The NFL teamed up with LGBTQ+ youth to create this one-of-a-kind Super Bowl Experience
It looks like all involved had a blast:A post shared by Phoenix Gay Flag Football (@pgffl)Byron Perkins is having a big week.“Having the NFL stand with the LGBTQ youth, and also the Phoenix and National Gay Flag Football League, just affirms that football is for everybody and they recognize that a lot their fanbase is part of our community, and inspiring these kids and letting them know that football is for them,” NGFFL Commissioner Joel Horton tells ABC 15.“It’s something that’s so powerful and transformative,” he continues. “They’re out here changing lives today.”The NFL has worked more closely with the NGFFL in recent years, especially in Arizona; the Cardinals sponsored the 2021 Gay Bowl in Tempe, which ended up being optioned for a reality miniseries.
This October, the Seattle Seahawks are sponsored the Gay Bowl in their home city. PGFFL Commissioner Guillermo “Memo” Moreno emphasizes the work that all sides put into making this moment happen and how much it’s all paid off. “This is really a huge stride for us,” he says. “Coming from the gay community and seeing the growth that we’ve experienced, both on a national level and personal level… to be able to be a part of something so much bigger than us, such as the NFL Experience, it’s everything.”He said the moment was hugely important for the gay flag football leagues themselves, as “it validates who we are as players, as athletes, and as gay members of the community.”Portland’s soccer fans aren’t happy about the hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced around the country… and they’ve brought a very big axe to show it.In a political moment where both LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ people in athletics are being challenged at every turn, the nation’s biggest sporting.
