The Super Bowl is an exhibition of machismo. But the NFL’s campaign for Super Bowl LIX, NFL Flag 50, catches up with – and encourages – changes in its, and all sports. It’s a fun, inspiring tribute to the evolution of girls’ high school sports and the momentum girls’ flag (non-contact) football is gaining as an official high school varsity sport throughout the country. The two-minute brand campaign immediately following the Apple Music Halftime Show celebrates the universal power of flag and how the NFL is helping to create an accessible participation pathway for girls in football.
The tongue-in-cheek film pays homage to classic Americana movies, opening at a high school in the 1980s, ripe with big perms, varsity jackets, football jocks, band geeks and class clowns. The spot follows the “new girl,” played by girls’ high school flag star, Ki’Lolo Westerlund, as the principal, Pat McAfee (NFL Legend), excited that girls’ flag football has become a varsity sport. Everything gets turned upside down, as the ‘80s high school is catapulted into the present.
With more comedic cameos from Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings), Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns) and Marshawn Lynch (NFL Legend), NFL Flag 50 compares the old with the new, ultimately spotlighting the high intensity, fast pace and fun nature of girls’ flag football in today’s world.
The commercial was created by 72andSunny Los Angeles and directed by Peter Berg, who worked on the NFL’s Emmy-Award winner, NFL 100, for Super Bowl III, celebrating 100 years of the league.
The spot, that features an interpretation by Reverend Jesse Jackson inspired by Rev. William Holmes Borders’ acclaimed I Am Somebody poem, shows children from various organisations the NFL partners with, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, InsideOut and Special Olympics. Filmed in New Orleans, the campaign also includes cameos from Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers), Arik Armstead (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Demario Davis (New Orleans Saints), all players who are actively involved in their local communities through their work to empower youth.
The full cast even includes an Aussie:
NFL Players and Legends
- Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Football Ambassador)
- Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns)
- Pat McAfee (NFL Legend)
- Marshawn Lynch (NFL Legend)
Female Flag Players
- Ki’Lolo Westerlund (Girls’ Varsity Flag, Liberty High School, U.S. Girls’ Junior National Team)
- Serenity Simon (Girls’ Varsity Flag, Palmetto High School)
- Klam (Women’s Varsity Flag, Keiser University; U.S. Women’s National Team)
- Vanita Krouch (U.S. Women’s National Team, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Ambassador)
- Gabi Bankhardt (Brazil Women’s National Team, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Ambassador)
- Elisa De Santis (France Women’s National Team, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Ambassador)
- Kodie Fuller (Australia Women’s National Team, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Ambassador)
- Mona Stevens (German Women’s National Team, IFAF x NFL Global Flag Ambassador)
- Tania Rincon (Mexico Women’s National Team)
“Girls’ flag football is growing at an unprecedented rate, and we’re using our biggest platform and family-viewing moment of the year not just to celebrate the growth of flag, but to drive positive change when it comes to creating accessible participation pathways for girls in football,” stated Tim Ellis, NFL chief marketing officer. “With some of the most influential players in the NFL featured alongside real-life female flag stars, NFL Flag 50 is a fun, yet powerful call-to-action that we hope will inspire young girls and their communities, while making a meaningful impact on the youth sports landscape across the country.”
