LOS ANGELES, March 21 – America’s national flag football squad demonstrated that success on the gridiron doesn’t automatically translate to flag football excellence, overwhelming two rosters packed with professional NFL talent to capture the inaugural Flag Football Classic championship Saturday in Los Angeles.
The competition, initially planned for Riyadh before being relocated due to the Iran conflict, aimed to showcase flag football ahead of its Olympic premiere in Los Angeles during 2028.
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, who stepped away from the NFL three years ago, led the Founders FFC squad and drew cheers from spectators when he connected with former teammate Rob Gronkowski on a successful two-point conversion during the opening contest.
However, Brady’s roster, which featured Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts and Gronkowski, who exited early with a hamstring problem, couldn’t match the determination of Team USA and their quarterback Darrell Doucette.
The national squad utilized their exceptional quickness to dominate offensively, sailing through their pair of round-robin matches in the three-team competition before defeating Joe Burrow’s Wildcats FCC squad 24-14 in a more challenging championship game.
The competition functioned as a trial run for the upcoming LA Olympics, where flag football will debut at BMO Stadium in the city’s Exposition Park area in slightly more than two years.
Using a more compact playing surface compared to standard NFL fields, event planners converted significant portions of the venue into premium VIP sections, giving the competition an exhibition atmosphere that included YouTuber-turned-WWE performer Logan Paul competing for the Wildcats.
Despite the excitement, attendance fell short of capacity, possibly due to the venue change on short notice and an ongoing heat wave affecting the Los Angeles area.
