NFL Super Bowl Ad Goes Back to Flag Football Future

The “50” in “NFL Flag 50” is the number of states the league inevitably wants to sanction the sport at the high school level. It’s much easier to argue for that future when players can show it’s already here.

“Just this week, two more states have sanctioned girls’ flag football as a varsity sport, and we have had a 100% increase in sanctioning in just the last year, so this year’s spot is on that momentum,” said NFL CMO Tim Ellis. “People see it happening in their own communities, in their own schools, [so] let’s just shine a light on it with the ultimate intention of getting more high schools to sanction girls’ flag as a varsity sport. We have 15 now. We have 35 to go.”

Pointing toward progress

Earlier this week, just before Super Bowl 59, the New Orleans Saints announced that it would partner with Louisiana and Mississippi to add girls’ flag football as a varsity sport in each state. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also used the leadup to the Big Game to say that the league is considering professional flag football leagues.

But for all of the action that the league and teams like the Saints, the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, and others have taken to promote girls’ flag football and create opportunities for players, the best arguments still are made on the field. Glenn Cole, 72andSunny’s founder and chairman, noted that the ad and its humor were aimed directly at the players who know exactly how far their sport has come in the last four years—nevermind 40—and have the influence with parents and school administrators to make a difference.

“We’re not gonna shame our way to states getting on board—they have to be inspired to get there,” Cole said. “Thanks to the Super Bowl, we can use the entertainment lever to help.”