Thousands gathered in San Francisco in the days leading up to the most anticipated game on the NFL calendar. But before the Seahawks and Patriots took center stage in Super Bowl LX, it was the contactless version of the game that repeatedly found itself in the spotlight.Whether it was the NFL’s top players going head-to-head in the Pro Bowl, the 2026 NFL Flag International Championship, or a number of showcases highlighting the talents of athletes across the globe, the rapid rise of flag football was represented accordingly in San Francisco.A game once confined to recess has surged in recent years. It helps that three powerhouses are aligned in backing the growth of the sport: the NFL, NCAA and International Olympic Committee. A strong backing is one of the reasons why flag football is on track to move through the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program at a pace few sports have experienced.“With any sport that we’ve had move through the program, and flag being a good recent example of this, when there are multiple entities that are behind it and are working together towards the shared goal, that’s been a lot more successful for growth,” Gretchen Miron, the NCAA’s director of education and external engagement, told The Associated Press.The emerging sports program has helped eight women’s sports reach championship status since its creation in 1994: beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, wrestling, stunt and acrobatics & tumbling.Once in the program, a minimum of 40 schools must sponsor the sport at a varsity level for it to be considered for the next stages. It’s a benchmark that sports like equestrian and rugby haven’t been able to meet after years in the program. Flag football, which entered the program in mid-January, is expected to have well beyond 40 varsity programs by the spring.The sport also offers a solution to equity questions that college athletics have long grappled with. In a college sports landscape historically dominated by men’s football and …
