The NFL is actively working to mainstream flag football, as evidenced by its players participating in the sport during the Pro Bowl and its efforts to incorporate it as an Olympic sport for the upcoming 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Now, the league aims to market the sport’s potential to its broadcast partners.
According to Dan Roberts of Front Office Sports, NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp has confirmed that the league plans to pitch flag football as a distinct media rights package. “We do believe as it grows in popularity, that there is room for more leagues, including a professional league, and that would clearly have a media package as well,” Rolapp mentioned to FOS.
Rolapp highlighted that one of the key advantages of flag football is the opportunity it provides for female fans to engage in a competitive format not typically available in tackle football. “We’re big believers in flag football for many reasons,” he stated. “It’s clearly going to be an Olympic sport, which implies international potential. Remarkably, half of our fans are female, yet they have limited access to play competitively. We are now addressing that.”
Although the potential for a professional flag football league is still in its infancy, the NFL possesses the scale necessary to significantly boost any league it supports. In practice, this likely means securing current media partners to broadcast a selection of games. While the NFL has not released a specific timeline for launching a flag football league, the impending inclusion of the sport in the Summer Olympics in three years suggests that the league aims to enhance its visibility prior to that event.
