SILVER SPRING, Md., April 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EA SPORTS™, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, have teamed up to host an interactive live virtual field trip on Thursday, April 14, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. ET for students nationwide.  Featuring Washington Redskins quarterback, Kirk Cousins, The Magic of Madden Virtual Field Trip offers middle school students (grades 5-9) the unique opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at EA SPORTS Tiburon Studios in Orlando, FL., to explore the science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) powering today's popular Madden NFL series. Register here.

Available at no cost, The Magic of Madden Virtual Field Trip will introduce students to EA SPORTS engineers, animators, designers, analysts and producers at one of the largest studios among Electronic Art's worldwide video game development facilities, as they discuss their career paths and applications of STEAM in bringing Madden NFL to life. Students will go on an exclusive studio tour, and get a firsthand look at motion capture – the process used to record movements of objects or people to animate digital character models – when EA SPORTS animators transform a student from Florida's Orange County Public Schools into a Madden NFL character! Additionally, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will join the virtual event to answer questions submitted by participating students.

Classrooms may register for the 45-minute virtual event, and submit questions ahead of time to be answered by Cousins and EA SPORTS experts. To register for the event, learn more about the Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers digital interactive and the free accompanying educator resources to help enhance the learning experience and make meaningful classroom connections, visit:  http://footballbythenumbers.discoveryeducation.com/.   

"I encourage educators to integrate this virtual field trip into their classroom instruction to engage students through interactive, digital content," said Dr. Jesus Jara, Deputy Superintendent at Florida's Orange County Public Schools. "This virtual event provides a unique opportunity for students to learn directly from creators of video games on the importance of STEAM, and make connections from their classroom to everyday life and real-world careers."

The Magic of Madden 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 a passion for math and science. The program offers a first-of-its-kind digital learning game that teaches math and science concepts – such as angles, force, probability and velocity – using famous Madden NFL highlights. The digital game consists of interactive scenarios that are broken down into three sections: Explore, Learn and Game Play. In "Explore," students are introduced to football-related concepts, positions and strategies that relate to the game. Students then "Learn" about math and science concepts as they relate to various offensive and defensive strategies. Lastly, students apply learnings during "Game Play." 

"We can't wait to open our doors and show students our studio, introduce them to some of our experts, and open their eyes to what goes into making our video games," said Daryl Holt, VP and Head of Operations for EA Tiburon. "If this Virtual Field Trip encourages students to get more involved in STEAM in any way, then we will consider it a great success."

"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."

"Discovery Education is thrilled to continue our partnership with EA SPORTS and NFLPA to offer an engaging learning opportunity that showcases the real-world relevance of STEAM to students' beloved pastimes – video games," said Lori McFarling, Senior Vice President, Discovery Education. "Through this virtual event, we hope to get students excited about the spectacular types of careers available to them with STEAM training, and encourage classrooms nationwide to join us for what is sure to be an extraordinary event."

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

In fiscal year 2015, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies and Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries.  John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC®.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

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.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 3 million educators and over 30 million students, Discovery Education's services are in half of U.S. classrooms, over 40 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. 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. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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SOURCE Discovery Education

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