The race for live sports content has reached a point where almost any idea can draw serious interest from networks and streaming platforms. That was the underlying message from Pablo Torre during a recent appearance on the Football America! podcast.
This past weekend, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic held its debut as a first-of-its-kind round-robin tournament featuring three teams of incredible current and legendary professional football players. This included NFL on FOX analyst Tom Brady, who made his first official return to the field since his retirement in 2023.
Due to hostilities in the middle east, the event switched from it’s location in Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles. FOX Sports still carried the inaugural event produced by Fanatics Studios.
In discussing the event and its FOX Sports broadcast, Torre pointed to the growing value of media rights driving niche sports onto major networks. He said networks are aggressively pursuing live sports programming because it remains a reliable way to capture real-time audiences.
“We are living in this era in which the greatest, most powerful, most valuable thing is sports rights,” Torre said. “The notion that you can shoots and ladders your way to being a new, popular sport using the existing, popular, well paid, very famous human beings that play the most popular sport already. And all you got to do is call it flag football. Feels like a real shark tank idea.”
That mindset helps explain why events like the recent flag football showcase from Fanatics, which aired on FOX Sports, are gaining traction. These made-for-TV concepts offer a lower barrier to entry than traditional leagues. At the same time, they still tap into the broader ecosystem of football’s popularity.
However, Torre cautioned that star power remains essential. With flag football making its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Olympic games, the NFL is attempting to promote the sport to audiences that can become familiar with it.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in October 2023 that flag football would be included on the LA28 Olympic sports program. Its inclusion, led by efforts of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and supported by the NFL, showcases an aspirational new pathway to elite play and the incredible development of the sport globally.
While networks could experiment with the flag football format for broadcast, they still rely on recognizable names to draw viewers. Without that connection, even well-produced events could struggle to find an audience.
“I get why they’re trying it. Why should you care about it?” Torre said. “I think the question will be when Tom Brady and Joe Burrow and Odell Beckham Jr. — who I guess could do one handed catches in the end zone. It was like football, I guess. You could persuade an audience that this is football. Just try doing it without the guys who you recognize.”
According to Sports Business Journal, the telecast on FOX Sports averaged right around 650,000 viewers which is on par with what most of regular season college basketball coverage did this season. The telecast peaked at 909,000 viewers and had a total reach of 2.8 million on traditional linear TV, according to SBJ.
His comments highlight a broader industry tension. On one hand, networks want fresh, scalable properties. On the other, they still depend on established athletes and brands to legitimize those concepts.
As rights fees for major leagues continue to climb, alternative events will likely become more common. They provide inventory, attract advertisers and appeal to younger viewers. Still, their long-term viability may hinge on whether they can move beyond novelty.
For now, Torre sees the trend as part of a larger evolution. The definition of premium sports content is expanding, but the economics remain familiar. Live audiences drive value, and recognizable talent drives those audiences.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
