A Tool to Improve Math Scores
While reviewing emails from a Nigerian prince, perusing Canadian pharmaceutical options and considering how my morning coffee companion in Florida was mugged one hour later in London, I came across a short piece in the Los Angeles Times. According to the piece, Mark Waller, NFL chief marketing officer, said to The Wall Street Journal, “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.”
My initial thought brought back memories of a college read of George Orwell’s 1984. But this time Big Brother wasn’t a hologram or digital image, it was a line judge with a yellow hankie. My colleague simply concluded his email with “I have no words.” After all, football is all around us, from the water cooler at work to television ads reminding us how much better life would be at a tailgate party. Everything is football, relates to football or implies football. Do we need it in the classroom, as well?
Then I gave the matter more thought. As I’ve stated before, if the most popular fall past-time is football and the second most popular fall past-time is politics, what would be better than combining the two? Both are fully engrained into society. Fantasy football creates unnecessary tension in our free time as does politics at family gatherings. Both disrupt the work day and while one remains a senseless engagement in the pursuit of thoughtful resolution the other requires a fan to root against their favorite team because they have Oliver Luck and the quarterback’s Colts are taking on the fan’s beloved Eagles.
Then again, as reported in The Atlantic, a 2012 OECD report ranked the United States 26th in mathematics education based on testing in 34 countries. So perhaps we should consider any and all options. Our mathematics education is comparable to the education provided in Norway, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Lithuania and the Russian Federation. Not bad company if you’re vacationing, or planning to invade a neighboring nation, but disheartening if you hope to score a job in the global marketplace.
NFL Can Make It Nationwide Effort
So if the NFL really wants to “educate” children, then have at it. But I propose the NFL put a piece of its $10 billion revenue stream behind the mathematics curriculum. We’re talking funds for mathematics teachers and labs in selected elementary schools and after-school programs for the remainder. Teach the kids how to add and subtract, how to follow the news for player updates and problem solve when selecting weekend lineups. The NFL can make it a nationwide effort by reaching into the regional markets of its respective teams.
The next question is whether the curriculum is an enhancement or offset.
We’ve already gone down this path. Tallahassee in 1988 began the Florida Lottery and promised the funds would be used to enhance education. Once the money started flowing the legislature wasted little time in using the funds to offset rather than enhance the education budget. Fast forward to 2014 and the Florida Lottery has yet to enhance education, as was promised, and the legislature continues to rely on the cash cow to offset education expenses and support other programs. Education remains near the bottom of the legislative stack. So I further propose the NFL’s mathematics curriculum must be an enhancement, otherwise, we remain neck and neck with the Slovak Republic.
Eligibility would be determined 
by school districts. Schools with the lowest math scores per whatever district-wide standardized test is in place would be considered. As scores from the previous five years would be readily available and difficult to manipulate, these historical scores would help ensure politics doesn’t put the NFL curriculum in the wrong schools. The participating schools would be determined by a year-to-year average of the scores.
And so participating schools don’t use the funds to offset budget items, audited financial reports for the past five years would accompany the test scores. The financials would allow the school district and NFL to confirm the minimum allowable mathematics budget. The average annual increase in the mathematics budget of the previous five years would continue and the average number of mathematics teachers employed and paid by the district would be established as the minimum.
Schools Would be Accountable
If a teacher resigns, retires or terminates, the school would be obligated to fill the position as a budgetary expense. Parents, students and teachers would have a procedure for reporting abuse of the program. Schools that fall out of compliance, based on budget reductions or teacher attrition, would be removed from the program and replaced by schools from a waiting list. The NFL would make a five-year commitment with a five-year renewal. Results would be evaluated and changes made to the curriculum at the renewal.
Each NFL team would be expected to fund a front-office management position to coordinate efforts with the school districts within their marketing region. In addition, the NFL would sponsor mathematics competitions, promote these competitions and recognize competitors at the same level as it promotes Punt, Pass & Kick and Play 60. Television commercials, print advertisements, half-time ceremonies and athlete participation. The complete package.
The winners of mathematics competitions would receive funds to be applied toward college, held in trust by the NFL and managed by multiple investment firms working in conjunction to ensure security, transparency and accountability. The NFL would guarantee a return on the money that equates to the percentage increases it realizes in annual revenues throughout the remaining years of the winners’ elementary, middle school and high school years.
Sounds simple? Many things become simple if you throw in enough money and energy. If the growing fascination with fantasy football is any indication, only time and access stands in the way of children forming their own leagues and spending late hours manipulating lineups. If children already are idolizing professional athletes let’s counter with professional athletes encouraging children in the classroom by becoming a part of the classroom. A mathematics curriculum would be a nice start.
Copyright (c) 2014 by Jeffrey Rembert. All Rights Reserved.