More than 250 teams competed in the NFL FLAG Championships in July.

RCX Sports (flag football); Shutterstock.com (background)

Is This the Future of Football?

Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports for kids in America.

As You Read, Think About: Why are parents choosing flag football over tackle for their kids?

It was the final play of the national championship game. All eyes were on 11-year-old quarterback Cora Hernandez. She scanned the field for an open teammate.

“I was really nervous,” Cora recalls. “Everybody’s depending on you to make the right throw at the right time.”

Then Cora fired a pass. The receiver caught it and sprinted past the defense into the end zone. Touchdown! 

No one even tried to tackle the receiver. This is flag football, where tackling isn’t allowed. Instead, players pull a flag from opponents’ belts to stop a play. 

Cora plays for the Pirate Bay Krewe from Tampa, Florida. They won the 11U title at the National Football League (NFL) FLAG Championships in July. They’re among the more than 2.4 million boys and girls 17 and under who play flag football in leagues across the United States. 

As flag football rises in popularity, fewer kids play tackle now than they did a decade ago. What does this mean for football in America? 

It was the final play of the national championship game. All eyes were on 11-year-old quarterback Cora Hernandez. She searched the field for an open teammate.

“I was really nervous,” Cora recalls. “Everybody’s depending on you to make the right throw at the right time.”

Then Cora fired a pass. The receiver caught it and ran past the defense into the end zone. Touchdown!

No one tried to tackle the receiver. This is flag football, where tackling isn’t allowed. Instead, players pull a flag from opponents’ belts to stop a play.

Cora is from Tampa, Florida. She plays for the Pirate Bay Krewe. They won the 11U title at the National Football League (NFL) FLAG Championships in July. More than 2.4 million boys and girls under 17 play flag football in leagues across the U.S. Cora and her teammates are among them.

Flag football is becoming very popular. More kids are playing it than tackle football. What does this mean for football in America?  

Hard Hits

Courtesy of Fielder family

Zion Fielder

The number of kids who play tackle football has dipped largely because of safety concerns. Youth tackle football players average 378 hits to the head each season. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In flag football, that number is eight.

Many of those collisions lead to concussions. Each year, thousands of kids sustain concussions while playing tackle football. Concussions are injuries caused by hits to the head that shake the brain inside the skull.

These injuries can be especially harmful to kids, whose brains are still developing. Many medical experts suggest that kids hold off on playing tackle football until they are 14 or older.

Richie Lenhart coaches both flag and tackle in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He says that when his 5-year-old son was ready to join a team in 2019, his choice was clear. His son would start off in flag.

“I instantly went from coach to over-cautious dad because of his age,” Lenhart says. “In tackle, you’ve got to be ready to get mean and nasty and deliver blows and hits.”

Nine-year-old Zion Fielder is the quarterback on Lenhart’s Pittsburgh Elite flag team. He plays flag and tackle. 

“The injuries in tackle are worse,” Zion explains. “You get hit harder.”

Why are many kids playing flag football instead of tackle? One reason is concerns about safety. Youth flag football players get about eight hits to the head each season. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In tackle, that number is 378.

Many of those collisions lead to concussions. Each year, thousands of kids sustain concussions while playing tackle football. Concussions are injuries caused by hits to the head. These hits shake the brain inside the skull.

These injuries can be especially harmful to kids since their brains are still developing. Many medical experts suggest that kids wait to play tackle football until they are 14 or older.

Richie Lenhart coaches both flag and tackle in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2019, his 5-year-old son was ready to join a team. At the time, Lenhart’s choice was clear. His son would start off in flag.

“I instantly went from coach to overcautious dad because of his age,” Lenhart says. “In tackle, you’ve got to be ready to get mean and nasty and deliver blows and hits.”

Zion Fielder is the quarterback on Lenhart’s Pittsburgh Elite flag team. He’s 9 years old. He plays flag and tackle.

“The injuries in tackle are worse,” Zion says. “You get hit harder.”

Courtesy of Hernandez family

Cora Hernandez (left) and her sister, Bryn, with their dad—and coach—Matt

Raise the Flag

Lenhart says flag football provides the perfect training ground for kids who want to move on to tackle in high school.

“Flag helps develop that tackle player and gets them ready,” Lenhart explains. “It’s all about learning and becoming better athletes.”

He also points out another advantage to flag football. The sport gets girls on the field. Today one out of every four kids who play flag in the U.S. are girls.  

“It’s not a boy sport. It’s not a girl sport,” Lenhart says. “It’s a kid sport.” 

Flag will be an event, for men and women, at the 2028 Olympics. 

Cora can’t wait. In the meantime, she loves watching NFL games. But she wouldn’t want to play tackle football. She’ll stick to flag—and thinks other kids should too.

“They should start with flag when they’re young,” Cora says. “It teaches the basics without tackling. Flag football is football.”

Lenhart says flag football is good training for kids who want to play tackle in high school.

“Flag helps develop that tackle player and gets them ready,” Lenhart says. “It’s all about learning and becoming better athletes.”

He also points out another advantage to flag football. The sport gets girls on the field. One out of every four flag football players in the U.S. are female. 

“It’s not a boy sport. It’s not a girl sport,” Lenhart says. “It’s a kid sport.”

Flag football will be an event at the 2028 Olympics. Both men’s and women’s teams will compete.

Cora can’t wait. In the meantime, she loves watching NFL games. But she wouldn’t want to play tackle football. She’ll stick to flag. She thinks other kids should too.

“They should start with flag when they’re young,” Cora says. “It teaches the basics without tackling. Flag football is football.”

Heads Up!

Concussions don’t happen only during sports. You can get one on or off the field. There are often no visible signs, like blood or bruises. Sometimes symptoms don’t show up until days after the injury occurs. If you experience any of these symptoms after a blow to the head, tell a coach or parent immediately:

Concussions don’t happen only during sports. You can get one on or off the field. There are often no visible signs, like blood or bruises. Sometimes symptoms don’t show up until days after the injury occurs. If you experience any of these symptoms after a blow to the head, tell a coach or parent immediately:

  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Forgetfulness
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Blurry or double vision
  • Fogginess
  • Sensitivity to light or noise
  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Forgetfulness
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Blurry or double vision
  • Fogginess
  • Sensitivity to light or noise

1. Why do medical experts suggest that kids hold off on playing tackle football until they are 14 or older?

2. What is the main idea of the section “Raise the Flag”?

3. Based on the sidebar, “Heads Up!,” why might it be hard to recognize that one has a concussion?

1. Why do medical experts suggest that kids hold off on playing tackle football until they are 14 or older?

2. What is the main idea of the section “Raise the Flag”?

3. Based on the sidebar, “Heads Up!,” why might it be hard to recognize that one has a concussion?

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