Parents might be apprehensive to let their kids play real football, so the National Football League has come up with an ingenious alternative: teaching them how to play fantasy football. That way we can raise mini versions of The League characters.
Mark Waller, the NFL’s chief marketing officer, spoke with the Wall Street Journal about marketing the game to America’s youth. While the game is the most popular in the country, increased awareness of concussion dangers has resulted in parents growing more cautious about having their children play.
So, if parents won’t let kids play on the gridiron, the NFL thinks that they should learn how to play fantasy football in classrooms. Waller said that it could be used to help children learn and understand math, since numbers are a vital part of the game.
“We want to make sure that at the younger age, there’s a format for fantasy and a way to play that will allow you to engage. But also use it educationally,” Waller explained.
“It’s a complex game, fantasy. You should be able to learn a lot, particularly around math,” Waller continued. “How many points do I need? How many points does this player get?”
He said that the league is hoping to work with groups who can get fantasy football into elementary school curriculums.
“If you love football and you teach them math through football, the chances are you may teach them better math and more quickly,” Waller concluded.
According to USA Today, there are already 30 million people playing fantasy football.
image of Peyton Manning courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com