The sports game genre has been somewhat of a paradox ever since its creation. Although it teaches you how to play different kinds of sports and gives you valuable lessons, it does that while you are sitting down and making almost no physical effort.

But all of that will change soon, as EA Sports, one of the most successful labels from Electronic Arts, has announced a partnership with Toy Island in order to release a series of sports toy packs in order to promote real life sports, not the virtual ones found in titles such as FIFA, Madden or NHL, which have made the label famous.

“Our goal is to take the EA SPORTS brand deeper into the fabric of sports, and into new markets that allow more people to unleash their inner spirit of sports and competition," said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. “With Toy Island, we've found a partner that shares EA SPORTS' passion for quality and innovation. We're excited to be working with them to bring to market unique products that are sure to be captivating for young athletes.”

The product lines that will be spawned by this partnership include:

• A line of interactive training tools featuring voice commands and instructional coaching elements designed to take budding stars to the next level

• A complete game-in-a-box containing all the equipment necessary for kids to practice and play a sport; a line of sports toys that will utilize electronics to reward young athletes with cheers when they use proper techniques

• A basic line of high density-foam balls to help kids develop throwing and kicking motor skills at an early age. The products will be available for three youth categories: ages 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12. Other sports are expected to follow this year's launch.

The initiative deserves a lot of praise, as in the present, the only physical activity in the lives of many busy gamers is playing Wii Sports or Wii Fit.

Hopefully, this will make a lot of kids get into real life sports and not limit themselves to the virtual ones found in video games.