An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking behind the bleachers at an outdoor stadium. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a red long-sleeve shirt, and black pants.

Nykeem says HI EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE SPORTS HELP US
UNDERSTAND SCIENCE
AND SCIENCE HELPS US HAVE FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem appears on screen on the other side of the bleachers and catches a football.

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM AND
TODAY WE'RE SPENDING THE DAY
WORKING HARD ON THE GRID IRON.
BUT DON'T EXPECT BREAKFAST,
LUNCH OR DINNER,
JUST AN EXTRA LARGE
HELPING OF, FOOTBALL.
(BUBBLING)
(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
(COMPUTER GENERATED CHEERING)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Football."

Nykeem walks across a football field now with an orange jersey that reads "Sports Lab" and a caption reads "Kiwanis Field, Hamilton, Ontario."

Nykeem says THERE ARE LOTS OF
ROLES IN FOOTBALL.
YOU CAN PASS, RUN,
TACKLE, KICK AND MORE.
ONE THING'S FOR SURE, A
TOUCHDOWN IS WORTH SIX POINTS
AND THERE'S NO SWEETER FEELING.
ISN'T THAT RIGHT, DOC?

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair in a ponytail and wears a blue shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says RIGHT, NYKEEM.
BUT IF YOU WANNA GET
INTO THE END ZONE,
IT HELPS TO HAVE
SCIENCE ON YOUR SIDE.
FOR EXAMPLE, UNDERSTANDING
THE IMPORTANCE
OF NUTRITION AND HYDRATION
CAN HELP FUEL YOUR BODY
ON THE FIELD AND KEEP
YOU AHEAD OF THE PACK.

Back on the field, Nykeem says SO DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL,
SPORTS LAB IS GETTING
INTO FORMATION.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
HUT, HUT, HUT.
(BUBBLING)

Now John appears on screen with a caption that reads "John." John has short brown hair and wears a white jersey that reads "Niagara 6."

John says HI, MY NAME'S JOHN.
I'M 12 YEARS OLD AND I'VE
BEEN PLAYING FOOTBALL
FOR THREE YEARS.

Clips of John playing football appear on screen.

John says I GOT INTO FOOTBALL BECAUSE
MY UNCLE PLAYED FOOTBALL
AND HE INTRODUCED
ME TO THE GAME.
I LOVE A LOT OF
THINGS ABOUT FOOTBALL,
BUT THE THING I LOVE MOST
IS PLAYING WITH PEOPLE
AND LEARNING THEIR SKILLS,
PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY.
(BUBBLING)

Nykeem walks up to John on the football field.

Nykeem says HEY JOHN.

John says HEY NYKEEM.

Nykeem says WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

John says THANK YOU.

Nykeem says SO TELL ME, WHAT
POSITION DO YOU PLAY?

John says FOR MY TEAM I
PLAY QUARTERBACK.
QUARTERBACK IS A VERY
IMPORTANT POSITION
WHERE YOU GET TO THROW THE BALL
OR HAND IT OFF TO OTHER PLAYERS.
YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH
THE LEADER OF THE TEAM
AND IT'S LOT OF FUN.

Nykeem says HOW DOES IT FEEL TO
THROW THE TOUCHDOWN PASS?

John says YOU KNOW WHAT NYKEEM,
IT FEELS REALLY GREAT.
ALL THE FANS ARE YELLING
AND SCREAMING FOR YOU
BECAUSE YOU JUST PUT
MORE POINTS ON THE BOARD
FOR YOU TO WIN THE GAME.

Nykeem says THAT'S REALLY COOL.
CAN I SEE YOUR TOUCHDOWN DANCE?

John says FOR SURE.

John dances jumping back and forth from one foot to the other.

Nykeem laughs and says AWESOME, WHOO!

John says CAN I SEE YOURS?

Nykeem says YEAH, MINE'S REALLY COOL.
YOU READY?

John says OH YEAH.

Nykeem dances and says GO FOR SWIM.

John says OH YEAH.

Nykeem laughs and says NOW
IT'S PRETTY FUN.
JUST LIKE HOW THE SPORT BEGAN.
SHOULD WE LEARN MORE?

John says YES, WE SHOULD.

Nykeem says WELL THEN LET'S TOUCHDOWN
INTO THE STORY OF FOOTBALL.
(BUBBLING)
(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
(COMPUTER GENERATED CHEERING)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Football."

Nykeem says THE FIRST DOCUMENTED
GAME OF FOOTBALL
WAS PLAYED IN TORONTO,
ONTARIO IN 1861.
NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT THE GAME
OR WHAT RULES WERE USED.
IT'S A MYSTERY.
IN 1864, THREE MEMBERS
OF TRINITY COLLEGE AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
ESTABLISHED RULES BASED
ON THE GAME OF RUGBY.
IN 1903, THE BURNSIDE
RULES WERE INTRODUCED,
WHICH BEGAN TO
TRANSFORM FOOTBALL
INTO THE SPORT WE KNOW TODAY.
THE RULES LIMITED SIDES
TO 12 PLAYERS EACH
AND THE BALL HAD TO BE
HIKED INTO THE BACKFIELD.
DOWN, SET, HUT!

Back on the field with John, Nykeem says WELL THAT'S THE
HISTORY OF FOOTBALL.
WHAT DO YOU SAY, JOHN?

John says I SAY GO LONG!

Nykeem runs back to catch the ball and says OKAY!
(UPBEAT MUSIC)

The coach wears a black hat and a beige shirt and says IT'S ALL GONNA START
WITH A GOOD WARMUP.
(YELLING)

All the team members and Nykeem stretch.

Nykeem says I COULD
GET USED TO THIS LIFE.

Nykeem takes a nap while everyone stretches and the coach comes by and taps him on the shoulder.

The coach says HANG TOUGH SON,
THAT'S NOT HOW WE DO IT.

Nykeem tarts to do jumping jacks and push ups and says OH, SORRY COACH.

Now the boys begin to play and John says HUT.
(GROANING)

John passes Nykeem the ball and Nykeem says HUT, HUT.

The football players huddle and the coach says AND ONE MORE THING,
SPORTS LAB ON THREE, READY?

They all say ONE, TWO THREE, SPORTS LAB!
(BUBBLING)

John and Nykeem walk over to the bleachers and Nykeem says JOHN, THIS FIELD IS BEAUTIFUL.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING
ME TO YOUR HOME TURF.

John says IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.

Nykeem says SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF FOOTBALL?

John says I ONLY HAVE ONE.
LIKE, HOW DOES THROWING A
SPIRAL MAKE THE BALL GO FURTHER?

Nykeem says WELL, I CAN'T
ANSWER THAT, BUT,
I KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN.
HEY DOCTOR HEATHER?

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says WELL GUYS, WHEN THE BALL
SPINS, THE AIR AROUND IT
MUST BE PLAYING A PART.
TO BE SURE, I'VE
GOT SOMEONE IN MIND
TO THROW BACK SOME DATA.

Back on the field, Nykeem says ALRIGHT, LET'S GO.
(BUBBLING)
(TRIUMPHANT TONES)

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says POP QUIZ TIME.
WHY DO FOOTBALL
PLAYERS WHERE CLEATS?
A, TO KICK THE BALL BETTER?
B, TO STAND TALLER?
OR C, TO INCREASE FRICTION?

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS C.

Nykeem says INCREASE FRICTION.
THE CLEATS DIG INTO THE
GROUND, HELPING PLAYERS
TO MAKE QUICK
MOVES ON THE FIELD.
(BOUNCING AND SPLASHING)
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
(COMPUTER GENERATED CHEERING)

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Now John appears on screen with a caption that reads "John." John has short black hair, has a thick black beard, and wears a gray sweatshirt.

Big John says MY NAME'S JOHN AND I PLAYED
IN THE CFL FOR EIGHT YEARS.

Clips of John playing football appear on screen.

Big John says I GOT INTO FOOTBALL
AT A REALLY EARLY AGE,
I THINK I WAS NINE YEARS OLD.
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
MY MOM SIGNED ME UP,
EVEN THOUGH MY DAD WAS
A PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER.
WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT FOOTBALL
IS BEING ABLE TO
WORK WITH A TEAM
TO ACCOMPLISH A SINGLE GOAL.
(BUBBLING)

Nykeem and John walk over to John on the field and Nykeem says HEY JOHN.

John says HEY FELLOWS.

Nykeem says THIS IS JOHN.

John says OOO, I LIKE HIM ALREADY.

Nykeem laughs and says WE'RE
GONNA CALL YOU BIG JOHN
AND WE'RE GONNA CALL
YOU LITTLE JOHN.
SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS,
HOW MANY PLAYS DOES A FOOTBALL
PLAYER HAVE TO MEMORIZE?

Big John says WELL EVERY WEEK
WE GET A GAME PLAN
AND WE'RE PROBABLY
MEMORIZING 50 TO 60 PLAYS,
EVEN BEFORE WE HIT THE FIELD.

Nykeem says WOW, THAT'S SO MANY.
HOW DO YOU MEMORIZE THEM ALL?

Big John says WELL EVERY PLAY
SPEAKS TO A POSITION.
AND REMEMBER, YOU
ALWAYS GOTTA STUDY.

Nykeem laughs and says LITTLE JOHN,
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
FOR BIG JOHN.

John says YEAH, WHAT WAS YOUR
BEST FOOTBALL MEMORY?

Big John says MY BEST FOOTBALL MEMORY
PROBABLY WAS IN 2004
WHEN I WON THE GREY CUP.
SEE, MY DAD WAS
A FOOTBALL PLAYER
AND HE WON THE GREY
CUP WHEN HE WAS YOUNG
AND I ALWAYS WANTED
TO BE LIKE HIM.

Nykeem says THAT'S A REALLY
SPECIAL MEMORY.
LITTLE JOHN, HOW CAN
BIG JOHN HELP US TODAY?

John says WELL, CAN YOU THROW
US SOME SPIRALS?

Big John says DEFINITELY.
SO THE FIRST THING YOU WANNA DO
YOU WANNA GRAB THE
BALL BY ITS LACES.
AND REMEMBER, YOU ALWAYS
GOTTA FOLLOW THROUGH
AND FLICK YOUR WRIST.
LET'S SEE IF I CAN DO SOMETHING.

Big John throws the ball.

John says SWEET!

Big John throws another ball.

Nykeem looks at his watch and says TALK TO HEATHER, COME IN.

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says HEY CREW, I'VE DISCOVERED
SOME FASCINATING STUFF.
IF YOU WANT THE BALL TO GO FAR
IT NEEDS TO OVERCOME DRAG.
DRAG IS A FORCE THAT SLOWS
DOWN A MOVING OBJECT.
IN THIS CASE, DRAG COMES
FROM AIR AROUND THE BALL.
WHEN THE BALL IS THROWN, THERE
ARE MILLIONS OF AIR MOLECULES
SURROUNDING IT THAT WE
CANNOT SEE WITH OUR EYES.
THE BALL NEEDS TO PUSH
THROUGH THESE MOLECULES
TO ACHIEVE DISTANCE.
HERE'S THE SECRET.
THE BEST WAY TO HELP THE
FOOTBALL MOVE THROUGH THAT DRAG
IS TO THROW A TIGHT
SPIRAL LIKE JOHN.
YOU NEED TO KEEP THE SURFACE
AREA OF THE BALL SMALL.
WHEN THE BALL SPINS IN A SPIRAL,
IT'S AS SMALL AS
IT'S GOING TO GET.
IF THE BALL WERE TO
WOBBLE OR MOVE AROUND,
THE AIR MOLECULES HAVE MORE
SURFACE AREA TO PUSH AGAINST.
AND THE BALL WOULDN'T
TRAVEL AS FAR.
TRY STICKING YOUR HAND OUT
OF THE WINDOW OF A CAR.
WHEN YOU HOLD IT STRAIGHT
UP, THE WIND PUSHES BACK.
BUT IF YOU TILT YOUR HAND
IT DOESN'T PUSH AS MUCH.
WHEN YOU THROW A SPIRAL,
THE BALL WILL GO FURTHER,
HOPEFULLY TOWARDS THE END ZONE.
BACK TO YOU GUYS.

Back on the field, Nykeem says ALRIGHT GUYS, SO THROWING
A BALL WITH A SPIRAL
WILL HELP IT CUT THROUGH
DRAG AND TRAVEL FURTHER.
LITTLE JOHN, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

John says I THINK THAT'S GREAT.

Nykeem says YOU READY TO TRY?

John says YEAH!
(UPBEAT MUSIC)

John throws the ball.

Nykeem says HA, NICE THROW.

Big John says HE GOOD.

John says YOU KNOW WHAT, I
THINK IT'S HIS TURN.

Nykeem grabs the ball and says LET'S SEE IT.
HOPE YOU GUYS ARE
READY FOR THIS.
ARE YOU READY? HERE WE GO.

Nykeem attempts to throw the ball and it falls behind him. Nykeem laughs and walks away.

(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
(COMPUTER GENERATED CHEERING)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says BECOMING GREAT AT FOOTBALL
TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE.
AND PRACTICING A LOT
MEANS THAT YOU NEED
TO RESTORE YOUR BODY
WITH THE RIGHT STUFF.
AND THAT INCLUDES PROTEIN.
PROTEIN CAN BE FOUND
IN LOTS OF GREAT FOODS,
LIKE FISH, CHICKEN,
EGGS AND NUTS.
BUT WHAT DOES IT DO?
PROTEIN REBUILDS TISSUE.
NOT THE ONE YOU
USE FOR YOUR NOSE.
I'M TALKING ABOUT YOUR
MUSCLES AND YOUR ORGANS.
YOUR BODY BREAKS DOWN PROTEIN
AND SENDS PROTEIN MOLECULES
TO DO LOTS OF DIFFERENT JOBS,
FROM MAKING RED BLOOD CELLS TO
KEEPING YOUR MUSCLES STRONG.
THANKS, PROTEIN.

Nykeem eats some nuts and says UM, I FEEL STRONGER.
LET'S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL.
(BUBBLING)

Back on the field with John, Nykeem says JOHN, I HAD A GREAT TIME PLAYING
AND LEARNING ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL.
BUT THERE'S ONE MORE
THING I WANNA DO.

John says WHAT'S THAT?

Nykeem says CATCH A TOUCHDOWN PASS
FROM THE QUARTERBACK
OF THE THE NIAGARA SPEERS.

John says MY PLEASURE.

John says LET'S GO.

Nykeem and John take their marks on screen.

John throws the ball and Nykeem catches it.

Nykeem says WHOO HOO, THAT'S IT!
THAT'S IT!
(BUBBLING)
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
(COMPUTER GENERATED CHEERING)

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Big John appears on screen and says HEY EVERYONE, TODAY WE'RE
GONNA TALK ABOUT BALL SECURITY.
WHY IS BALL SECURITY SO
IMPORTANT IN FOOTBALL?
WELL, TO FUMBLE, OR TURN
THE BALL OVER IS NOT GOOD.
IN BALL SECURITY WE TALK ABOUT
THE FIVE POINTS OF CONTACT.
AND THOSE CONTACT
POINTS ARE, YOUR BODY,
YOUR BICEP, YOUR FOREARM,
YOUR WRIST AND YOUR FINGERS
OVER TOP OF THE BALL.
NOW, WHEN A DEFENDER COMES
IN TO KNOCK THE BALL OUT,
IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
MY NAME'S JOHN AND
THAT'S MY PRO TIP.
(BUBBLING)

Now Nykeem walks on the field and says TODAY WE HAD A BALL.
WE TOUCHED DOWN ON
THE FOOTBALL FIELD
AND FOUND OUT THAT
PUTTING SPIN ON THE BALL
CAN KEEP THINGS FROM
SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL.
NOW I'M GONE, BUT NOT FOR LONG.
BECAUSE IN THE SPORTS LAB,
WHETHER IT'S A
STICK, PUCK OR BALL,
WHOA, WE LEARN IT ALL!

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.