The MIAA has over 30 sports; so, why not flag football?
To most people it seems to make no sense. Why not have flag football be considered a sport? Football is one of the largest sports in America, but there is a version of it that is not talked about enough–flag football.
In flag football, people pull flags rather than tackle. Pentucket, along with other schools in Massachusetts, play flag football competitively. But that raises the question, why is flag football a club to the MIAA and not a sport?
Over the course of a week, students got interviewed and asked about their opinion.
The first and main question that was asked was, “Should flag football be
accepted as a MIAA sport?” Out of everyone that was interviewed, all said some version of
yes. Mr. Amico, the athletic director at Pentucket said, “Yes, I think they should and I think it is
heading in that direction.” Overall, most people think it would be beneficial for the MIAA to accept it as a sport and help it get more popularity.
The next question asked was, “Do you think that not having it be called a sport is unfair to
the athletes who put in the work?” One answer from Sarah Day, a 9th grader who is on the team,
stood out. In response to my question she stated, “They work just as hard as any other athlete, so
they should be seen as such.” Others agreed with Sarah, stating that they noticed that flag
football athletes play with determination and perseverance, but do not get the recognition and
consideration that they deserve from the MIAA.
In addition, students got asked the question, “What do you think people should do right
now about the issue?” Mr. Soule, who has a son who played flag football, suggested the idea of
petitioning and getting signatures. Sarah Day also suggested that people should “talk about it” to
raise awareness. Both focused on the idea of getting more engagement and growth in the sport.
Additionally, Mr. Amico stated, “The MIAA is a little behind on adding it themselves, but I do
believe we are pretty close to that becoming a reality.” This is good news to hear as it would benefit the athletes a lot. This also shows that the MIAA is aware that they should recognize it as
a sport. Even if they are close, raising awareness is key to helping push the sport further.
Interestingly, flag football is recognized as a varsity sport in 11 other states; people were asked how they felt about this. Many of the responses claimed that Massachusetts should step up and do better. A junior who was interviewed, Owen Case, said, “…it should be a varsity sport in all 50 states.” Even though there are 11 states that have it, that’s not even 25% of the United States of America. Lots of people were even surprised that other states have it and
were confused why we, the MIAA, do not.
A question that had a similar reaction from everyone was, “Do you think that it is weird
that Gillette Stadium hosted Pentucket and other schools, but it’s not considered a sport by the MIAA?”
Almost everyone that was interviewed said it was pretty weird. Sarah Day responded, “…it’s
enough of a sport that the home of the pats invited them to play [at Gillette].” Many people found
it on the side of it being pretty weird. Again, that just shows how even though many of these
people do not play it, it still has a big effect and should be changed.
Lastly, students were asked, “What would you say to the MIAA to get them on the side of
saying Flag Football is a sport?” Oilvia Woodbury, a freshman, said, “There’s no reason for it
not to be a sport.” And Owen Case asked the question, “If it’s a youth sport, why can’t it be a
high school sport?” Both of these students, having not played it in high school, had the same
reaction. Their shared reaction shows that something is wrong and should be changed.
Every sport is important, no matter what size. The MIAA already has 30 plus sports, but
what is one more? Right now, flag football is a club, but to the athletes and fans, it is a sport.
Throughout the interviews, several things became clear, most importantly that people are ready
for a change. The only question left is when will the change happen?
