NFL Bringing in Caitlin Clark to Help With New Flag Football initiative

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks past the photo backdrop before a game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks past the photo backdrop before a game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn Images

Even in the WNBA offseason, everyone wants a piece of Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

Clark will reportedly attend an NFL panel at the league's annual owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. next week where she'll discuss women's sports and the future of flag football, according to Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports.

Clark will be joined by tennis icon Serena Williams, NFL great Eli Manning and Broncos co-owner Mellody Hobson.

The NFL's latest plans to bring together a smattering of big-name sports stars comes on the heels of flag football's continual growth, with the sport set to make its Olympic debut in 2028.

"Flag football is a high priority of ours," NFL EVP Jeff Miller said. "It’s an opportunity for young women to participate in our game... and as we look forward, there definitely seems to be an appetite and interest in a professional flag league for both men and women.

"So it’s a continuation of the growth in women’s sports, and the role that the NFL can play in it."

Serena Williams along with her sister Venus became part owners of the Miami Dolphins back in 2009, making them the first Black women to own a stake in an NFL franchise. Clark, per FOS' Fisher, "has also shown interest in eventual NFL team ownership."

The 23-year-old guard is coming off a historic rookie season in the W and is rapidly becoming one of the world's biggest female athletes, as the Fever recently announced they will have a league-record 41 games on national TV in 2025.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.