The first even Fanatics Flag Football Classic is in the books and it came up with some surprising results on and off the field.
Team USA, Wildcats, and Founders faced off with four total games being played as it was Team USA who dominated the competition with three straight wins and took home $100,000 as they outscored the Wildcats and Founders 106-44. The Tom Brady-led Founders struggled as they lost both of their games with the Wildcats beating them 34-26 to make the championship game.
Darrell Doucette, captain of Team USA, won the MVP award for the competition. While the on-field product had its highs and lows, there were more that was talked about with the event in general.
Overall impressions of Fanatics Flag Football Classic
The most surprising part of the event was how much better Team USA was versus the other two teams that had NFL caliber talent on them. Players like Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Saquon Barkley, and more looked outmatched and outgunned by Team USA. The biggest struggle for the NFL players was getting used to the rules as they received multiple penalties early on as they had to yell at each other what the rules are for flag football.
Another aspect of the tournament that fans noticed was the lack of attendance in the stands. It did not look even half full for the game, which caused some to make comments about it online.
To be fair to Fanatics, the original event was supposed to be in Saudi Arabia before they moved to Los Angeles, California. The event was moved due to the concerns about the current conflict with Iran.
The only other part of the event that everyone would be interested in seeing is how many people watched the event from their homes. TV ratings for it has yet to be released, but it got good content impressions on social media.
It'll be interesting if they decide to do this kind of event again in the future or if this was a one and done situation. One thing is clear, though, is there might be more silence on the chatter about NFL players playing flag football at the Olympics in 2028.