Big 12 becomes first major college league to explore adding women's flag football as varsity sport

Flag football will debut at the 2028 Olympics, putting a spotlight on the game

The Big 12 is exploring the possibility of formally sponsoring women's flag football, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. The news was first reported by Sports Business Journal. The league would be targeting a 2028 launch of the sport with at least six teams participating. 

The conference first announced potential interest in flag football in December, when the league announced a strategic partnership with the NFL. The sport has grown 60% year-over-year at the high school level. 

"We're trying to meet the moment," Big 12 chief football and competition officer Scott Draper told SBJ. "Our goal here is growth. Our goal is to advance Big 12 membership opportunities and growth for [the conference]. We see this as an opportunity to do that."

Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in America, especially on the women's side. The sport is also about to reach an international stage as men's and women's flag football is introduced as a sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 

In January, the NCAA designated the sport as an NCAA Emerging Sports for Women. Around the same time, Nebraska announced that it will become the first power conference school to add flag football as a varsity sport. 

On Tuesday, the Big South Conference also announced that it would add women's flag football as a varsity sport starting with the 2027-28 season. Five schools have committed to offering the sport: Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Radford, UNC Asheville and USC Upstate. 

"Women's Flag Football represents more than just a new addition to our sport offerings -- it is a dynamic and rapidly emerging sport fueled by access and opportunity," Big South commissioner Sherika Montgomery said.  "The Big South Conference is proud to be at the forefront of this growth, providing a competitive platform for student-athletes to excel while helping shape the future of the game across our region and beyond."

The NFL has also announced a partnership with TMRW Sports to create and operate professional flag football leagues for both women and men. The sport is also aiming to launch at or around the 2028 Olympic debut. 

"As the flag football movement continues its explosive global growth, a professional flag league completes the pathway for elite athletes to compete at every level of the game, from youth to high school and college, to the Olympic stage, and now professionally," said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice President of football operations. "This is especially meaningful for girls and young women who are helping drive the sport's growth worldwide and who can now see their dreams in this game extend all the way to the professional level."