A reality series about Gay Flag Football is being developed for TV!
Gay flag football on TV? Yes, please!
According to OutSports, the National Gay Flag Football League(NGFFL) will be featured in a reality TV series currently in development. The NGFFL also takes part in the annual championship tournament, Gay Bowl, which will also be featured in the series, according to Out Magazine. This year’s gay Bowl will take place in Phoenix, Arizona from September 30 to October 3.
The show, entitled Flags, will be produced by sports studio game1, Moore Street Productions, and Seth Greenleaf and his Greenleaf Productions. It will shine a spotlight on gay flag football teams from around the country, bringing more awareness to LGBTQ sports.
The show’s producer, Seth Greenleaf, is a veteran Broadway producer and the straight ally quarterback of a two-time champion gay flag football team. In 2017, Greenleaf spoke about how he became the quarterback of a gay flag football team on the podcast Jennifer Brown Speaks, stating that it all started when he talked his way into a practice pick-up game he just happened to be walking past one day.
He recounted that the players were standoffish at first, but eventually gained their trust and was so good that they offered him a spot after the practice. As Greenleaf grew closer to his teammates, he began to hear their stories. His experiences earning the trust of his gay teammates and learning about their lives was the focus of his 2014 documentary, F(l)ag Football.
“Having a series like this can widen the reach for LGBTQ+ communities and promote LGBTQ+ athletes across the world,” said NGFFL commissioner Shigeo Iwamiya to OutSports. “And for people that don’t see themselves in a sport might find a sense of belonging and a renewed sense of connectivity in something they really love as well.”
Founder and CEO of game1, Greg Economou, added: “Our goal with Flags is to create a piece of storytelling that is indeed universal, showing that anyone and everyone can compete at the highest levels of sport, while enduring and enjoying all that goes along with those efforts.”
The NGFFL comprises over 200 teams in 22 leagues throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Learn more about NGFFL and Gay Bowl XXI at www.ngffl.org/gaybowl.
