AXIOS (Brad Jennings) - Girls flag football is fastest-growing high school sport
Data: NFHS ; Map: Brad Jennings/Axios Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago. Why it matters: Few girls high school sports have moved from niche to mainstream so quickly, broadening athletic opportunities in the process. By the numbers: More than 102,000 girls played high school flag football in 2025-26, a 551% increase in the past four years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations . Catch up quick: In 2024, just 12 states sanctioned high school girls flag football, viewed as a safer, more accessible version of America's most popular spectator sport. - Today, 23 states plus Washington,…