Rec Sports

Is It the Future of High School Sports?

Published

4 months ago

August 3, 2025

In 2009, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, initially reluctant to connect football-related head injuries to long-term brain trauma.

This moment, while subtle at the time, would eventually mark a critical turning point for the sport, leading to the NFL’s most significant shift in decades: embracing flag football.

Today, flag football isn’t just growing—it’s exploding. Recently, Goodell revealed that the NFL is exploring the possibility of creating a professional flag football league. Sources suggest that plans are already underway, and this announcement may just be the tip of the iceberg in football’s evolving future.

The Catalyst: Health Concerns and Changing Perceptions

The NFL continues to dominate as America’s most-watched sport, with ever-increasing viewership, strategic depth, fantasy football, and gambling fueling its rise. However, cracks in the foundation have become evident, particularly regarding player safety.

In the last decade, several high-profile players like Chris Borland, Andrew Luck, John Urschel, and Luke Kuechly retired in their 20s, citing health concerns about the long-term impact of playing football. These retirements weren’t just early exits but career pivots influenced by the growing awareness of football’s physical toll.

The spotlight on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma, grew after Junior Seau’s tragic suicide in 2012. Seau was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, drawing national attention to football’s dangers.

This, combined with a $1 billion concussion lawsuit settlement in 2015 and the film “Concussion” starring Will Smith, made head injuries a hot topic of discussion.

The consequences of this movement spread beyond the NFL. As awareness grew, many parents began to question whether tackle football was safe for their children. By 2021, high school tackle football participation fell below one million for the first time since 2000, marking a 12.2% drop from the 2008-2009 peak.

The NFL’s Strategic Response: Embracing Flag Football

Rather than defending tackle football as the sole version of the sport, the NFL took a strategic step to champion flag football as an alternative path into the game. The league began pouring resources into promoting the sport alongside tackle football, focusing on developing flag football from the grassroots level.

Roman Oben, the NFL’s Vice President of Football Development, has been leading this charge. Under his leadership, the NFL has continued supporting safer tackle football through improved safety protocols while simultaneously pouring resources into flag football. The results have been impressive:

NFL FLAG now includes 1,600 teams, serving over 620,000 youth athletes across all 50 states.
Flag football has become the fastest-growing youth sport in America.
Girls’ flag football is now a sanctioned high school sport in 14 states.
The International Federation for American Football reports that 2.4 million American kids are playing organized flag football.

Flag Football’s Mainstream Momentum

The NFL’s investment in flag football has been a game-changer, leading to momentum beyond just participation numbers. Here are some notable developments:

Professional Recognition

The NFL’s Pro Bowl has undergone a transformation, shifting from a traditional football game to a flag football event. This endorsement by the NFL has legitimized flag football, showing that it’s not just a watered-down version of the sport but a “real” format of football that can stand on its own.

Media and Celebrity Engagement

Flag football’s rise has seen figures like Diana Flores, a Mexican flag football star, achieve international fame. Partnerships between the NFL and content creators like iShowSpeed and Kai Cenat have further introduced the sport to younger, diverse audiences.

Olympic Status

Perhaps the most significant development for flag football’s future is that it will debut as an official Olympic sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This global platform will elevate the profile of flag football, expanding its reach and potentially accelerating its growth.

Standardization

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is set to release the first national rulebook for flag football in May, helping to standardize the sport and pave the way for broader acceptance at the high school level and beyond.

The Socioeconomic Dimension of Football’s Future

Despite flag football’s rapid growth, tackle football still holds significant cultural importance in specific communities. Research by Dave Sheinin of The Washington Post revealed a clear socioeconomic divide in football participation:

Historically oppressed minorities, for whom the “risk-reward” calculus still favors the potential rewards of playing football, are heavily involved in tackle football.
White conservatives in regions, particularly in the South, continue to see football as a central part of their cultural identity.

This divide suggests that while flag football will continue to expand, tackle football will likely remain deeply ingrained in specific regions where its cultural significance outweighs concerns about safety.

Flag Football: Competition or Complement?

The NFL sees flag football as complementary to, rather than in competition with, tackle football. Troy Vincent Sr., the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, summarized the relationship: “Tackle [football] will continue as the professional game played in the NFL and its amateur pipeline from youth through college. But flag will dominate in neighborhoods, schools, and recreational leagues around the world. It’s happening in front of our eyes.”

The key questions remain:

Will flag football primarily serve as a pathway to tackle football?
Could flag develop its own professional pathway, eventually competing with tackle football?
How will the economics of a professional flag league compare to the NFL’s current model?

For families, flag football is emerging as an attractive middle ground. It provides the excitement of football—without the physical risks of tackle football—making it an appealing option for young athletes.

Broader Impact on Sports Safety

Football’s reckoning with CTE and concussions has influenced safety protocols across other sports as well. For instance, soccer has restricted heading for younger players, and lacrosse has limited body checking for minors. Flag football has benefitted greatly from these discussions, offering a safer, non-contact alternative for athletes to enjoy football.

The Future of Football: A Dual-Track System?

Looking ahead, several potential scenarios for football’s future emerge:

Scenario 1: Complementary Pathways
Flag football and tackle football develop in parallel. Flag serves as an entry point for players who want to avoid the physical risks of tackle football. The NFL remains focused on tackle football at the professional level, while flag becomes a complementary offering.
Scenario 2: Divergent Development
Flag football develops its own elite pathway, with professional leagues that rival tackle football. Both versions thrive independently, catering to different markets and demographics.
Scenario 3: Gradual Transition
Over time, more participants shift toward flag football, with tackle becoming increasingly specialized and concentrated in certain regions. Flag football eventually dominates as the preferred form of the sport globally.

Adapting to Survive and Thrive

The NFL’s embrace of flag football represents a remarkable example of organizational adaptation. Instead of merely defending its traditional product, the NFL has proactively invested in an alternative that preserves football’s strategic appeal while addressing its most significant vulnerability—player safety.

For parents and young athletes, flag football offers a safer, exciting alternative to tackle, making the sport more accessible to a broader audience. For the NFL, it represents both insurance against declining youth participation in tackle football and a potential new avenue for growth.

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MN teens show off Nike, Adidas sneakers on basketball courts

Published

4 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Mike Hill kneels at the bed of his son, Jaeden Udean, and peeks under the striped sheets. A shaky stack of shoe boxes scales one of the bedroom’s walls, high enough to cast a shadow. Hill’s head is nowhere to be seen, but the shoes are. He flings them out from under the bed, and they thud across the room. Black high-tops and low-tops with pink laces. Nikes and Adidases.

“He’s got all kinds of shoes,” said Hill, with a grunt. Another Nike shoots out.

Udean, a standout basketball player at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, said he keeps other shoes at his friends’ houses. His high school gave him two lockers, he said — one for his jerseys, another for the shoes.

Space can seem like the only limitation for high school hoopers like Udean, whose shoe collection stretches into the dozens of pairs and probably deep into the thousands of dollars. And the shoes seem to just appear, either from brands trying to get products in front of their social media followers, or from coaches as a reward for winning.

Historically, shoe companies have leaned on superstars to sell shoes but are now using high school athletes to be brand ambassadors as the sneakerhead economy descends from a larger marketing shift in amateur sports.

For shoe companies, giving out free kicks can tap into a kid’s local influence. And for the players who are good enough, the shoe game gives them another arena in which to compete, if an unspoken one.

Fans sitting in high school stands from Minneapolis to Rochester may not notice, but the players do. With the 2025-26 boys high school basketball season underway, players admit their eyes are bound to drift from the scoreboard to the floor, just to see if their shoe game got beat. They’re also a bit apprehensive about disclosing where, and who, they got their shoes from.

“If you know, you know,” Udean, a junior guard said, holding back a smile.

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Glassboro Star Xavier Sabb Named New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year After His Team’s Perfect Season

Published

12 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Fresh off guiding Glassboro High School to a 14-0 record and it’s second consecutive NJSIAA Group 1 state championship, Xavier Sabb capped his remarkable season with one more accolade — one that resonates far beyond the final whistle. On Friday, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior was named the 2025-26 Gatorade New Jersey Football Player of the Year.

As part of Gatorade’s nationwide initiative to break down barriers and expand access in youth sports, each Player of the Year receives a grant to award to a social-impact organization of their choosing—an opportunity Sabb has embraced with the same enthusiasm he brings to Friday nights under the lights.

Already regarded by many as New Jersey’s premier prospect in the Class of 2027, Sabb authored a junior campaign that borders on the cinematic. He led the Bulldogs, which finished No. 5 in the final High School on SI Top 25 State Rankings, with 59 receptions for 896 yards and 13 touchdowns, a stat line that only hints at the ways he influenced games. He added two rushing scores, tossed a touchdown pass, and found the end zone on both kickoff and punt returns.

Defensively, he registered 15 tackles and four interceptions, displaying the the instincts and physicality that make him one of the region’s most coveted defensive backs.

When the stage widened at SHI Stadium, Sabb remained undeterred. In the Group 1 state final at Rutgers, where Glassboro topped Cedar Grove, 29–14, he contributed five receptions, helping the Bulldogs extend their state-best winning streak to 27 games. The performance was emblematic of Sabb’s season.

But for all the fireworks Sabb provides on the field, the accolades tell only half the story. Off it, he maintains an A-minus average and volunteers as a youth football coach.

“Xavier is a tremendous football player and an even better representative of his team,” Schalick coach Kevin Leamy said in the release.

“He’s electric with the ball in his hands—a true game-changer who can score from anywhere on the field. But what makes him stand out is how complete his game is. He’s a willing blocker, a physical and instinctive defender, and a leader who clearly elevates everyone around him.”

In Glassboro, they’ve long known Sabb as the player who can tilt a field. The Gatorade honor affirms what Bulldogs supporters have witnessed for three unforgettable seasons: a rare blend of talent, drive, and humility—an athlete equally committed to excellence and to the people who helped him pursue it.

With one year still ahead of him, Sabb’s story is far from finished. But if the past is any indication, the chapters to come will be every bit as compelling.

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Los Angeles partners kick off “Grow the Game of Soccer” free clinic series aimed at empowering youth sports

Published

4 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOS ANGELES- More than 200 participants gathered for the kick-off of the “Grow the Game of Soccer” clinic series hosted by the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, in collaboration with the Play Equity Fund and community members, at the Los Angeles Community College soccer field on Saturday morning. The energy was high as groups of youth coaches and leaders heard from community members, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr.

Michelle Chavez- The Sporting Tribune

Dec 5, 2025; Coaches, community members, and participants of the “Grow the Game of Soccer” inaugural clinic kick-off event at Los Angeles Community College Soccer Field.

“Long after the whistle of the final match at SoFi Stadium next summer, the impact of the World Cup will be manifest and live on in our local communities. The training these clinics provide to our coaches and players will impart skills to help our youth excel on the field and in life,” said Mayor Butts during opening remarks, “Sports have a tremendous power to inspire community building… the Grow the Game Soccer initiative gets us off to a great start as one of several legacy programs.”

The initiative is a community legacy program of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee in collaboration with the Play Equity Fund, meant to shine a spotlight, develop, and inspire the next generation of soccer players, coaches, and referees. Saturday’s free coaching clinic is the first of three scheduled for the months leading up to the 2026 World Cup this summer. Eight of the tournament matches are set to take place at SoFi Stadium, including the opening match for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

The coaching clinic brings together community stakeholders, including sponsors Kaiser Permanente, the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), as well as Los Angeles’ three professional soccer clubs: LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Football Club, and Angel City Football Club.

The importance of the World Cup and the impact of coaches on the youth were underscored throughout the morning. Kevin Hartman, former professional soccer player and current assistant coach for the LA Galaxy, spoke during the kick-off. “We’re not just preparing players for tournaments or seasons, we’re preparing them for a wave of inspiration that’s coming to our country. My path in soccer was shaped because this country made a commitment to growing the game,” he said. ” The 2026 World Cup is coming, and the opportunity is enormous. Some of the young players we’re coaching today might be the ones who say years from now, “that World Cup changed me,” and some might fall in love with the game that shapes them as they become better people.”

In collaboration with the LA84 Foundation, community nonprofits Cal South Soccer and the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport are implementing a new coaching curriculum to promote wellness, emotional growth, and physical and mental development. Community members emphasized the significance of ensuring access to proper training.

“I work for the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sports, so we are the brain coaches for the day. I’ve actually been in conversation with LA84 for two years now about how we can build something successful for coaches, while also being impactful for the youth they serve in LA. And this was a great opportunity with the World Cup coming. With partnerships like Cal South, we’re able to bring their knowledge of the game, our knowledge of brain science, together to give coaches a higher understanding of not only what they do on the field, but also the impact they have on the kids off the field,” Chris Reed, Director of National Partnerships for CHJS, told The Sporting Tribune.

The initiative focuses on removing barriers to coaching education and increasing access to soccer for learning and play. With more than 640,000 youth in Los Angeles County reported to have played soccer in 2024, according to a 2024 Play Equity Fund report, the need for practical, holistic training is increasing.

“I think a couple of barriers are the pay-to-play system that is currently in this country, particularly with soccer. And I do think a lot of the available facilities are nonexistent. Not only are we trying to encourage people to play, but we also need the facilities to let them play. I mean, working in recreational areas with cities, they only have maybe one field, and then 10 teams are trying to practice on it. So they get, maybe, a third of the field at one time. That’s a big barrier as well, and I think knowledgeable coaches are as well. I think that U.S. soccer and Cal staff now regularly offer coaching courses to try to entice coaches to come in and learn. It’s more about the holistic approach, how to really understand these kids on a different level, rather than just on a sporting level. I think that’s another barrier as well,” said Chris Stone, a coach at Cal South Soccer.

The report details that while exposure to youth sports and activities is high, nearly one-third (30%) of youth have stopped playing a sport or participating in a sport in the last two years due to barriers, including total cost, loss of interest, time commitments, and a decline in fun associated with playing. This clinic series aims to reduce these barriers through training specifically for youth coaches, referees, and players.

The clinics had more than 150 coaches registered, representing 26 regions of Southern California and serving about 10,000 youth. 33% of Saturday’s participants have no formal certification in youth coaching, and about 12% have just the basic certification, according to Renata Simril, President of the PlayEquity Fund and President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation.

“You know, I was getting some coffee earlier today, and a coach stopped me to say thank you for the remarks because this is about shining a light on them. They’re the ones who show up every day in communities to support kids’ skills and their youth development. He said, ‘Thank you for your remarks. I’m a parent volunteer coach. And he says, I can’t, you know, find free coaching certification. You know, it’s just this is such an extraordinary opportunity. Thank you for providing me with the skills to be a better coach and a better parent.’ To me, I can’t think of anything deeper than—more of a deep legacy than that. And we’re using the World Cup platform to drive change in neighborhoods across Southern California,” Simril told The Sporting Tribune.

The clinic features four stations, each designed to specifically target a central component of coaching with an emphasis on emotional wellness. Saturday’s curriculum is a brand-new one for coaches to implement, intending to become standardized throughout the region by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Coaching programs are certified through the USSF; however, Cal South provides coaching to other soccer organizations.

“We’re about system change at the Play Equity Fund. We’re creating a new curriculum. We’re working with Cal South and the U.S. Soccer Federation to make this part of the Level G coaching certification for coaches in the Cal South territory. We’re working to embed this particular curriculum that we’ve created for this program to be embedded in the certification program so that any coach who goes through the Level G coaching certification for soccer will have the youth development component tied to the skills and drills,” says Simril.

“That’s another powerful impact of this program: it will have permanence in terms of how all coaches are trained, and then it becomes a continuous learning effort. What are the new things that we’re learning through our research, through our conversations with coaches, and how do we make sure that we’re keeping the coaching curriculum updated to meet the needs of young people across the Southern California region? We’re creating a ripple effect from this coaching program.”

With the World Cup 200 days away, the goal is to continue providing training to staff and players of all sports with the proper knowledge and resources to create healthy, sustainable environments for youth sports.

“This event actually is the first of three for the World Cup. So this is just a kickoff. We’re hoping that after these three events, we can build a coaching cohort that will last for a few years, that we can continue to do training and continue to upgrade and support them over time. This is a base layer model for what we can do impact-wise for coaches,” says Reed.

Two more clinics are expected to be held in early 2026, with information on how to register forthcoming.

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Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. connects with local Big Blue fans at Limitless Athletics on Staten Island

Published

4 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Just two months after New York Giants tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger visited Staten Island to connect with local fans, Big Blue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. made his own trip to the borough on Saturday afternoon, taking time to meet with dozens of supporters at fitness center Limitless Athletics in Oakwood.

“It’s amazing; it fills my heart that people want to talk with me,” Tracy Jr. told the Advance/SILive.com when asked about the opportunity to engage with fans, especially during the holiday season.

“It’s great getting to talk with fans and get to know them in addition to them getting to know me off the field a little better,” he added.

Brandon Auerbach, co-founder of Limitless Athletics, said hosting Tracy was an ideal opportunity to use their space to bring the local community together — a core pillar of their mission.

“We’re very involved with the community here. We like to be very engaged, and we’re big on getting everybody to come together in some way, shape or form,” Auerbach began.

“We throw a lot of events here, so this was a great one that we were very excited to host. We had a lot of vendors and sponsorships, and, like I said, we hope it was beneficial for everyone — a great community event to bring everyone together.”

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. connects with local Big Blue fans at Limitless Athletics — Nicole Minstretta and Vanessa Raggi, representatives from Next Level Sports, were on hand to raise awareness about opportunities in youth sports as part of a meet and greet event with Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. on Dec. 6, 2025.Michael O’Brien

Among the local vendors in attendance were Napoli Pizza, Tactical Beards, JAG Physical Therapy, and Next Level Sports, a youth sports organization that raffled off a free year of opportunities to participate in activities such as flag football.

“The Auerbachs reached out to us to come down today; we’re in the Staten Island community, so we want to help our local businesses as much as possible,” said Nicole Mistretta, a representative from Next Level.

“We are rooted in flag football — it’s part of our DNA. We’re one the largest flag football leagues in the tri-state area, so we were really excited to do this and we’re happy to be here. It‘s great for our Next Level community to see our affiliation with Tyrone and hopefully he can support us and grow youth flag football.”

In addition to hopes that the event would raise awareness for youth athletics, one young Giants fan in particular — Giuseppe Maneiro — was thrilled to travel to Staten Island from New Jersey to meet Tracy, marking yet another occasion in which the leukemia warrior has met players from his favorite team.

“It’s been great,” Giuseppe’s mother, Melissa, said of the warmth Giants players have shown her son.

“It’s literally his strength when he’s having a bad day; he always watches the Giants. And now that he’s gotten to see them and talk to them, it motivates him to keep going. Our entire family are diehard Giants fans, so this has just been amazing,” she continued.

Eric Laverty, another devoted Giants fan from Staten Island, said the chance to meet one of Big Blue’s biggest contributors this season was too good to pass up, adding that he admires the effort Tracy has given the organization so far.

“I’m a big Giants fan, and Tyrone Tracy is a great Giant. He’s been an honorable Giant since he was drafted out of Purdue; he’s always done the right thing by the organization, and I felt this was a great opportunity to meet him and get an autograph,” Laverty shared.

“It’s only about a 40-minute drive from the stadium from here, and there’s a strong Staten Island presence in the Giants fandom, so for him to come out and engage with that part of the fan base is an awesome opportunity.”

As for how Tracy, a second-year player who has accumulated 1,953 all-purpose yards and seven TDs in just 28 career games as a Giant, has adapted to his time in New York/Jersey, he said, “When you get here, you hear a lot about how intense the fans are, but I love that.”

“I’m an intense person myself and I like to think that I play with a lot of passion; so far the fans have matched my energy. They’ve treated me really well when I’ve been out and about. The fans are amazing here.”

While Big Blue may be out of playoff contention this year, Tracy, who’s part of a young Giants core alongside fellow talents Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter, shared a simple message for fans hoping for a postseason run in the near future: “Stick with us.”

“I don’t think we’re far off from where we want to be. I think the fans know that and we as players know that. So stick with us, and know that it’s a process to get where we want to go,” Tracy concluded.

Coming off their bye week, Tracy will look to help the Giants finish the final four games of the season strong, starting with a division rivalry matchup against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 14.

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Governor Kehoe Makes Two More Judicial Appointments – News/ Talk KRMS

Published

5 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Governor Mike Kehoe’s office has announced the appointments of two more judges within the judicial circuit court system.

John Gromowsky, of Kansas City, will move up from the Associate Circuit Court to the Circuit Court bench in the 16^th circuit to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge S-Margene Burnett.

Also appointed was Bridget Halquist, of St. Louis, who will now serve as the Circuit Judge in the 21^st Judicial Circuit. Halquist fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas C. Albus.

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John Gromowsky, of Kansas City, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 16^th Judicial Circuit.

Judge Gromowsky currently serves as the Associate Circuit Judge for the 16^th Judicial Circuit and is a seasoned attorney with extensive experience in both prosecution and defense. An active member of his community, he has served on public safety committees, coached youth sports, and held leadership positions within his local bar association. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he earned his bachelor’s degree in military science and was commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, where he served in several leadership roles, including a platoon leader and executive officer. Following his military service, he earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. Judge Gromowsky will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge S. Margene Burnett.

Bridget Halquist, of St. Louis, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 21^st Judicial Circuit.

Ms. Halquist is an attorney specializing in business litigation, contracts, and employment law and most recently served as a managing member of Summers Compton Wells LLC. She previously served for four years as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Henry Edward Autrey at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri before beginning work in private practice. Halquist is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where she served as a weather specialist. She is active in several bar associations and was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to serve as a bar exam grader for the Missouri Board of Law Examiners. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wilmington College, a Master of Science from Chaminade University, and earned her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law. Ms. Halquist will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas C. Albus.

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