The NFL has announced its plans to replace the Pro Bowl with “The Pro Bowl Games” which includes a flag football game and a week-long celebration of player skills.
This offseason it was revealed that NFL was looking to reinvent the Pro Bowl to keep both fans and players interested in the annual event.
Now, we’ve learned exactly what that reinvention will look like. The league announced on Monday that the 2023 Pro Bowl will be replaced by “The Pro Bowl Games.”
Taking place in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium in 2023, The Pro Bowl Games will consist of a flag football game and a week-long celebration of player skills, including both football and non-football skills. A big difference this year is that fans will actually be given some more control with their online voting. They’re not just going to be voting on players, but they’ll be voting on key elements related to the skills competition, like events, participants and more.
“We’ve received invaluable feedback from players, teams and fans about reimagining the Pro Bowl, and as a result, we’re thrilled to use The Pro Bowl Games as a platform to spotlight Flag football as an integral part of the sport’s future while also introducing fun, new forms of competition and entertainment that will bring our players, their families and fans closer than ever before,” NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said, via press release. “Building on the success of the 2022 Pro Bowl and 2022 Draft, as well as our strong partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Las Vegas Raiders, we look forward to bringing The 2023 Pro Bowl Games to the capital of world-class sports and entertainment.”
With the NFL continually promoting flag football over the years, this seemed like the natural solution to hosting a contact football game. They’ll include events such as “Play Football Opening Night” and “NFL FLAG Championships” in the week-long event. The question remains: Will it be enough to capture the interest of fans and players?
The AFC vs. NFC flag football match will air on ESPN and ABC on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Let us know your thoughts on the new format in the comment section down below or on Twitter and Facebook.
When the talent is this good, we’re willing to overlook that it’s not technically high school.
The Matt Leinart Flag Football League, in conjunction with the NFL Flag Football program, is a flag football league for kids in 1st–8th grade, emphasizing community fun.
But that doesn’t mean it’s short on talent — far from it.
The talented girls in the league are the stars of the show on this week’s Social Buzz.
To have a social media highlight possibly featured in our weekly rundown, make sure to DM the videos to USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram or Twitter.
Russell Wilson’s efforts to spread the game of football worldwide takes him into a new role as a global ambassador of flag football.
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has been named part of the first team of Global Flag Football Ambassadors in a joint statement released by the NFL and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
“The National Football League (NFL) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) today announced the first team of Global Flag Football Ambassadors to champion, amplify and support the long-term growth of the game worldwide,” the statement reads.
In addition to Wilson, other ambassadors include Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, former New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest, current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp and former groundbreaking NFL assistant coach Katie Sowers.
“The Flag Football Ambassadors team will support the combined global efforts of the NFL and IFAF to increase awareness, interest, and participation in flag football internationally and drive forward the development of the game,” the release says of Ambassadors’ responsibilities. “Currently played by men, women, boys, and girls of all ages in more than 100 countries around the world, flag football is poised for even greater expansion as the cornerstone of the NFL’s domestic and international participation and development strategies.”
Wilson is no stranger to being active in the world of flag football. In February 2021, Wilson was named as a Co-Owner and Chairman of NFL FLAG, and was the face of flag football in Washington before his trade to the Broncos.
“I have always been a big fan of flag football which is why I started leagues in Seattle,” Wilson said in the statement. “It is the ultimate team sport that combines fitness, creativity and strategy in a fast, fun and exceptionally exciting format. The skills and competitiveness at the elite level are truly next level and really showcase everything that is great about the sport.”
Two boys football and two girls flag football teams played at Nike HQ and provided product insight as the brand looks to expand efforts.
Since the launch of the Air Jordan brand, Nike has made the “individual star” cool. From branding to youth camps, the sports designer and manufacturer has become a giant based on its attraction of the brightest and the best. Recently, though, the company has emphasized promoting the team over the player through initiatives such as 11-on and now the Nike Kickoff Classic in partnership with the NFL. Twenty NFL teams participated in this event by participating in national high school games, while Nike hosted four teams at its Oregon headquarters.
Nike league athletes and grassroots brand manager Matt James said the company wanted to create a more team-focused identity and philosophy.
“Football is truly the last true team game out there where Friday nights matter, your community, your teams, your coaches,” he said. “We wanted to get back to team and not only be about the five-star player but also be about the last person at the end of the bench.”
This three-day event at the headquarters wasn’t so much about NFL-level training but instead team bonding and exposure to the world of football outside the gridiron.
Former NFL player Bobby Taylor, who is the co-chair of the NFL Legends Youth Advisory Committee, spoke to the boys football players from DeSoto High School (Texas) and St. Augustine High School (New Orleans, La.) at a breakfast. And Katie Sowers, one of the first women to coach at the NFL level, did the same with the girls flag football teams, Alonso and Robinson high schools (Tampa, Fla.). Bo Jackson also made an appearance to speak to the players.
“I stressed to them how special this opportunity was,” Taylor said. “This is the first time it’s ever happened, and I think they all soaked it in.”
In the first high school games at the Nike facility, Robinson took down Alonso 12-6 on Friday afternoon before DeSoto beat St. Augustine 35-10.
(Photo: Nike)
The game was perhaps the justification for the trip, but the value came from other activities. On Thursday, athletes gathered with members of the Nike product insight team in the hotel. Who better to hear opinions from, after all, than the target audience themselves?
When DeSoto five-star receiver Johntay Cook II suggested dunk cleats, he saw a woman smile. Not long after, the group revealed a pair matching his recommendation.
“I was giving great ideas, I’m not gonna lie,” Cook said.
Nike league athletes and grassroots brand manager Matt James said the girls’ input on the product insights and social and digital sides were vital as the company and league try to further efforts to spread the sport.
It made the girls feel welcome, said Robinson head coach Jeff Saunders. It also provided more potential avenues for future involvement in the game beyond playing or coaching.
“The most important part of it was that their voices were heard. Their opinions mattered,” Saunders said. “… A lot of times, especially with girls flag football until this moment, they maybe haven’t.”
(Photo: Nike)
Broadening the exposure to this branch of the sport was a primary motivation for the event. Flag football and women’s involvement are both growing; six states, including Florida, now sanction flag football as a high school sport. In addition, several NAIA schools offer scholarships. Last August, the NFL and USA Football hosted a tournament, and in February 2021, Nike and the NFL donated $5 million in products and equipment to girls flag football teams around the U.S.
While boys athletes have NFL legends to look up to, there are fewer female role models in the world of football. The flag football teams stayed in Oregon to help coach youth girls flag teams on Saturday, James said. It’s not yet a major market, but it certainly is progressing.
“I think the challenge is there just hadn’t been enough support,” Taylor said. “But when you have entities like the NFL, Nike, supporting all of the efforts … the states that bring on girls flag as a sanctioned high school sport, and you also have the opportunity for girls to get scholarships … When you have this type of energy, it’s kind of hard for you to fail.”
Peyton Manning’s self-deprecating sense of humor is on full display in his new NFL Play Football commercial 😅
Peyton Manning’s back on television with yet another commercial, this one an ad promoting the NFL’s flag football campaign.
Peyton and his brother, Eli, signed on to film three commercials promoting “NFL Play Football.” The first ad is titled “Conditioning,” and it feature’s Peyton’s signature self-deprecating sense of humor.
In the 30-second spot, Manning begins to lead the players in conditioning and then quickly sees the kids run out-perform him in the drills as he struggles to keep up.
“He’s got potential, he’s just … old,” one of the flag football players says in the commercial.
Check it out, courtesy of the NFL’s official YouTube page:
“Football has played a big role in my life, and it’s important to me to ensure that girls and boys of all ages get the opportunity to participate,” Eli said. “Pickup games and flag football were the ways I first started playing and remain some of my best memories, so I was happy to join with the NFL in highlighting those aspects of the game in this campaign.”
Peyton and Eli have two more shorts that are coming out soon and they are set to air throughout the 2022 NFL season on game days.
Nike and the NFL are hosting a high school football kickoff with games at Nike HQ and 23 NFL teams collaborating with local schools.
The crash of the helmets. The smells of cheap hot dogs. The blaring of the official’s whistle. And now, for the first time, the sights of decor and inflatable tunnels from the collaboration between NFL and Nike draped across stadiums throughout the country.
High school football is back, and the NFL and Nike have partnered to put together a kickoff event that will have 20 teams play host to schools, and two games take place at the Ronaldo Field at Nike World Headquarters in Oregon.
On Friday night, the boys football game between DeSoto High School (Texas) and St. Augustine High School (New Orleans, La.) and the girls flag football game between Tampa, Fla. schools Alonso High and Robinson High at Nike HQ will headline the event and be broadcast on NFL Network.
“It’s a good outreach opportunity to reach teens and communities,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of football development and former offensive tackle in the league.
“In the seven-plus years that I’ve been in this, I haven’t seen a greater time where the NFL teams have worked together and worked at being thematically and directionally aligned. The work that we’ve done with Nike has improved,” he said. “When you listen to people and figure out what they really need, it’s not a logo slap … It’s something that everyone’s engaged in; it gets everyone involved.”
While the games will not take place at NFL stadiums, teams are getting involved in other ways.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Several high-level executives and players of the Washington Commanders will attend the local Friday game, including co-owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder, president Jason Wright, head coach Ron Rivera, plus Carson Wentz and Terry McLaurin.
And the New York Giants hosted a pair of youth teams—Manville Jr. Mustangs (N.J.) and Mt. Vernon Razorbacks United (N.Y.)— during a preseason game last Sunday. Beyond the on-field experience, each team had also received $10,000 in disaster grants over the past few months from the Giants and the NFL Foundation, a helping hand to assist in overcoming hurricane disaster and unfortunate vandalism.
The NFL and Nike are also emphasizing their outreach to girls flag football players with this event.
“Girls want to play,” Oben said. “It’s a movement that’s already happening. We have to just continue to be smart and diligent enough to continue to create these opportunities. These girls not only become fans and players of the game, but they become moms who let their kids play, they become coaches, and you’re seeing women officials and you’re seeing women in the sports business.”
In general, high school football continues to grow and improve as a sport. Advancements in technology, training and football education led to a sport for Oben’s sons, who are now in college, that was an evolved version of what he played in during high school.
“The high school game, college and pro game is starting to become more aligned in terms of what players are being required to do,” he said. “You watch a football game from 20 years ago, and you watch one now … a high school game right looks like you’re watching a Div. II college football game.”
Nike and the NFL hope their efforts can help the sport continue to grow and encourage players to continue playing toward the next levels of the game.
El típico atleta profesional siempre lucirá increíble cuando se enfrente a las personas normales como ustedes y como nosotros. Pero, oigna, ¿Tyreek Hill? Este hombre tiene una velocidad de las que solo vemos en la caricaturas. ¿Cómo puede eso ser …
El típico atleta profesional siempre lucirá increíble cuando se enfrente a las personas normales como ustedes y como nosotros.
Pero, oigna, ¿Tyreek Hill? Este hombre tiene una velocidad de las que solo vemos en la caricaturas. ¿Cómo puede eso ser real?
Él nos dio el ejemplo perfecto de cómo se ve la velocidad mientras jugaba contra el equipo Lady Warriors Flag Football en la escuela Hebrew Academy Miami Beach Middle School.
Literalmente había docenas de adolescentes corriendo hacia Hill. ¡Docenas! ¿Y alguno logró siquiera ponerle una mano encima? No, absolutamente ninguno. Bueno, al menos no hasta el final cuando, literalmente, dejó que uno de ellos tocara su pañuelo.
Es que, oigan, no entendemos lo rápido que es.
Tyreek Hill is already scoring TDs in Miami 👀
Here he is juking out the ENTIRE Lady Warriors Flag Football team at Hebrew Academy Miami Beach Middle School.@cheetah this ain't fair 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/ztRbCgCaLW
Traducción: Tyreek Hill ya está anotando TD en Miami.
Aquí está haciendo fintas a la TOTALIDAD del equipo del Lady Warriors Flag Football de la Hebrew Acadamy Miami Beach Middle School.
No es justo, @cheetah.
Apenas hace un par de semanas que Hill llegó a Miami y ya está haciendo que equipos enteros de futbol fallen. Es algo que les va a encantar ver. Los fans de los Dolphins esperan obtener esto cuando llegue el momento de la verdad. ¿Y dada su historia? Probablemente así será.
Felicidades a la chica que logró atrapar el pañuelo de Hill. No nos importa si simplemente la dejó hacerlo o no, más le vale a ella enmarcarlo.
Brian Baldinger diverged from his typical #Chiefs breakdown to analyze the women’s flag football game that took place at halftime in Week 9 | from @TheJohnDillon
An uninspiring win for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 left many fans searching for more intrigue after the team’s 13-6 victory over Green Bay. Both offenses played a boring brand of football throughout the game, struggling to gain traction while the defenses mostly kept the opposition at bay.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the game was when both teams headed to the locker room for halftime, and a women’s flag football game took place around midfield to kill some time. The 7-on-7 matchup kept fans on the edge of their seats in the brief intermission and even caught the attention of Brian Baldinger, who broke down the action on Twitter Sunday night.
Particularly enthused by the run-pass-option look on the first play, Baldinger gave credit to the teams for their effort and creativity in the exhibition, suggesting that the Packers might benefit from their playbook with Jordan Love at quarterback.
While he has broken down plenty of moments from the Chiefs’ season in the past few months, this is some of Baldinger’s finest work, and encapsulates everything that is good about the game of football. He called the touchdown near the end of the film he showed on Twitter, praising the clutch throw under pressure by the quarterback for six points.
The final score of the halftime tilt wasn’t revealed in his video, but based on the performance he showed it appeared that the team in white had the upper hand. Playing on just about 30 yards of the field’s length and strictly inside the numbers, the team’s gave a full effort in the matchup and deserved every bit of praise Baldinger had to dish out.
Both the Chiefs and Packers might benefit from taking notes and employing more elements of the 7-on-7 frenzy they witnessed at halftime this week.
Eight New Jersey high schools will join the pilot league.
The Jets and Nike announced the creation of a brand-new high school girls flag football league in New Jersey in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Eight New Jersey high schools will receive an $11,000 grant and equipment from the Jets and Nike for joining the New Jersey High School Girls Flag Football League. Each school will also receive team jerseys from Nike’s Girls Flag Football line.
The schools are East Orange Campus (East Orange, NJ), Indian Hills High School (Oakland, NJ), Irvington High School (Irvington, NJ), Malcolm X Shabazz High School (Newark, NJ), Morristown High School (Morristown, NJ), Passaic County Technical Institute (Wayne, NJ), Ramapo High School (Franklin Lakes, NJ) and William L. Dickinson High School (Jersey City, NJ).
Everyone deserves the opportunity to play the greatest game in the world.
In recognition of the 35th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day, we're proud to introduce the New Jersey High School Girls Flag Football League.#EmpowHER | @usnikefootballpic.twitter.com/n12YVBZ4JM
“Since our initial involvement in the launch of a girls flag football league in New York, our goal has always been to continue to provide young women in our community with the opportunity to play the sport we all know and love,” Jets President Hymie Elhai said in a statement. “We are excited to begin this new league in New Jersey, officially building on those efforts.”
The North Jersey Super Football Conference (NJSFC) and the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) also worked with the Jets and Nike to build the league.
“Although flag football isn’t a sanctioned sport in New Jersey for boys or girls, NJSIAA applauds the Jets for creating additional opportunities for female student-athletes,” COO of NJSIAA Colleen Maguire said. “NJSIAA believes kids are best served by being active and engaged, and we salute the team’s efforts.”
The Jets will also film and produce a video series with Nike that highlights the individual journeys of the players that culminate with the beginning of the league and the first annual Jets x Nike Girls Flag Invitational. The team hopes to include more New Jersey area high schools in the coming seasons.
“Our hope is to be able to continue to utilize our platform and not only share the resources with them to play, but to help inspire and encourage each girl to reach her full potential in whatever she chooses to pursue in life,” Elhai added.
