The NFL Wants Kids To Learn About Fantasy Football In Math Class

The Wall Street Journal has a Q&A today with Mark Waller, the NFL's chief marketing officer. There's a lot of corporatespeak, and then the conversation turns toward the children. The NFL is most definitely thinking of the children.

There's a lot here about marketing to kids, which comes with the unique challenge posed by the safety concerns surrounding the sport.But it's an absolute must. The NFL is the biggest thing in the country, and has conquered every demographic, but is smart enough to know it needs to grab the next generation as quickly and firmly as possible.

One of Waller's preferred tools for creating a generation of football fans is to get them hooked on fantasy now. That means at home and in the classroom.

How do you want to use fantasy football to market to kids?

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. It's a complex game, fantasy. You should be able to learn a lot, particularly around math. How many points do I need? How many points does this player get? We're also trying to work with groups to get the concept of fantasy based into the curriculum of elementary schools. If you love football and you teach them math through football, the chances are you may teach them better math and more quickly.

He's...maybe not wrong? If I had been raised with fractional PPR, I'd probably have figured out how to square the circle by now.

[ WSJ]

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