Detroit Lions send tokens of appreciation to third grade class in Florida

Mary Crippen, a third grade teacher at Pinecrest Elementary in the Miami area, uses sports as a teaching tool. Last year, she used Dolphins' wide receiver Tyreek Hill's pursuit of 2,000 receiving yards as part of a math lesson. This year, she's using the combined yardage of Hill and Jaylen Waddle as a tool to teach math.

Crippen had her new class for this school year draft an NFL team as part of a geography lesson. A girl in the class drafted the Lions. It's clear the Lions are building a bit of a national brand, as head coach Dan Campbell takes a starring turn in Applebee's ads. Now Crippen's class will have a lot of interest in how this season goes for them.

Apparently the Lions got wind of Crippen's NFL-themed geography lesson. She posted a video on social media, starting with her telling her class about a notification of a package delivery to the school the previous day.

Lions send gifts to third grade class in Florida

Each student got a Lions magnet, a One Pride bracelet, sunglasses and mini One Pride banner. The girl who picked the Lions got a hat, a Roary bobblehead and a mini helmet autographed by Jared Goff.

Crippen was sure to highlight the broader lessen that can be learned from the Lions' gesture.

"The biggest thing here that I'm learning (is) sportsmanship. They didn't have to give you guys things, you didn't draft their team. But, they wanted to be what? They wanted to be kind, right? So, as you're going throughout the season and you're playing other teams, should you wish bad luck on other teams? Should you wish for other teams to get hurt? No, you should always wish for the best for others. You should always be kind. The Lions didn't have to give you anything, they didn't have to give us anything. They didn't, but they did, and that was a really cool and kind thing to do."

"One Pride" might be moving "worldwide" quickly. In any case, there's now a third grade classroom in Florida filled with new Lions' fans.