CINCINNATI — In a world where football is the center of so much, it’s easy to forget how you even learned the game. And for young fans, it can be a tall task to understand the complicated rules. Tha’s why the Bengals are teaming up with local business Future Fans to make sure the youngest fans grow to love and know the sport.
What You Need To Know
- Future Fans and the Bengals have teamed up to help teach kids how football works
- Future Fans was started by two dads and Bengals fans who wanted to help their children understand the sport better from a young age
- Mike Hilton visited Woodford Academy to help the kids understand the concept of the game
- Between a book, a dance, and a game, the kids started understanding the concepts
It’s a special day at Woodford Academy as Mike Hilton, the Bengals cornerback, shared his knowledge of football with first grade students.
The Bengals partnered with Future Fans, a business created by two fathers and Bengals fans who struggled to explain the rules of the game to their young children.
“I knew she was capable of understanding things but like me describing downs to her was not resonating,” Mike Schroder, one of the co-founders of Future Fans, said. “So there had to be a better way.”
Schroder helped create a book, game and dance that could help children better understand football and create bonds with those around them through sport.
“Start to cultivate that cross-generational bond," Schroder said. "If you think about things in life today, people are divided around socioeconomic lines, politics, etc. Sports is that rare thing that brings people together and we want to help cultivate that.”
Through a story, a dance and a game, Hilton was able to use his skills as a father to teach these kids how football works.
“I have two of my own, so I definitely know how to show some energy and have some fun with kids,” Hilton said. “Just knowing how much we mean to this city and this community, it’s big to come back and put a smile on their faces.”
Hilton says he enjoyed working with the kids even if they thought he was someone else to start.
“Every last one of them thought I was Ja’Marr Chase," Hilton said with a laugh. "It was crazy, I hear that a lot!”
But joking aside, he says working with the kids in the community who support him and the Bengals so much is what it’s all about.
“I hope this is a stepping stone for a lot of them.," he said. "Hopefully they get involved in football and it leads to more. Me as a person, I’m just blessed to be in this position, I just want to do what I can to give back and just be a good staple in the community.”
So did the kiddos get a grasp on the game? These young Bengals fans say yes
While Future Fans visited Cincinnati schools this fall- it can also be taught at home. Click here for more information on how to use Future Fans to teach your little ones football.