Xbox 360 Teams Up With NFL PLAY 60 to Support Youth Fitness With Kinect

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Xbox 360 division at Microsoft Corp. and the National Football League today announced a multiyear sponsorship that makes Xbox 360 the official console sponsor of the NFL and NFL PLAY 60. Xbox 360 will work with the NFL's youth health and wellness program, NFL PLAY 60, to help teach kids the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle while having fun with Kinect for Xbox 360.

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"We are excited to be aligning with one of the world's premier sports organizations and believe the Xbox 360 brand represents many of the same values as the NFL, including fun, fitness and great entertainment," said Dennis Durkin, corporate vice president and chief operating and financial officer of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. "We particularly look forward to the opportunity to work with an incredible program like NFL PLAY 60 and help inspire today's youth."

"We are pleased to welcome Xbox 360 and Kinect to the NFL family," said Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer of NFL Media. "Fitness is core to our game, and we are looking forward to working with Kinect for Xbox 360 to evolve NFL PLAY 60 in new and innovative ways."

As part of the new relationship with NFL PLAY 60, Kinect for Xbox 360 will integrate into NFL PLAY 60 events and programs at all levels. Earlier this week, Xbox 360 donated three consoles to Cathcart Elementary School in Snohomish, Wash., as part of an NFL PLAY 60 Super School visit by players from the Seattle Seahawks.

Designed to tackle childhood obesity, NFL PLAY 60 brings together the NFL's long-standing commitment to health and wellness with partner organizations such as Xbox 360. Since the program was launched in 2007, the NFL has committed more than $250 million to youth health and fitness through programming, grants and media time for public service announcements. The NFL and its teams have built more than 100 NFL Youth Fitness Zones and organized more than 1,500 PLAY 60 youth events.

Kinect for Xbox 360 provides controller-free games and entertainment that uses your whole body to play. If you have to kick in the game, then kick. If you have to jump, then jump. Kinect offers a natural and interactive way for kids to get off the couch and have fun while meeting their 60 minutes of daily activity — particularly when it's too cold or too hot to be outside.

"It's great to see organizations like the NFL and Xbox 360 coming together to support the fight against childhood obesity," said Alexis Glick, CEO of the GENYOUth Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to getting kids active and healthy that has relationships with both Xbox 360 and NFL PLAY 60. "NFL PLAY 60 has taken a leadership role in inspiring and helping kids across the country to get active every day. And Kinect is a great, simple way for families to embrace a healthier lifestyle."

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. Thanks to the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 will forever transform social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play — no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as one of the world's largest on-demand libraries of music, standard- and high-definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with a leading social entertainment network of nearly 35 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.