Raising Future Fans

In 2022, when the Cincinnati Bengals made their first run to the Super Bowl in 33 years, Mike Schroder ’14 MBA hoped to share the fan experience with his 5-year-old daughter, Ella. But despite his efforts to teach her about football, Ella remained more interested in the fight song and snacks than the rules of the sport. “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to introduce kids to a sport,’” says Schroder.  

So he and business partner Michael Gold launched Future Fans, a series of activity boxes for kids. Each box includes a storybook set in a fictional sports day camp. As families read together, they open surprises within the box, such as a beanbag toss game that mimics how downs work in football. Since launching in 2023, Future Fans has won eight national toy awards and offers football- and soccer-themed boxes, with basketball, baseball and hockey on the way. 

Schroder’s efforts came full circle when he was set to fly to Kansas City, Mo., to watch the Bengals play the Chiefs in the 2023 AFC Championship with his brother. “Ella, then 6, said, ‘Daddy, I want to watch the game with you,’” Schroder says. “I canceled my trip. She and I took in that heartbreaking loss together on our couch. That’s what it’s all about: cross-generational connection.”