A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Ad space during the Super Bowl costs millions of dollars, and the NFL used some of that precious time to promote flag football.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Chad) Girls don't play football.
KI LOLO WESTERLUND: (As character) They do where I'm from.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, the ad ends with the quote, "let's make girls flag football a varsity sport in 50 states." Now, this push comes as flag football is due to make its Olympic debut in 2028 in Los Angeles. Now here to talk about the future of flag football, we turn to Jane McManus, an adjunct professor at NYU who writes about women's sports. So, professor, what stood out to you about this ad?
JANE MCMANUS: Well, I think the production value is No. 1. It was clear that the NFL put a ton of effort into the presentation here. There was an ad that ran a couple years ago on flag football during the Super Bowl. But this one was - obviously the push behind it was much bigger. They got a big director to direct this commercial. It just reeked of bigness.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. And one of the things I saw is that - because the girl that was playing against the character Brad, she managed to school him on the flag football field. But to me, what I saw is that flag football is less about raw strength and power and more about technique.
MCMANUS: Yeah, absolutely. There are a lot of things about flag football that kind of make it a sport that can be played by a lot of different kinds of people in a lot of different kinds of places. It doesn't require as much equipment. The potential for a head injury, for example, even though that's always a potential when you play sports, it isn't quite as big a deal. I mean, I think there are a lot of people who are wary of playing tackle football now or putting their kids in tackle football. So this kind of is a way to play football that gets away from all of that. Yeah, it's definitely more of a skills-based game in that regard. And the athleticism really comes through in that ad.
MARTÍNEZ: But why not encourage girls to have the option to put on shoulder pads and helmets and play football the way boys and men do?
MCMANUS: Well, I mean, there are leagues for that, but you just - and there have been women's professional leagues even, where - you know, for the last 15, 20 years. But you just don't get women and girls in volume signing up for that game. So here's a game that can be played, you know, in a - on a high school field. It can be played at that level. And I think there's - you know, there's a growth there potentially that there - I just don't think there is for women's tackle football.
MARTÍNEZ: I mentioned that tagline at the end of the ad to make girls flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states. How realistic of a goal do you think that is? And how many teams, if you know, are out there now?
MCMANUS: There are 14 states that have sanctioned high school flag football for girls. I don't know if you're aware of - like, of the patchwork of athletic associations across this country. But it is very difficult to get pickup in all 50 states for anything because it's all kind of done through the local level, through these local state athletic associations. So there has been, for about the past, I'd say, five or six years, real advocacy into getting some of these - you know, the sport developed. And it's been state by state, like, very small-scale, grassroots efforts. And now you have 14 states. And it really got pickup in some of those - kind of, like, those Southern states, those SEC states, where you have, you know, a lot of interest in football...
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MCMANUS: ...Writ large. And now it has spread. I don't know how realistic it is for the short term. But certainly, long term, it's a good goal.
MARTÍNEZ: The NFL is a master marketer. But so I'm going to ask this question - I think I know the answer - why they're making a big push for girls flag football now?
MCMANUS: Yeah, well, they've got the Olympics coming up in 2028.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MCMANUS: And flag football is going to be a sport there. And this is a game. You know, they're trying to export it. Tackle football is not going to be an Olympic sport.
MARTÍNEZ: Right.
MCMANUS: It's - you know, it's too much of a U.S.-based sport that's tough for the Olympic Committee to pick up.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MCMANUS: But flag football can be played anywhere and internationally, and it's everybody starting on a level playing field.
MARTÍNEZ: Getting more eyes on the game, too. Jane McManus, author of the forthcoming book "The Fast Track: Inside The Surging Business Of Women's Sports." Jane, thanks.
MCMANUS: Thank you.
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