Drew Brees Helping Fuel Flag Football’s Rapid Growth
Flag football is no longer just a recess pastime. With the Olympic debut approaching, it seems unstoppable, as it’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Behind the excitement lies a surprising architect: a Super Bowl MVP whose most significant contribution to the sport may now come without a single pass. During his 20-year NFL tenure, Drew Brees established himself as a legend in New Orleans. The beginning of his retirement is now taking place on fields where end zones are cones and uniforms are pull-off flags.
He and his business partner, Chris Stuart, launched in Football ‘N’ America in 2017, a league that was designed to keep kids enthusiastic about the game. FNA began a new era this week by partnering with Unrivaled Sports to promote the sport in the mainstream. For Brees, this is a personal matter.
Until ninth grade, the former Saints quarterback did not wear pads. He acquired the skills of timing, spacing, and field reading during his time playing flag football. Now, he’s been teaching his own children the same lessons.
“It’s come full circle,” Brees recently told FOX Business. The joy on the sidelines — not the roar of the Superdome — is what’s driving him now.
View this post on Instagram
A Sport Redefining Youth Athletics
The popularity of flag football is increasing for reasons other than Brees’ resume. Parents who are concerned about injuries view it as a safer way to enter the sport. Kids can observe touchdowns, movement, and creativity without feeling intimidated by first-day-in-pads anxiety. Unlike old stereotypes, the growing player base is not composed solely of boys dreaming of Sunday kickoff.
Unrivaled Sports intends to accelerate the growth of girls’ participation with national tournaments and event programming, similar to the renowned experiences youth soccer and basketball created decades ago. The timing of this partnership is strategic because flag football is set to take the global stage at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Beyond the U.S.: Interest That’s Already Here
Brees has firsthand knowledge of the global interest in football. Last Christmas, he was involved in a Netflix broadcast watched by viewers worldwide who were not only interested in watching but also in learning. They inquired about rules, strategy, and even the meaning of a first down. The simple fact that American football has fans everywhere caught his attention.
The only thing missing is access. Playing flag football, which is both inexpensive and inclusive, involves using fields rather than stadiums and flags rather than helmets. Brees calls it a “gateway sport,” and it’s hard to argue with his logic. Movement, teamwork, and communication are skills that apply to any game, and sincerely, to life.
Building Something That Lasts
Unrivaled Sports manages facilities across the country that FNA can now access for tournaments, showcases, and events that feel more like celebrations than rigid competitions. Brees aims to make flag football feel like a community while youth sports can sometimes feel transactional.
He isn’t speaking like an executive. He’s speaking in the style of a dad – a person who has spent years tying cleats that are still too big and reminding children to have fun even if the score is not favorable.
The objective of this partnership is to create a movement out of those moments.
Flag football’s rise is not guaranteed, like nothing in sports ever is. If the next generation grows up loving the game because it welcomed them first, then the future of football could look slightly different: lighter, faster, and more inclusive.
Drew Brees’ presence may already have begun that future, one pulled flag at a time.
Leave a comment