"Inside the same convention center where Steve Jobs unveiled some of Apple's latest and greatest inventions, a public address announcer came over the speaker system last week and declared, What you just watched is the future of football. Whether or not flag football becomes as ubiquitous as the iPhone, one of the country's fastest-growing sports was front and center during Super Bowl week in the Bay Area."
"It's also no coincidence that the flag football blitz is coming two years out from the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where men and women will compete for medals in 5-on-5 flag football for the first time. Puka Nacua of the host city's Rams and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts were among NFL players who expressed a desire to participate."
During Super Bowl week in San Francisco, flag football dominated with nearly a dozen events ranging from the NFL's Pro Bowl activities to a glow-in-the-dark showcase at Moscone Center. The week's schedule included games refereed by high-profile figures, and NFL leaders framed the surge as meeting player demand. The sport's momentum aligns with its debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where 5-on-5 men's and women's competitions will award medals. High school girls' participation in California surged after official sanctioning in 2023, reaching nearly 20,000 players in 2024-25, an 84% increase over the previous year.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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