by a youth edu-marketing company in partnership with the National Football League and distributed to teachers across the country free of charge, NFL Rush Fantasy works like this: students are taught the basics of football scoring, and then the basics of fantasy football scoring. They are asked to select their own fantasy teams—after registering at the league's official fantasy-for-kids website, of course—before tracking players and tallying points throughout the professional football season. (Students are also encouraged to write written reports on their chosen athletes and play-act ESPN's First Take by pretending they're on television with "two minutes to state why they stand behind their pick and persuade other panelists to agree with their selection.&quot

Along the way, participants supposedly develop their ability to use statistics, graphs and basic arithmetic, all in service of creating the—hey kids!—"ultimate" fantasy squad. Oh, and if those same kids develop a sudden, nascent interest in the NFL's on-field product that ultimately blossoms into lifelong fandom, then, hey, that's just a happy branding accident, right?

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https://sports.vice.com/article/how-the-nfl-brands-itself-in-american-classrooms

[KamaAina]

1. How ironic that the teacher is in the Washington area

home of the Team That Shall Not Be Named.

[LeftyMom]

2. I often jokingly wonder how less baseball besotted kids learn statistics.

Sports really isn't a bad way to get kids playing with math and having fun, if that's something they're interested in. Doing a mock TV appearance is also a common public speaking exercise, in school we did fake infomercials and a talk show.

Way less concerning than getting nutrition materials from the dairy council or sex ed from bible bangers.