On Feb. 2, Nike released a commercial titled, “Lose Count | Stronger Than One,” which is part of a video series interviewing athletes when it comes to the adversity they’ve faced.
The video highlights women’s flag football players from two of the top high school teams in Florida and an overall message: women’s flag football should be an official sport in every high school across the nation.
Featured in the video is past Alonso High School flag football player Idalys Acosta: 20 years old, high spirited and more than just your average alumna. After only being able to play club football in middle school, as her school only offered a boy’s flag football team, Acosta began her women’s flag football debut her freshman year of high school.
Acosta stated, “At the time I was a little shy and scared to really show them what I could do but overtime I was able to show confidence on how good I was able to play.”
And she sure did. Not only leading her team to win one but two state championships during her junior and senior year. She was such a vital part of the women’s flag football program at her school that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers even asked her to announce their fourth draft pick in 2019.
But it was not the success alone that drove her to be so motivated towards the game.
Acosta explained, “I enjoyed [all] the games we played… in season [or even off season]. It gave me an opportunity to get better as a player, teammate and person on and off the field. It taught me a lot about leadership and how to continue to try your best no matter how bad the game is going or how bad you’re playing.”
As she neared the end of her four-year experience though, she reminisced greatly about her time with the sport.
“I continued to play because of the amazing memories that I [made] in high school,” Acosta noted. “All the girls that [I’d] played with [had] taught me to be better and to never give up. They all showed me to always believe in myself…”
While Acosta graduated with two flag football state championship medals around her neck, she was yet to know what her future in the sport held.
Acosta said, “Honestly after high school, I thought that was it for me. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to play anymore… [and] I felt like something was missing in my day-to-day life…”
She would find out about a year later that she was nowhere near the end of her days on the field, though.
Acosta explained, “I had a friend that played on [another flag football] team that introduced me to [a coed program]. She called me one day asking to play a game one weekend to help the team she was on and ever since then I’ve been able to play …. I play on an all-women’s team for seven by seven and five by five. And then for coed, I play on a five by five coed team and eight by eight coed team.”
Acosta now competes around the United States with her teams, playing at least two tournaments a month. Even recently, winning a national tournament with her current team, continuing to show her strength in the sport. And just as in high school, she continues to devote herself towards advancing her skills.
“Now that I’m playing flag football again, I’ll be honest I have fallen off the boat just a little bit, but I am working towards becoming a better player for me, my team and as a person,” said Acosta. “Just like in high school I’m here to do my best, learn what I can, and be better on the field when the time comes.”
Acosta commented that her life without flag football is why she was so excited to be in the Nike commercial.
Acosta said, “For women’s flag football as a whole I want to show girls [and] women that don’t think they can do it, that they can…Over the past couple of years, I feel like flag football has been changing for the [better]. It has been giving more and more opportunities for girls to go into flag, even after high school. The fact that they’re giving girls a chance to show the world what they can do, and their abilities, just makes me OVERJOYED…”
She further went into why the commercial was so much more than just another Nike advertisement, explaining, “As we were filming for the commercial, I was amazed about how they wanted high school girls being front and center and showing off…their abilities for playing flag football. The fact that they were wanting to see the toughness of these girls, the rowdiness, the excitement and dedication to the sport just was…. amazing!”
Idalys Acosta, a strong and talented young woman and flag football player, is a reason this sport is so important.
Acosta said, “This sport has definitely changed my life in so many good ways. Not sure I’d be where I’m at today if I never joined the flag team in high school.”
Acosta further hopes to work with women’s flag football, looking forward to the official football team for women being announced in 2022.
“Until then, I do want to go into the profession of becoming an athletic trainer or to be a coach/assistant coach,” stated Acosta. “I think showing these girls the potential that they have in the beginning and then putting it on the field gives me great pleasure and happiness. To see that they have a lot more in them than they think they do.”
With Nike’s new movement of pledging $5 million towards implementing girls flag football into every high school in America, and players like Acosta who are working towards a career pertaining towards the sport, we can expect to see the game itself becoming more popular and the culture becoming more respected.
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