DALLAS, Tuesday, January 24, 2023 — One school in each of the 32 National Football League (NFL) team hometowns has won a $1,000 grant for increasing physical activity, as part of the NFL and the American Heart Association’s NFL PLAY 60 Race to Super Bowl LVII, a fitness tracking competition which took place September 26th to October 26th, 2022.
Rooted in American Heart Association science, the NFL PLAY 60 initiative helps children to develop healthy habits for a better chance of a healthy adulthood. The program encourages kids to get a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day to meet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans[1]. Reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity are key to immediate and long-term health for children.
“For 16 years, the American Heart Association and the NFL have teamed up to inspire to get kids moving to support their overall wellness by pairing fun with health fundamentals to drive live-long wellness,” American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Chief Executive Officer Nancy Brown. “While the program has evolved over the years to meet the needs of today’s students, the mission has always been laser focused as we continue our work to propel physical and mental health in children so they can grow to their full potential.”
During the competition, classrooms and afterschool programs were able to track physical activity minutes as a group through the NFL PLAY 60 app. Students also had the ability to track their minutes at home. Those minutes of activity rolled up to a leaderboard, allowing participants to see rankings compared to other groups participating on behalf of their hometown NFL team. Groups were also allowed to track the minutes they engaged in physical activity through a daily paper tracker.
One grant is awarded on behalf of each of the 32 NFL clubs. The national winner, with the greatest number of logged minutes of activity, will be announced in the NFL PLAY 60 Super Bowl Fitness Break which will take place on Feb. 9. It will be followed by an NFL PLAY 60 Draft Fitness Break on April 26. Advanced registration for all broadcasts is required.
The winning schools are:
- Arizona Cardinals - Justine Spitalny STE3AM School, Phoenix, Ariz.
- Atlanta Falcons - Kimberly Elementary, Atlanta, Ga.
- Baltimore Ravens - Trinity Lutheran School, Joppa, Md.
- Buffalo Bills - St Mary’s School for The Deaf, Buffalo, N.Y,
- Carolina Panthers - Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, Forest City, N.C
- Chicago Bears - Bruning Elementary School, Wilmington, Ill.
- Cincinnati Bengals - Steven Dohanos Elementary, Lorain, Ohio
- Cleveland Browns - Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst, Ohio
- Dallas Cowboys - Homestead Elementary, Carrollton, Texas
- Denver Broncos - Lydia Hawk Elementary, Lacey, Wash.
- Detroit Lions - Minges Brook Elementary, Battle Creek, Mich.
- Green Bay Packers - St. Mary's School, Marathon, Wis.
- Houston Texans - Von Steuben Middle School, Peoria, Ill.
- Indianapolis Colts - Winans Elementary School, Lansing, Mich.
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Abess Park Elementary, Jacksonville, Fla.
- Kansas City Chiefs - Bishop Miege High School, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
- Las Vegas Raiders - Louis Weiner Jr. Elementary, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Los Angeles Chargers - St. Philomena Elementary, Carson, Calif.
- Los Angeles Rams - Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Miami Dolphins - Leewood K-8 Center, Miami, Fla.
- Minnesota Vikings - Garlough Environmental Magnet School, St. Paul, Minn.
- New England Patriots - Pierce Middle School, Milton, Mass.
- New Orleans Saints - North Sanpete Middle School, Moroni, Utah
- New York Giants - Empowerment Academy, Jersey City, N.Y.
- New York Jets - Oakview Elementary School, Yonkers, N.Y.
- Philadelphia Eagles - John M. Patterson Elementary School, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Phillips Elementary, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- San Francisco 49ers - Central Elementary, Lewisville, Texas
- Seattle Seahawks - Pleasant Glade Elementary, Lacey, Wash.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rampello Downtown Partnership School, Tampa, Fla.
- Tennessee Titans - Glengarry Elementary School, Nashville, Tenn.
- Washington Commanders - Watkins Mill Elementary School, Montogomery Village, Md.
“Now more than ever our work alongside American Heart Association to promote healthier lifestyles for all is deeply important,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL senior vice president of social responsibility. “We’re excited to provide grants to 32 schools around the country based on students tracking their movement and we hope this leaves a lasting impact on them to lead healthy lives for years to come.”
In addition to the Race to Super Bowl LVII activities, this year for the first time students and teachers can access on-demand exercises from each of the 32 NFL teams in the digital NFL PLAY 60 library to help them reach their recommended 60-minutes of daily physical activity.
The NFL and the American Heart Association have been teaming up since 2006 to inspire kids through fun and engaging ways to get physically active. The impact of physical activity on overall mental and physical wellness are essential to help children grow to reach their full potential. Information on the grant process and additional NFL PLAY 60 resources can be found online at heart.org/NFLPLAY60.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
About NFL PLAY 60
NFL PLAY 60 is the League's national youth health and wellness campaign to encourage kids to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. Since PLAY 60 launched in 2007, the NFL has committed more than $352 million to youth health and fitness through PLAY 60 programming, grants and media time for public service announcements. Over the past decade, the NFL has partnered with leading academic, scientific and nonprofit organizations to help children of all abilities lead healthier, active lives. The NFL and its clubs have supported programs in over 73,000 schools and constructed more than 265 youth fitness zones nationwide—giving more than 38 million children an opportunity to boost their physical activity levels. NFL PLAY 60 is also implemented locally, as part of the NFL's in-school, after-school and team-based programs. For more information, visit NFL.com/PLAY60.
[1] Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines, page 14. Available for download here: https://health.gov/paguidelines/default.aspx