Ki’Lolo Westerlund was aware of her starring role in an NFL Flag 50 commercial promoting flag football during Super Bowl LIX. She knew she’d be sharing the screen with past and present NFL players like Myles Garrett, Justin Jefferson, and Marshawn Lynch. However, she hadn’t seen the commercial yet. It aired worldwide on millions of screens after halftime, but the 17-year-old flag football star was actually at the game in New Orleans with her father.
Westerlund excelled as a receiver and defensive back at Liberty High School in Las Vegas. She also helped the U.S. Girls’ Junior National Team win gold medals at the 15U and 17U levels of USA Football’s Junior International Cup from 2022 to 2024. She was the first recipient of a Division I flag football scholarship last year and will try out for the 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team before starting at Alabama State this fall.
Westerlund eagerly anticipated watching the Super Bowl ad herself after receiving numerous notifications on her phone. The ad played on the screens at the Caesars Superdome after the third quarter.
In the commercial, Westerlund portrayed a version of herself 40 years earlier in 1985. She played a high school student who defied the doubts of her male counterparts on the football field, showcasing her moves against defenders. The highlight moment was when she replicated Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s impressive backward hurdle to outshine an opponent who questioned her abilities.
Leave the past behind. Let’s make girls flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states. #NFLFlag50 #SBLIXhttps://t.co/mWxpXJ0Ogy pic.twitter.com/I0yzbDYZGo
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
During the Super Bowl game, Westerlund, situated in the Eagles fan section, witnessed Bird Gang supporters cheering emphatically as they watched the ad. They were already thrilled with the Eagles’ performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Westerlund expressed, “It was truly an honor,” reflecting on the experience in a recent phone interview, “That’s when it struck me. I was emotional and thought, ‘Wow, this is actually happening. This is crazy.’ Everyone around me exclaimed, ‘Wait, that’s you!’”
NFL Flag 50 advocates for making girls flag football an official varsity high school sport in all 50 states. Currently, 14 states have sanctioned it, with Louisiana recently granting conditional approval, and 18 more states initiating pilot programs. The NFL Flag program, supporting youths of all genders in learning and playing the sport, has been active since the 1990s.
If you’re wondering about the motivation behind the NFL producing a lengthy commercial shown during an event where a 30-second spot reportedly cost around $8 million, the surge in flag football’s popularity and the league’s investment in the sport have led to its recent global growth.
GO DEEPER
Why flag football’s Olympics inclusion has been ‘rocket fuel’ for growth, especially among women
Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in a five-on-five format at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL switched the Pro Bowl to a flag football format in 2023. While the participation of NFL players in the 2028 Games remains unsure, league officials and USA Football are deliberating on the matter.
Over the past five years, flag football has ascended to a collegiate sport appearing in the NAIA, NJCAA, and NCAA Division I, II, and III ranks. Recently, the sport received a suggestion to join the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, allowing schools in all three divisions to strengthen their commitment to the sport and potentially nominate it for championship status in the future.
Alabama State, an FCS program, established the first DI women’s flag football program in April 2024. In the offseason, it awarded the first scholarship for the sport, which went to Westerlund.
Upon receiving approval to grant a scholarship, Alabama State coach Jennifer Constuble knew she wanted to support someone who could revolutionize the game both on and off the field.
“It was an obvious choice,” Constable stated, “She was my top pick. She’s going to be a role model that kids will look up to.”
Westerlund is enthusiastic about competing at the collegiate level but has her sights set on participating in the 2028 Olympics and, more broadly, advancing the game’s growth.
“Absolutely,” Westerlund affirmed when asked about the evolving acceptance of girls and women in football, “They are adapting and attempting to understand it.
“And soon, even those who don’t will come around.”
Ki’Lolo Westerlund was the star of NFL Flag 50’s two-minute Super Bowl commercial. (Courtesy of the NFL)
Boredom led Westerlund to flag football.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic caused global shutdowns, she was a volleyball and rugby player and had no intentions of getting into flag football. However, during a period of inactivity in 2020, she decided to join the Apex Predators, a youth flag football club in Las Vegas.
“I was pretty terrible,” Westerlund chuckled, but she made the team alongside future U.S. Women’s Team member Maci Joncich and other players. They started competing against boys’ teams, and although Westerlund’s skills improved gradually, the team faced tough challenges.
“We were constantly getting beat and criticized, which, I think, brought us closer as a team,” Westerlund remarked. “It motivated us to keep pushing.”
….Continued…
