Ahead of Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, the NFL and YouTube are hosting a cultural crossover event on the gridiron — a flag-football game that will mash up big-name YouTubers with music stars, pro football legends and other athletes, streaming exclusively on YouTube.
The NFL and YouTube’s Creator Flag Football Game, taking place Saturday, Feb. 8, in New Orleans will pit two seven-player teams against each other. The squads will be led by popular creators and livestreamers IShowSpeed (aka Darren Jason Watkins Jr., who has 35.9 million YouTube subscribers) and Kai Cenat (7 million subs). Retired NFL stars Michael Vick (Team Speed) and Cam Newton (Team Kai) will take charge as quarterbacks — see the full rosters below.
This year, YouTube joins as the first official partner of the annual Super Bowl flag football game. The flag-football game will kick off Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at the Play Football Field at the Super Bowl Experience sponsored by Panini, the NFL’s interactive football theme park at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The game will be livestreamed for free on the YouTube channels of the NFL, IShowSpeed and “The Rich Eisen Show” podcast.
The game “will feature high-energy plays, hilarious rivalries and unforgettable moments and bring all the excitement of a game day fueled by the larger-than-life personalities and competitive fire of its star players,” the NFL and YouTube said Wednesday in announcing the teams.
Players taking the field include music artists Latto, Teyana Taylor, Quavo and Sexyy Red; YouTube creators Deestroying, Mark Phillips, Khaby Lame, Adam “Adam W” Waheed and MMG; and athletes including Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, college football star Shedeur Sanders and Diana Flores, quarterback of Mexico’s gold medal-winning Women’s Flag Football National Team.
What’s behind the YouTube and NFL collab? It’s in large part about the NFL continuing in its efforts to engage younger audiences and promoting the brand as being at the forefront of sports and culture. In addition, with flag football set for its Summer Olympic Games debut in 2028, the NFL wants to highlight the sport’s accessibility and inclusivity.
“This game is a testament to how we’re bringing together the best of sports, entertainment and creator culture to deliver an unforgettable experience for fans,” said Ian Trombetta, the NFL’s senior VP of social, content and influencer marketing. “Partnering with YouTube allows us to showcase the personalities that drive today’s media landscape while celebrating the excitement and accessibility of flag football for everyone.”
Angela Courtin, YouTube’s VP of connected TV and creative studios, said the partnership with the NFL is all about “bringing fans closer to the action and fun.”
“By combining YouTube creators, NFL legends, celebrities and artists, we’re creating truly unique experiences and access that fans can only get on YouTube,” Courtin said. “This underscores our commitment to pushing the boundaries of sports entertainment, building community and delivering fresh, engaging content to a wider audience than ever before.”
YouTube and the NFL are betting on big audience tune-in — the 2024 creator flag-football game at Super Bowl LVIII generated over 100 million video views across platforms. The NFL first hosted a creator flag-football event at 2022 Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.
The NFL and YouTube have been media partners for years, but they stepped it up starting with the 2023-24 season when YouTube became the exclusive U.S. retailer for the Sunday Ticket out-of-home package. Under the seven-year Sunday Ticket deal, Google is reportedly paying the NFL upwards of $2 billion per year.
For this year’s flag-football contest, NFL Network commentator Rich Eisen and special guest Jason Kelce, former Philadelphia Eagles center, will kick off the show. Other notable participants include NFL pro Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and sports broadcast journalist Taylor Rooks calling the game; comedian-actor Druski (Drew Desbordes) as head referee; and Chanen and Juwan Johnson and Kristy and Desmond Scott reporting from the sidelines.
Sportscaster Kay Adams will kick off the night with a pregame show, streaming exclusively on the NFL’s YouTube channel, starting at 8 p.m. ET on Feb. 8. Adams will take viewers behind the scenes with the players, “capturing stylish arrivals, locker room interactions and candid moments.” Special guest YouTube creators Monet McMichael and Carter Kench will join Adams on the pregame.
Here are the current team rosters, with talent subject to change:
TEAM SPEED
Team Leader: Speed (#7)
Quarterback: Cam Newton (#1)
Players:
• Mark Phillips (#21)
• Adam W (#23)
• Latto (#777)
• Quavo (#91)
• Sexyy Red (#4500)
• Plaqueboy Max (#5)
• Khaby Lame (#00)
• Diana Flores (#33)
TEAM KAI
Team Leader: Kai Cenat (#3)
Quarterback: Michael Vick (#7)
Players:
• Duke Dennis (#34)
• Deestroying (#11)
• Jordan Chiles (#23)
• Shedeur Sanders (#2)
• Teyana Taylor (#10)
• Cole Bennett (#21)
• MMG (#4)
• Ki’Lolo Westerlund (#1)
