The future of football is flag. It's fast, it's fun, there's less risk of injury and virtually anyone can play the sport. That includes women, who in some leagues are already dominating the gridiron more than their male counterparts.
The sport is already sweeping the nation and it could become an Olympic sport as early as 2028, if you ask NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent: "When we talk about the future of the game of football, it is, no question, flag," Vincent said two weeks ago. "When I've been asked over the last 24 months, in particular, what does the next 100 years look like when you look at football, not professional football, it's flag. It's the inclusion and the true motto of 'football for all.' There is a place in flag football for all."
Vincent is right, and we're already seeing badass girls make highlight reel plays like the one Ali Kaltenbacher made.
Ali Kaltenbacher's One-Handed Catch
All I'm gonna say is that I've never seen Ali Kaltenbacher and Odell Beckham Jr. in the same room. She plays for the Athena Athletics Girls Flag Football league in Philadelphia and was participating in a Baltimore Ravens regional flag tournament over the weekend in Baltimore when she made a simply ridiculous catch.
Everything about the play shows why girls can play football with the boys. The one-handed catch that she makes look effortless. The absolute dime of a throw after the quarterback rolled out to the left. It's like something we've come to expect from Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.
The video was posted to the Instagram account of NFL Flag Football, the official flag football league of the NFL. It's received more than 45,000 views since it was posted, and many of the comments hyping Ali up, because she's clearly a beast.
Ali was playing in the 14U division of the tournament, so she still has some years before high school. If she keeps making catches like this, there's always the possibility she'll play ball in high school. Let's hope she keeps dominating like this.
