THE NFL WANTS TO BE YOUR 12-YEAR-OLD'S TEACHER

by Eric Horowitz, ShakedownSports

Good news parents!! The NFL wants your kids to learn about money.

The league has teamed up with Visa to create “Financial Football”, a pigskin themed video game that teaches kids about money management. In order to prove it’s more philanthropic than the NBA, the NFL is stepping up efforts to provide schools with free copies of the game. In the last month schools in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Ohio have started using it to teach kids about things such as banking, finance, and accounting.

The game requires students to correctly answer questions about money management in order to move the ball down the field. Wrong answers can lead to sacks or penalties. (Interestingly enough, if you play as the Lions sometimes even correct answers result in sacks or penalties.)

Although “Financial Football” is intended for kids, it might be wise for the NFL to make a version for its players. Clearly, they need some help managing their money, and a video game might be the perfect way to provide that help. The game could use questions such as this one:

Which of the following is a smart thing to do with your money?
A. Buy a Lamborghini, crash it, and leave it on the side of the highway
B. Get $80,000 in cash and go to a strip club
C. Spend $20,000 on a feisty “undefeated” pit bull
D. Invest in some low-risk mutual funds

(Hint: The answer is D.)

So far the game has received glowing reviews, and if all goes well the NFL will be on its way to producing a fiscally responsible generation that knows the folly in giving $30 million to Adam Archuleta. Nevertheless, you have to wonder if it’s all part of an NFL plan to promote the league by secretly controlling the public school system. First they start teaching fantasy football to 7th graders. Now they’re giving out Financial Football. If Chris Henry starts coming to schools to teach kids about scales, weights, and how many ounces are in a pound, then we’ll know there’s definitely something going on.

(Originally published 10/18)