Pats Defeat Dolphins – In 'Financial Football' At EGHS

The actual NFL football game doesn't take place until Sunday, but in a "Financial Football" match-up between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at EGHS on Wednesday, the Pats won, 8-0.

It was all in the name of financial literacy, with Secretary of State Ralph Mollis there to cheer on the players. 

Financial Football is a free educational video game created by Visa in partnership with the NFL. It allows players to pick their favorite team and score first downs and touchdowns for correctly answering personal financial questions. Mollis and the Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy are promoting the program.

Students in business teacher Pat Page's personal finance class planned the program. Page is the 2014 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year.  

Students divided evenly at random as either Pats or Dolphins and wore outfits representing their teams. The students’ program came complete with team captains, coaches, a commissioner, and even a modest “tailgate party” after the game.

 The 20-minute competition was close.  The “visiting” Dolphins won the coin toss, elected to receive the ball and proceeded to move down the field, correctly answering questions involving insurance policies, credit cards, and investments.  They made it into the “red zone,” but failed to score before time ran out. The score was tied 0-0 at the half. The Patriots’ key to victory was that they worked quickly scoring a touchdown and then converted a risky, yet successful two-point conversion that clinched their win.

Avenger quarterback Andrew Miner served as captain for the Patriots said the game was "a great opportunity to be creative and hopefully get more people playing Financial Football around Rhode Island.”  

Fellow Avenger football player Chris Sgrignari, captain for the Dolphins, was sanguine about the loss: “Nobody really loses a game of financial football. Every time I play, I learn something new.”

Assistant Principal Timothy Chace “coached” the pretend Patriots team while Athletic Director Chris Cobain – a life-long Dolphins fan – "coached" the Miami team. 

“Financial football is a lot of fun and what I’m most proud of today is that our students created an event with the intention of increasing awareness about the importance of financial literacy throughout the Ocean State," said Chace.

Secretary Mollis, who was named "Honorary Commissioner" of the East Greenwich Financial Football League, said, "Financial lessons learned today benefit students for the rest of their lives."

All can play at:  www.rhodeisland.financialfootball.com.