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TED Talks Daily

Touchdown! The flag football movement is here | Troy Vincent Sr.

with Troy Vincent Sr.

Published October 23, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

Former NFL player and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL, Troy Vincent Sr., describes how girls and young women with the talent and desire to play football have historically been denied access, sharing personal stories about a gifted neighborhood athlete and his own daughter whose opportunities vanished because of their gender. He highlights the rapid rise of flag football as an affordable, accessible, and inclusive sport that now serves over 20 million participants across 100 countries, with growing support in U.S. high schools and colleges and a debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Vincent urges listeners to actively support girls' access to flag football, resist re-centering the sport around men as it grows, and "let her take the field" so women can shape the future of football and sports.

Topics Covered

Sports equity and access Youth sports development Leadership and management Personal Development Football management Flag football Olympic Games Gender equality in sports Women in sports

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Quick Takeaways

  • Troy Vincent Sr. argues that access, not ability, is what often limits girls and young women from pursuing football, sharing personal stories of talented girls who were shut out of the sport.
  • He describes the emergence of flag football as an inclusive, affordable, and accessible version of the game that now involves 20 million participants across 100 countries.
  • Seventeen U.S. states have sanctioned girls' varsity flag football, with 19 more running pilot programs and over 100 colleges offering flag with scholarships.
  • Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a milestone Vincent links directly to the participation and skill of women around the globe.
  • Vincent warns against commercializing flag football primarily for boys and men while treating women's participation as secondary, insisting on building an equal playing field from the start.
  • He emphasizes that football teaches transferable life skills-leadership, resiliency, toughness, communication-that should be equally available to girls.
  • Listeners are encouraged to ask schools and local parks and recreation departments whether girls can play flag football and to advocate for programs where they do not yet exist.
  • Vincent closes with a call to "let her lead" and "let her take the field," asserting that the future of football and sports is through women and that this future is already underway.

Podcast Notes

Host introduction and framing of the talk

Imagining equal opportunities in sports for all genders

Host asks listeners to imagine a world where all young people, regardless of gender, have access to the same opportunities[3:02]
• This framing invites the audience to think beyond current norms in sports access and participation
Introduction of Troy Vincent Sr. and his background[3:09]
• Host identifies Troy Vincent Sr. as a former National Football League all-star
• He is described as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL
• Host notes that he had access to opportunities that led him to football fame
Statement of the central problem: many young people's dreams vanish early[3:23]
• Host says that for many young people, especially young women, the dream of becoming a professional athlete vanishes all too soon
• She explains that Vincent will ask what it will take to make the playing field literally and metaphorically accessible to all

Opening scenario: what if your child had talent but no access?

Provocative questions about children being denied opportunities

Vincent asks the audience to consider a child with heart, drive, and skill but without access[3:42]
• He emphasizes that this child loves something deeply but cannot pursue it
Gender-based denial of participation in sport[4:01]
• Vincent asks what if a sport your child loved denied her the ability to play because of her gender

Inviting the audience to visualize girls in their own lives

Personalization through family roles[4:11]
• He invites listeners to imagine their granddaughter, sister, or niece in this situation
Imagining a world where girls have equal opportunities[4:34]
• Vincent asks the audience to imagine a world where she had every opportunity that exists for a young boy
• He describes a world where the playing field is not just metaphorically level but literally accessible to her
Equal access to physical spaces like locker rooms[4:34]
• He asks the audience to think about a world where every locker room door opened with the same ease for everyone

Why this question matters personally to Vincent

The guiding question has stayed with him[4:45]
• Vincent states that the question of equal access has stayed with him for years
• He says it is really the reason why he is standing on the TED stage

Vincent's background and early experiences with women in his life

Raised by a strong mother and surrounded by women

Influence of his mother, Alma Vincent[5:06]
• Vincent shares that he was raised by a strong woman named Alma Vincent
• He describes her as having "disquieted determination"
Women as central figures in his childhood[5:06]
• He notes that women surrounded his life throughout his childhood

Story of Tracy Williams from Trenton, New Jersey

Introducing Tracy Williams, a standout girl athlete[5:18]
• Vincent recalls a young girl in the city of Trenton, New Jersey, named Tracy Williams
• He notes that Tracy not only played every sport but also competed intensely
Attributes and competitiveness of Tracy[5:34]
• Vincent says Tracy was smart and fast
• He shares that Tracy used to "whoop our tails," indicating she often outperformed the boys
Lack of recruitment and pathways for Tracy[5:38]
• Over time, Vincent notes that there was no coach or recruiter in the neighborhood recruiting Tracy
• He states there was no place for girls on the football playing field as they called it
Tracy's dream fades due to lack of access[5:56]
• Vincent explains that as time went on, Tracy dreamed, but her access quickly vanished

Fatherhood, family, and seeing inequity through his own children

Being a father of five and managing their different paths

Description of his five children[6:04]
• Vincent states he is a father of five "not so young" kids anymore
• He notes they have five different dreams, personalities, aspirations, and "five levels of complete drama"
Experience with carpools and sports practices[6:25]
• He mentions having had his fair share of carpools and sport practices

Story of his eldest daughter, Desiree

Desiree's competitive nature and abilities[6:32]
• Vincent describes his oldest child, Desiree, as having hunger and competitiveness
• He calls her their beautiful oldest daughter
• By age seven, she could throw a pretty good spiral
• He notes that Desiree was smart, agile, and that many would consider her slightly tough
Desiree's early football experiences[7:01]
• Desiree played a lot of football in backyards with her brother and friends
Loss of opportunity for Desiree at age 10[7:06]
• By the time Desiree turned 10, the opportunity to keep playing quickly vanished
• Vincent clarifies that it was not because she lost interest
• He states that Desiree lost access, not interest

Contrasting opportunities for his sons

Sons' continued opportunities in football[7:25]
• Vincent notes that meanwhile, her brothers, their sons, had the opportunity to continue playing
• He specifies that they played at both the high school and collegiate levels

Realizing his own role in reinforcing gender norms

Teaching sons toughness and reinforcing the "man box"[7:55]
• Vincent realized he was teaching his sons life lessons of toughness and building grit
• He mentions telling them not to cry
• He names this pattern "the man box"
Double standard between what boys and girls are allowed to do[7:55]
• He says he was teaching his sons one thing while reinforcing that boys get to compete and girls get to cheer
Conclusion that the system is broken[8:05]
• At that time, Vincent realized that the system was broken

The emergence of flag football as an inclusive sport

Flag football's rise over the last 30 years

Flag football as a dynamic, all-inclusive sport[8:11]
• Vincent says that 30 years later, flag football has truly emerged as a dynamic, all-inclusive sport
Impact on options for young women[8:41]
• He states that today flag football is not only creating options for young women
• He notes that the sport is being played by 20 million people across 100 different countries
The reality of a flag football movement[8:50]
• Vincent declares, "This flag movement is real"
• He emphasizes that it is creating options for young women that never existed before

Life skills taught through flag football

Transferring traditional football life skills to girls[8:50]
• Vincent notes that flag football teaches life skills that football has always taught
• These include leadership, resiliency, toughness, and the development of grit
• He points out that these skills have not historically been shared with young girls
New opportunities for girls to compete[9:03]
• Vincent says that now young women and girls have an opportunity to compete

Why the flag football movement is growing

Reasons behind the explosion of flag football

Core attributes driving adoption[9:25]
• Vincent anticipates the audience asking why this movement and why the explosion
• He answers that flag football is affordable, accessible, and all-inclusive
• He adds that it is also social media friendly

Institutional growth in schools and colleges

High school adoption of girls' varsity flag football

Number of states sanctioning girls' varsity flag[9:28]
• Vincent states that 17 states have sanctioned girls' varsity flag as a true varsity sport in high school
Pilot programs in additional states[9:39]
• He notes that 19 additional states have pilot programs for girls' flag football

College flag football and scholarships

Collegiate opportunities and financial support[9:49]
• Vincent reports that more than 100 colleges now offer flag football with scholarships

Milestone: Kilo Lo Westerly's Division I scholarship

Highlighting a trailblazing female athlete[9:55]
• Vincent mentions Kilo Lo Westerly as the first female to earn a Division I full scholarship for flag football
• He expresses affection for this milestone, saying, "I love this"
Kilo Lo Westerly as a sign of what's coming[9:49]
• Vincent says she is the first of many and that this is just the beginning

Global expansion and Olympic inclusion of flag football

Flag football's debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games

Historic moment for women in football[10:29]
• Vincent announces that in 2028, flag football will debut in the Los Angeles Olympic Games
• He notes that there have been more than 100 years of football
• He emphasizes that young ladies will be able to take the field in a sport that once had no place for them
Women as essential to Olympic inclusion[10:41]
• Vincent states that football would not be in the Olympic Games if not for the participation and skill level of young women across the globe

NFL Flag's global footprint

Reach across continents[10:52]
• Vincent notes that NFL Flag is now in six different continents
Flag football as a global language[10:55]
• He says that flag is truly becoming a global language
• He adds that the sport is taking the world by storm
• He attributes this surge to the participation of women

Women driving the flag football movement

Rejecting marketing as the primary driver[11:13]
• Vincent asserts that women are driving this movement
• He says he will not allow anyone to say it is because of marketing
• He insists that the reason is that they opened the door for her and gave her an opportunity to participate
Women elevating the sport[11:24]
• Vincent states that women have taken the sport to another level

The need to nurture the flag football movement without recreating inequities

Emphasis on nurturing the movement

Importance of this moment in time[11:38]
• Vincent says it is important that the movement be nurtured in this time and space
• He calls for taking advantage of the current momentum

Warning against commercializing flag football primarily for males

Risk of reverting to a male-centered commercial model[11:50]
• Vincent cautions that they must be careful not to commercialize flag football for men or boys
• He acknowledges a tendency to commercialize the sport and create a commercial model for boys
• He warns against then becoming satisfied with just access for women
Call for an equal playing field as the sport develops[12:04]
• Vincent insists that an equal playing field must be created as this sport is developed
• He reiterates the need to nurture the movement responsibly

Audience call to action: what individuals can do

Starting with local questions and small actions

Prompting the audience to ask, "What can I do?"[12:20]
• Vincent anticipates the audience asking what they can do to support the movement
Encouraging engagement with schools and parks[12:29]
• He suggests starting small by asking questions at local schools
• He encourages reaching out to local parks and recreation departments
Key question: Do young women have the ability to play?[12:29]
• Vincent urges people to ask whether young women have the ability to play flag football at their schools and local parks and rec programs

Transferable life skills from football to life for girls and boys

Reinforcing that football teaches transferable skills

Life skills as a key benefit of football participation[12:41]
• Vincent notes that football life skills are highly transferable
• He says we need to remind girls of these skills just as we remind boys
Specific skills named: leadership, toughness, communication[12:49]
• He lists leadership, toughness, and communication skills as examples
• He states that these are all transferable life skills

Analogies between playing football and navigating life

Reading a defense vs. reading a room[12:59]
• Vincent draws parallels such as "read a defense, read a room"
Calling audibles and solving problems[13:09]
• He mentions calling an audible and solving a problem as skills relevant both on the field and in life
Leading a drive vs. leading in life[12:59]
• Vincent says, "lead a drive, lead in life" to illustrate the transfer of leadership skills
These lessons historically shared with boys, now available to girls[13:09]
• He explains that these are things they've been telling young boys about what the game provides as transferable life skills for over 100 years
• He notes that these skills are now on the table as an option for young ladies

Closing vision: imagining a world where girls fully participate and lead

Revisiting Tracy and imagining his granddaughters' futures

Imagining opportunities for Tracy and his granddaughters[13:31]
• Vincent asks the audience to imagine a world where Tracy from his old neighborhood and his granddaughters Layla, Rosie, Nadia, and Gianni can take the field

Envisioning family members representing their country

Imagining loved ones on the international stage[13:44]
• He invites listeners to imagine a world where their niece, sister, or daughter is representing their country
• He adds the image of them walking out in the Olympic opening ceremony

Final challenge: "Let her lead" and "let her take the field"

Explicit challenge to the audience[13:54]
• Vincent states his challenge: "Let her lead. Let her dream. Just let her take the field."
Statement about the future of football and sports[14:03]
• He concludes that the future of football and sports is through women and is now
Closing thanks[13:22]
• Vincent ends with a simple "Thank you"

Outro and production credits

Identifying the event and date of the talk

TED Sports Indianapolis 2025[14:19]
• Host notes that the talk was delivered by Troy Vincent Sr. at TED Sports Indianapolis in 2025

Reference to TED's curation guidelines

Invitation to learn more about TED's curation[14:25]
• Listeners are directed to ted.com/curationguidelines to learn more about how TED curates talks

Credits for TED Talks Daily production team

Fact-checking and production acknowledgments[14:38]
• The episode is said to have been fact-checked by the TED Sports Research Team
• Production and editing credits are given to Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Lucy Little, and Tanzika Olajuwon
Audio mixing and additional support[14:49]
• The episode was mixed by Christopher Fazey-Bogan
• Additional support is credited to Emma Taubner and Daniela Balarezo

Host sign-off

Promise of future ideas and thanks to listeners[15:00]
• Host Elise Hu says she will be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for listeners' feeds and thanks them for listening

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Talent and passion are not enough; without intentional work to create access, many capable people-especially girls and women-will see their opportunities vanish long before their potential is realized.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in my community do I see people with clear talent and drive who still lack access to opportunities?
  • • How might my assumptions about who "belongs" in certain activities be limiting the opportunities I notice or support?
  • • What is one concrete step I could take this month to remove a barrier for someone who has the heart and skill but not the access?
2

Systems and traditions can quietly reinforce unequal norms, so we need to examine our own behaviors and expectations-like who we encourage to compete versus who we expect to cheer-and consciously change them.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In what ways do my words or actions send different messages to boys and girls about what they are allowed to do or be?
  • • How could becoming more aware of my "default" expectations help me create a more equitable environment at home, work, or in my community?
  • • What is one specific norm or habit I can challenge or change this week to align my behavior with my belief in fairness?
3

When a new opportunity begins to grow, it's crucial to nurture it in a way that doesn't simply recreate old hierarchies-equity has to be designed in from the start, not added as an afterthought.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What emerging projects or initiatives around me risk being shaped primarily around the interests of already-advantaged groups?
  • • How might explicitly designing for equal participation from the outset change the structure or priorities of something I'm involved in?
  • • What is one decision I can influence right now to ensure a new initiative doesn't default back to the old power dynamics?
4

Experiences like sports can be powerful vehicles for teaching transferable life skills-leadership, communication, resilience-and we should work to ensure these skill-building opportunities are open to everyone, not just a subset.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which activities in my world currently serve as the main channels for teaching leadership and grit, and who has access to them?
  • • How could I better highlight and translate the life lessons from those activities so more people see their broader value?
  • • What is one program, club, or practice I can support or initiate that intentionally develops these skills in underrepresented groups?
5

Meaningful change often starts with simple, local questions-asking schools, leagues, or community centers what options exist for girls-and then persistently advocating for programs where gaps are found.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which local institutions (schools, parks, clubs) could I approach to understand what opportunities exist for girls and young women?
  • • How might a single, well-placed question about access create momentum for broader change in my community?
  • • What is one email, conversation, or meeting I can initiate this week to inquire about and advocate for inclusive opportunities?
6

Opening the door for those who have been excluded doesn't just benefit them; it can elevate the entire field, as new participants bring fresh energy, perspectives, and levels of performance.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where have I seen an influx of new voices or participants improve the quality of a team, organization, or community?
  • • How could intentionally inviting in underrepresented people strengthen the results or culture of a group I'm part of?
  • • What specific invitation or opportunity can I extend to someone who has historically been left out but could significantly enrich what we do?

Episode Summary - Notes by Logan

Touchdown! The flag football movement is here | Troy Vincent Sr.
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