FOX Sports Interested in Competitive Flag
Red Clay Net Hosts Show on Flag...

This past weekend FOX Sports Network was on hand to feature the MCFFU Atlantic Nationals in Atlanta, GA for an upcoming show on Red Clay Network.  RedClayNet, which can be viewed on Sports South, FOX Sports Network South and SUN Sports will air the show beginning Saturday, June 9 at 11:30 AM EST. 

RedClayNet covers sporting events such as NASCAR, Boxing, Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, Kayaking and now they are looking at competitive Flag Football to feature on their show.  FOX Sports is currently seeking events to broadcast to expand both their programming and audience and the competitive nature and national following of competitive flag football has grabbed their attention.

They just recently worked a deal with the “And 1 Tour” and are seeking other competitive sports that have a strong national following. Currently, one of their largest markets is for Competitive Women’s Softball, which by the way is doing extremely well according FOX Sports program directors.

So what were their thoughts when the idea of covering adult flag football was brought to the table initially?  Not good.  But just as with anyone's perception of the gaem from outside the sport looking in, flag football was considered by FOX officials as being too recreational to promote nationally until they witness live action.

Andre Hexstall, CEO of RedClayNet viewed the 8-Man Eligible and 9-Man
Ineligible styles as extremely entertaining and worthy of national programming
(of course with adjustments); which has always been mentioned as the ultimate goal for competitive flag football by flag activists and
organizations for years.

“The strategic approach by the top tier teams accompanied by the skills,
national following and personalities makes this a marketable product that would be interesting to many outside of the sport,” says Andre. Understanding that the game has much further to go as far as development and its overall
perception, it is well on its way to being mentioned in the same breathe as is
(NSA) National Skateboarding Association, National Snowboarding Championships and Volleyball World Championships to name a few.

Why can’t this sport be a mainstream sport and covered nationally like Women’s Softball? The problem is and has always been the presentation of the game. From the venues to the teams themselves, unless flag is presented differently it will continue to be an underground game operating in the shadows of amateur sports.

After meeting with FOX officials, FOX Sports has agreed to feature the 2008
Flag Football World Championships in Dallas, TX and are extremely interested in focusing on the sport, which is a huge first step in the right direction. It’s possibly too soon to have an actual game televised at the WC3 in 08, but the possibility and most importantly, the interest is there and the ideas are being bounced around to make this a reality sooner rather than later.

The fact that a national network is interested in flag after viewing it live
only once says a lot for the game; but it also says a lot that it took this
long for it to happen. FOX Sports, like other sports networks are looking for
the next big sport to support, why not flag football and why not now?

by MCFFU