iStockphoto / David Brytus-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (2) receives a snap in the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Alongside is a stock image of an elementary school class.
The Miami Dolphins couldn’t block much of anything during their 27-13 Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, rushing for just 74 yards and allowing five sacks in what could well be a sign of things to come.
The one thing they did block, however, is a local third-grade class from getting extra recess. Do the Miami Dolphins hate kids? It’s hard to ignore the evidence.
The third-grade class is taught by local teacher Mary Crippen, who has gone viral in recent years for her NFElementary program, which uses the NFL, mainly her favorite team, the Dolphins, to teach her class lessons across a number of subjects.
When the Dolphins were racking up points under Mike McDaniel, she helped use the scoring bonanza to teach math. In recent years, she’s had students pick teams and sign a “contract” at the beginning of the season.
But on the whole, the class roots for the Dolphins for one important reason…
@maryisbananas One of my FAVORITE parts of NFeLementary is learning through the losses. Would we have preferred to start the season with a Dolphins win?! OBVIOUSLYYYYY. 😂 But sometimes, the biggest lessons come when things don’t go our way. At the end of last season, the Dolphins realized the path they were on wasn’t working, so they chose to START OVER. New leadership, new coaches, new players and a new direction. But starting over doesn’t mean everything changes overnight. It takes time, patience and learning from mistakes. Today, we connected their loss to our own lives: When have you realized something wasn’t working and needed to try a new path? Not the ending we wanted…but we learn, we adjust and WE KEEP GOING!!!! #nfelementary #nfl #classroom #teacher #football
A Miami Dolphins Win Means 10 Extra Minutes Of Recess
Crippen’s NFElementary TikTok page has more than 600 thousand followers. In a recent post, she noted that if the Dolphins win, the class “wins” 10 extra minutes of recess.
However, the Dolphins did not win.
Not only that, but the Dolphins are not likely to win very much at all this year. Which means that those poor children are likely never getting that extra recess.
But that’s okay, because Crippen also used that situation to teach a valuable life lesson about rebuilding. She told her students that the Dolphins were, correctly, headed down the wrong path.
Rather than continue down that path, however, they’re opting to start fresh in hopes of creating something. And that’s a valuable lesson!
Sure, you may not get extra recess this year because your local NFL teams hates children. But just think of all the kids in the future that could get extra recess because of your sacrifice…