Sports+Connect

March 19, 2010

Mr. George W. Bodenheimer,

Hello. My name is Austin Monheit and I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain and describe a new and creative show designed for children age’s seven to twelve. //Sports Connect// is unlike any show, which connects sports and mathematics into one. Children will be entertained by sports, yet will also engage with our host by learning and helping to solve mathematical statistics related to baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and everything else. In addition to learning, //Sports Connect// will be similar to ESPN’s //Sportscenter//, with the exception that it will be aimed at young children. Kids will enjoy watching sports highlights of professional, collegial, and children competition. The host of the show will teach children the mathematical side of sports, but also will stress the importance of good sportsmanship, evident through highlights. //Sports Connect// will encourage parents and young athletes to send in video clips of their own games and will be seen during each episode.

Think about what children’s rooms often look like… They are filled with sports pennants, bobble-head figures, and the bed sheets that have his or hers favorite team’s logo embedded on them. Children and sports go together and young kids view their favorite athletes as iconic or as heroes. Knowing this information, a children’s television show that shows sports highlights will be highly appealing to younger kids. Kids love to watch sports and will be entertained by a show that is focusing directly on that aimed at //them//.

I would like to paint you a visual picture of how //Sports Connect// will work. //Sports Connect// will be a thirty-minute show that appears every day, Monday through Friday, airing at 4PM EST. Each show will contain sports highlights from various professional, collegial, and children’s events. There is no real emphasis on any one sport over another. We will show highlights, some of which will then be complemented by our host who will breakdown the clip just shown and teach how to figure out some mathematical problem. For example, if we were to show highlights of baseball, after we are done showing them, our host would talk about how to figure out things like batting averages or slugging percentage. As a way to prevent the show from becoming repetitious after a few episodes, //Sports Connect// will also cover some sporting events live and will contain episodes that follow athletes around for a day. Children watching will get to see what life is like when athletes are not on the field. Additionally, children will be selected and have the opportunity to broadcast events during the 4PM timeslot. Not every episode of //Sports Connect// will consist of game highlights and mathematical problems.

To make the show more attractive, brining professional athletes onto the show now-and-then would be a huge hit. Imagine being taught how to figure out the quarterback rating by Peyton Manning or have Lebron James teach children how to figure out field goal percentages! The beauty of sports is that they are always taking place. Basketball and hockey right now will soon be replaced by baseball and golf. The nature of sports and the constant rotation between what will be shown during each episode- highlights, learning, live events, behind the scenes footage- will keep the show fresh. The host will not only teach children how to figure out mathematical statistics, but he will encourage children to go out and try them. He will engage with the viewer by playfully challenging them to keep track of their own statistics, record them online, and to play //Sports Connect Challenge// online. A game in which children can do math problems related to sports. High scores will be rewarded with various prizes.

Not only do children love to watch sports, but almost everyone at a young age plays one sport. It makes sense that children will want to understand the games they watch and play. It is understandable that it probably will not be appealing for kids to learn math via sports; however, if //Sports Connect// can present it in an engaging and entertaining way, it can be done successfully. The use of the Internet will be factored into making the show appealing. Each week, children will be encouraged to send in highlights of their own games with the hopes of them reaching a national audience. Additionally, //Sports Connect// will create mathematical games on the website, rewarding those with the highest score. Potential prizes for high scorers include tickets to sporting events, the opportunity to meet professional athletes, or a backstage pass into select venues such as baseball or football stadiums.

I have purposed this television pitch to you personally, Mr. Bodenheimer, because I know that you have already invested much into the world of sports with your cable company ESPN that is targeted at older audiences. I will not argue with you that ESPN //could// be watched by young children age’s seven to twelve, but I feel as though a show directed primarily at young children will be more beneficial to them and another financially sound investment on your behalf. ESPN’s most popular sports show, //Sportscenter//, airs early in the morning and runs after sporting events, which end late at night. Early in the morning or late at night, elementary and middle school students are sleeping or doing homework.

Because //Sportscenter// is owned by ESPN, the funds needed to create and support //Sports Connect// will be significantly less than most shows. The majority of footage that would be shown can be taken from //Sportscenter//. It will practically cost nothing to have parents and children send in their own highlights as well. //Sports Connect’s// biggest cost would probably be the anchor of the show. The right host is important and will be used to play a pivotal role in keeping children attentive. Potential host include Shaq, Donovan McNabb, or Deion Sanders - all of whom are well-known, liked, and proven of having had positive interactions with children. The U.S. government may also be interested in helping fund //Sports Connect,// but only if the show can be used to encourage kids to be active.

I would like to conclude my pitch by promising you a product that will be very successful for young children. //Sports Connect// is a way to teach kids math while already engaging them in something they love to watch and play. Moderation is key, so it is important not to overdo the mathematical aspect of our show. Our intent is not only to make kids smarter, but to show them different aspects to sports. Give children the opportunity to go on television and broadcast an event or see what it is like to be Ryan Howard when he is not on the field. I have confidence in //Sports Connect// and ask you to join and help launch this innovative and unique show. Please do not hesitate to contact me, via phone or email, with any questions, comments, or concerns regarding //Sports Connect.//

Sincerely,