Changing the Business of Flag Football
Business practices of flag must change or die

Welcome to the new era of business, where Coffee and bagels are replaced with energy drinks and power bars, all business terms seem to now begin with “e” (e-mail, e-commerce, e-business, e-newsletter, e-zine, etc.), the Internet continues to shrink both space and time, customer service is making a comeback, status quo is no longer acceptable and where current flag business practices should be changed or die.

Unbeknownst to many, flag football is no more advanced today than it was 15 to 20 years ago. Now let’s not mistaken increased participation due to a lack of direct competition as maturing business growth, do not mistaken longevity as experience and wisdom and do not be misled by hollow words and mottos; actions always speak louder.

Current practitioners of these old business methods continue to preach to us the value of things such as having an international escort service, selling us glorified Regionals cleverly disguised as a Nationals, slinging imaginary points and counterfeit rankings on every major city corner to satisfy our addictions of being called number one in the Nation without playing anyone outside of shouting distance.

Now back in the day when the world was still flat, long before the Internet, a large Regional was as good as it got. No one had any idea about successful teams from other parts of the country unless it was sent to them by mail, or the Pony Express in those days. But by the time it reached the recepient the information was so out dated the teams in reference had actually stopped playing!

Now there are some interesting stories to be told regarding the top flag organization of yesteryear lying, cheating, stealing, sabotaging and anything else they could do to one another to gain an advantage in the market. And all for the right to become the sole ruler of flag football, flag’s El Presidente, flag’s Alpha and Omega, flag’s own Iceberg Slim.

But, rather than implementing effective strategic marketing plans to top their competition, they opted for guerrilla cutthroat tactics to deface their competitors image and influence teams into believing in their organization and the laws they set forth. These methods also including bullying anyone who dared to utter the word “National” into submission, eliminating any serious threats. ( They figure its easier to eliminate competition before it starts rather than to upgrade their product or services, that way no one would notice anything because they had nothing to compare them to – pretty ingenious!)

Now the concept behind old flag business is to figure out how to increase the value of nothing, promote nothing and sell you more of nothing - And the strategy? Well it is was simple; throw some s*#@ on the wall to see if it sticks and if it didn’t add more s*#@ to it and give it another go. Yet another practice still used today.

Now I do understand that change is not for everyone – There are those who still like playing for the same prizes and awards that were given out in the 80’s, facing the same teams year in and year out; those who embrace sameness, predictability, conservative thinking and dictatorship.

If you fall in this category, then I’m definitely not speaking to you, because you my friend are experiencing flag bliss, while the rest of us are experiencing a feeling of being stuck watchin a bad 80’s rerun that reoccurs each year at the same time, on the same channels. We know every word and every outcome but we watch it anyway. You know the kind that was cool at first but then the little cute, chubby kid grew up and “whatchutalkinbout-Willis” coming from a fully-grown midget-man was no longer funny – its’ that type of feeling.

But today there are new flag leagues popping up everywhere, run by young Internet-savvy, business-minded, flag aficionados who see a market that is exposed and easily penetrable.   By implementing fresh and creative ideas and better business strategies along with the concept of giving back value equal to or greater that what their customers spent, they are positioning themselves within the market to succeed.

So, as flag makes its transition into a new era and new teams form to compete, it will be extremely difficult for any organization or league to attract these teams and establish brand loyalty using out dated methods.

Younger teams are not as loyal as older teams, leaving the door wide-open for these new pioneers of flag to attract them and develop lasting relationships. 

Furthermore, these new concepts, which are supported by mountains of technology provide these new organizations the ability to accomplish in months what took years before, while at the same time creating a plethora of new opportunities for themselves as well as for their colleagues and teams along the way.

Whether we want it or not, the game of flag is heading for some serious changes off the field that will ultimately affect what's happening on the field.  But most importantly these changes will expose organizations with weak business and marketing strategies, which in return will create more opportunities for these new organizations and leagues to thrive.

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