Flag football's growth only increases NFL's popularity globally

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Dak Prescott snapping the ball to Jalen Hurts is a play that can only be witnessed at the Pro Bowl Games, the centerpiece for the NFL’s push to grow flag football on the biggest stage this week at the Super Bowl.

Prescott wasn’t just filling in at center, though. He quickly turned and ran backward to catch a lateral from Hurts so he could do what he does best — throw the ball.

Prescott fired a touchdown pass on one of the many creative plays that were part of an entertaining game between the AFC and NFC all-stars — or the players who chose to participate, including quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders.

Joe Burrow threw a pass and got it back on a lateral before running in for a score on another one of those made-for-flag trick plays.

While the league’s new format for the Pro Bowl has drawn heavy criticism from folks who want to see tackle football, the players enjoy it, the energy in the crowd was electric and it was quite competitive.

“It’s a blast,” 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey said. “It’s definitely a different game. So many similarities, though. To get the competitive juices going late in that game was a lot of fun.”

Packers All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons couldn’t play because he had surgery for a torn ACL in his knee. But he drove around on a scooter and interacted with all the players.

“I love this event. I hope it keeps growing and we could keep doing these types of things,” Parsons said. “People who want us to play a real football game don’t realize it’s a whole different money game. You’re talking about quarterbacks risking injury and you’re a $60 million quarterback or a $55 million quarterback. ... We gotta be somewhat more realistic. Imagine losing Dak Prescott or Jalen Hurts getting tackled in the Pro Bowl game. ... It’s just not worth it. They should just enjoy the fan experience and the player experience.

"We come out here and have a good time.”

The Pro Bowl was rebranded in 2022 as the league was beginning to prioritize flag football in an effort to increase the sport’s popularity globally, create opportunities for females to play the game and set it up for inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.

“I think it’s one of the hottest sports in the world,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week. “It’s meeting the demand of people who want to play this game. I’m tremendously inspired when you see people who didn’t have access to this game and they have a chance to play. That’s particularly true for young women. And to see what it does for them - the building of confidence, the ability to understand what we know from playing the game, about the values of the game and teamwork and discipline, and all the things that come with playing this game - I think it’s great to be able to share that with those.”

The week’s flag football events kicked off with the 2026 NFL Flag International Championship featuring the top U13 co-ed teams from 14 countries competing in a three-day tournament, culminating in the deciding game on Tuesday.

The NFL also hosted for the second year in a row on Tuesday a showcase of the nation’s top girls high school flag football athletes. Thirty-two seniors from high schools across the country, nominated by NFL clubs, competed in a matchup that mirrored the setup of the Pro Bowl Games.

On Wednesday, it was the Toyota Glow Up Classic, a glow-in-the-dark flag football game that promotes girls flag and showcased some of the Bay Area’s best female high school players playing under UV lights with glowing jerseys and gear.

It drew an all-star cast of NFL stars and a large group of credentialed media members.

Two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning and Kylie Kelce, wife of Jason Kelce, served as referees for the game, while Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, Puka Nacua, Michael Pittman Jr. and Kyle Hamilton were coaches.

“I played flag football growing up,” Manning said. “I love the sport. It’s really about giving everyone an opportunity to play football. You see their excitement and joy.”

Toyota, which is an official NFL Flag partner, also provided a donation to support the installation of lights at a middle school field in the Bay area.

“You can learn a lot of lessons out here on the football field that will help you in life,” Love said.

The Seattle Seahawks, who take on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday, hosted a free flag football camp for girls in grades 6-9 in Palo Alto on Thursday.

The Special Olympics Flag Football team participated in a flag football clinic hosted by All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk on Friday.

Invisalign, which partnered with Juszczyk, also hosted a Girls Flag Empowerment Day on Saturday. USA Flag athlete Ashlea Klam, American flag football player Isabella Geraci, Rome Odunze and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice were set to make appearances.

The NFL wants to become a global powerhouse. Flag football is a path to get there.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Team Pink's Riley Harrington (10) of Amador Valley High School, challenges Team Green's Ryleigh Longaker (6) of Sacred Heart Prep during the Toyota Glow-Up Classic flag football game in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Team Pink's guest coach Brock Purdy from San Francisco 49ers attends the Toyota Glow-Up Classic flag football game in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Team Pink's Gigi Torres (5) of Manteca High School, scores a touchdown against Team Green during the Toyota Glow-Up Classic flag football game in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to pay his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base when the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft are returned to their families.

It will be the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.

All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.

“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.

The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.

Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base's mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.

“It's the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I'm sure. I hate to do it, but it's a part of war, isn't it?”

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.

The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.

“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”

The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.

Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.

“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”

Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Seth R. Koval. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Curtis J. Angst. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, during a casualty return, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)