EA SPORTS, NFL Players Association and Discovery Education Bring STEM Careers to Life in 'Role of Data in EA SPORTS' Madden NFL Virtual Trip Featuring Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown

Silver Spring, MD, Friday, May 4, 2018 /3BL Media/ – EA SPORTS, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, are teaming up to host A Numbers Game Virtual Field Trip: The Role of Data in EA SPORTS Madden NFL on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET. Featuring special guest Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Antonio Brown, the immersive experience will transport students nationwide to EA Tiburon Development Studio in Orlando, Fla., where a group of Osceola County students will join the virtual exchange to ask Antonio and EA SPORTS employees questions about how data is used to activate players in the game. Together, educators and students will go behind-the-scenes at EA SPORTS to learn how data dominates video game development. Student’s will also learn how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) power today's popular Madden NFL series. Register here.

“We’ve always considered Madden NFL to be a powerful teaching tool for the sport of football and we’re marrying the art of the video game to the science behind our young fans’ favorite sport,” said Daryl Holt, VP and Head of Operations for EA Tiburon. “This Virtual Field Trip teaches students both the fundamentals of football as a sport and the math that fuels it.”

Available at no cost, Discovery Education and Antonio Brown will introduce students to EA SPORTS engineers, animators, designers, analysts, and producers to discuss career paths and the various applications of STEM used to bring Madden NFL to life. Classrooms across the country will learn how data collected from the NFL Combine's rookie event –from the 40-yard dash to the vertical jump – are used as inputs to create Madden NFL player rankings. Students will also learn how EA SPORTS gathers thousands of data points on players to create the most realistic in-game experience.

"The NFLPA is about connecting businesses with sports and the players themselves," said Ahmad Nassar, President of NFL Players Inc. "This successful partnership is a perfect example of thinking outside the box to connect education with NFL players. Students learn directly from players, not only through the ‘Madden NFL: Football By the Numbers’ platform, but through interactions with players who bring the concepts to life."

The Virtual Field Trip is part of EA SPORTS, NFLPA and Discovery Education's EA SPORTS Madden NFL: Football By the Numbers program – a comprehensive educational initiative that taps into children's excitement about football and video games to ignite their passion for STEM. The program offers a first-of-its-kind digital interactive that teaches math and science concepts to students in grades 5-9 – such as angles, force, probability and velocity – using famous Madden NFL highlights. In addition, the program has expanded to include STEM career challenges and elementary lessons, including lesson plans and career challenges.

“We salute EA SPORTS and NFLPA’s commitment to engaging today’s students in the importance of math and science by leveraging the magic of sports to inspire learning,” said Lori McFarling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Discovery Education. “As an immersive, standards-aligned education program designed to harness students’ love for football, ‘Football By the Numbers’ engages young learners in key math and science concepts, bringing the real world to the classroom to make theoretical concepts, relevant to their worlds. We’re proud of our collaborative work to empower young learners with the skills they need to succeed.”

These resources are available online at FootballbytheNumbers.DiscoveryEducation.com and are available through Discovery Education Streaming. Participants may submit questions before the Virtual Field Trip or join the experience LIVE on Twitter @DiscoveryEd. The Twitter chat will also feature Antonio Brown @AB84, @EAMaddenNFL and @NFLPA using the hashtag #ANumbersGameVFT.

“Students flourish when provided with opportunities to see careers that exist beyond their classrooms. It’s helpful for them to gain a clear understanding of how STEM factors into ranging career pathways,” said Brandon Wislocki, Elementary Teacher, Beacon Park School, Irvine Unified School District. “The Role of Data Virtual Field Trip engages students in scenario-based learning and draws clear connections between computational analysis and video game development – overall the digitally immersive experience makes learning exciting and fun.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital content and professional development services, visit DiscoveryEducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @DiscoveryEd.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. Madden NFL 18 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon and is available now for Xbox One and PlayStation®4. EA SPORTS Madden NFL Mobile is free-to-download and is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. All player participation has been facilitated by NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

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About Electronic Arts:

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers. EA has more than 300 million registered players around the world.

In fiscal year 2017, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

The Sims, EA SPORTS, Ultimate Team, Frostbite, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Dragon Age and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Official FIFA licensed product.© FIFA, FIFA’s Official Licensed Product Logos, and the Emblems, Mascots, Posters and Trophies of the FIFA World Cup™ tournaments are copyrights and/or trademarks of FIFA. All rights reserved.

About the NFL Players Association:

The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players' interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected – including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. Visit www.nflpa.com.

About Discovery Education:

As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

Contacts:

Charmion N. Kinder, Discovery Education, Charmion_Kinder@discovery.com, 240-274-2173

Brad Hilderbrand, Electronic Arts, BHilderbrand@ea.com, 407-386-4246     

Brandon Parker, NFLPA, Brandon.Parker@nflpa.com, 202-756-9160