Women's March Madness scores: First-round results, highlights from NCAA Tournament

Saudi Sports Push Targets NFL With Flag Football Series Featuring Tom Brady

The head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, Turki al-Sheikh, unveiled a major flag football tournament in Las Vegas this week alongside retired quarterback Tom Brady as the kingdom works to expand into American football.

Announced on Monday, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic is set for March 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. It will feature a round-robin tournament followed by a championship between the top two teams, according to a press release from FOX Sports, which will broadcast the games.

Sheikh said that the kingdom is "pleased" to be supporting the growth of flag football, adding that the goal of the tournament is to "bring the game to a wider audience around the world."

Brady, now minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, will play in the tournament alongside other American football stars, including Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, according to the release.

Flag football is a non-contact version of American football in which defensive players strip a flag from their offensive opponents rather than tackling them.

Brady is the latest sports star lured by Saudi Arabia, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, and Bryson DeChambeau of Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Athletes are often enticed by lucrative offers for playing in Saudi leagues, and Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with his club, Al Nassr, in June reportedly worth more than $900 million. 

The compensation for players in Fanatics Flag Football Classic has not been released. 

American football ambitions

Saudi Arabia has invested in a number of professional sports in recent years as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy. The Saudi sports sector is currently valued at $8 billion, up from around $1.3 billion in 2016 when the initiative was launched, according to the local news outlet Arab News.

The kingdom has not cracked into American football and the National Football League, however, partly due to rules that prohibit investment by state entities. 

The NFL is the world's most lucrative sports league, generating more than $20 billion in revenue during the 2024 season. Last August, the league announced for the first time it would allow private equity funds to take up to 10% stakes in teams, a move that paved the way for Gulf investment in American football, Samuel Wendel wrote for Al-Monitor.

Sovereign wealth funds such as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund are still prohibited from investing in the NFL under the league's rules, but could invest in the private equity funds that are now able to buy stakes in teams.

Speculation about looming Saudi investment in the NFL accelerated in 2023 when the PGA Tour announced plans to merge with the PIF-backed LIV Golf and the Qatar Investment Authority purchased a 5% stake in the Washington Wizards basketball team. However, the merger has yet to go through and Qatar remains the sole Gulf state whose sovereign fund owns part of a major North American sports franchise.

The kingdom is eyeing the sport at a time of growth. Flag football will feature at the Summer Olympics for the first time in 2028. NFL stars are rumored to be considering participation in the games, as are players in the semi-professional American Flag Football League.

The game is growing in the Middle East, and the San Francisco 49ers announced earlier this month a program to support flag football development in the United Arab Emirates. The team's head coach, Kyle Shanahan, will coach one of the teams in the Saudi tournament. 

Both flag and contact American football are particularly popular in Jordan and Israel, the only Middle Eastern members of the International Federation of American Football.

There are around 20 million flag football players in more than 100 countries around the world, according to a US State Department platform ShareAmerica.

New sports targets

Saudi Arabia has invested in golf, tennis, soccer and mixed martial arts for years, but entities in the kingdom are seeking to expand beyond those sports. R360, a breakaway rugby league, is expected to launch next year and is reportedly backed by private Saudi investors. Co-founder Mike Tindall, a former player and member of the royal family, has openly backed Saudi investment in the sport. The league is offering players around $1 million a year, according to British media reports. 

Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said in April that the kingdom is interested in hosting the 2035 Rugby World Cup.

The Financial Times reported in February that PIF was serving as a strategic partner for an investment group seeking to create an Asian and European basketball league to compete with the National Basketball Association.

Six-man Football Is More Than Touchdowns And Wins In Texas: 'It's Like An Identity'

The Marfa Shorthorns take the field with the "shorthorn stampede" before every game during the fall football season. Carlos Morales/For NPR hide caption

toggle caption Carlos Morales/For NPR

MARFA, Texas — From his view inside the press box at Martin Field, Jay Foster has seen generations of fans work their way into the stands to cheer on their Marfa Shorthorns. But the game he's been announcing for the last decade isn't your typical football game.

In Texas' rural pockets, high schools like Marfa with fewer than 105 students can opt to play a small-town version of Friday night lights: six-man football.

While for many high school football in Texas means multimillion dollar stadiums, high-salaried coaching jobs and coveted five-star talent, the six-man game is more than touchdowns and championships - it's about small community pride.

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"It's not like 11-man ball, but you still have the basics," said Foster, who coached at Marfa High School. "You still got to block, tackle, you got to run, you got to pass, you got to kick and everything else you do normally in American-style football." 

Friday night lights in Marfa, Texas. In rural parts of the state, high schools with a low enrollment can opt to play a specialized version of football. Carlos Morales/For NPR hide caption

toggle caption Carlos Morales/For NPR

This gridiron game some 200 teams play in Texas is distinct in a few ways: the field is shorter – just 80-yards long, instead of 100, and it's a little narrower, too.

Field goals are worth four points, not three. And it takes a little more effort to get a first down – 15 yards rather than 10.

And there's even a mercy rule: At any time after the half, if a team is ahead by 45 points or more, the game is over. It's called "getting 45'd."

And those rules make for a unique game.

"It's like 11-man [but] on steroids," said Bobbie Brown, who founded the website 1A Fan, a reference to the smallest school classification in Texas. "It's so quick and fast and it's so enjoyable, because there's not one boring second in a six-man game."

In 2012 Marfa High School transitioned from the typical 11-man game to six-man football. Fans in this West Texas town say it took some adjustment, but are happy to still have football during the fall. Carlos Morales/For NPR hide caption

toggle caption Carlos Morales/For NPR

For Brown, the game of six-man football is part of the culture of small town Texas. "It's like an identity," she said.

"In small towns, there's really not a whole lot to do," said Brown, "But the school is the hub for the community. We know what we're doing Friday nights in the fall."

At a recent game, between crunching tackles and breathless sprints to the endzone, the school's cheerleaders, and a mascot named "Bull-ette" lead the crowd in chants.

"You got people that disagree on all kinds of stuff, but they can agree on their team," said Gregory Victor Meads, a preacher in the area, who's watching the game from the stands. "It brings people together."

Spectators look on as the Marfa Shorthorns play a game against a private school from El Paso, Texas, as part of the six-man high school football fall season. Carlos Morales/For NPR hide caption

toggle caption Carlos Morales/For NPR

The district's interim superintendent, Arturo Alferez, says the generations of fans that fill the school's stadium every Fall's Friday night help to pass on school traditions – like the "shorthorn stampede," the ringing of the bell after each touchdown and the singing of the school song after every game, win or lose.

"It just allows the opportunity for the community to come together and trade stories," said Alferez, who's watching the game with his grandson. "Even though Marfa has changed, the town has changed, you come back here and it brings you back to those traditions and roots."

But in Marfa, the high school's enrollment has been trending downward for years now, and some worry the student population may get so low that one day they won't even be able to field a six-man team.

"I can't even fathom that ever happening," said Lori Flores, who attended the school, as did her parents and children too.

"We would all be heartbroken," she said. "A lot would be lost."

Martin Field in Marfa, Texas is the place to be Friday nights during the fall season, where fans cheer for the Shorthorns competing in the six-man football season. Carlos Morales/For NPR hide caption

toggle caption Carlos Morales/For NPR

Just this year, a handful of schools in Texas' gulf coast have skipped the football season because they didn't have enough players.

On the field after a recent shorthorn win, Garry Webb embraces his family. The high school senior transferred from a neighboring district with only 28 students in pre-k through 12th grade.

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But now, even in tiny Marfa, he says he's found a community on the field and in the stands.

"From the stands, we see our parents, our cousins, our old teammates," said Webb. "And what they see down here, is not just a number or a player, they see my little brother, my cousin, my old friend that I used to play with."

For Webb, playing under Friday night lights just feels like a rite of passage in Texas, and one way or another – even if it's the six-man version of the game – he had to experience it.

"It just feels like the world's watching," said Webb. "Not the entire world, but our world."

Upper St. Clair Kicker Makes Conversion To American Football

In the short 18 years of his life, Jacobo Echeverria Lozano has encountered many twists and turns in life, but his kicks for the Upper St. Clair football team have always been straight and true.

Born in Colombia, Echeverria Lozano moved to America in 2012. He was four. He turned five on his first day of school and he knew no English. In fact, he said he had to repeat kindergarten twice because of the language barrier.

"Spanish was my first language of course," he said. "I didn't really get (English) until like third grade. There's been a lot harder things I've gone through though but it was a struggle," he said of learning the language.

Echeverria Lozano never grappled with athletics, especially soccer, which plays a vital part of Colombia's national identity. The game is a unifying force and source of pride for the South American country.

"Jacobo's dad (Jorge) is the biggest soccer fan on the planet," noted USC head football coach Mike Junko. "He's become a football fan though and I am so glad that his boys love football the way they do."

Echeverria Lozano started playing soccer at age 3. He also picked up basketball and played three sports until he entered high school.

His older brother, Jorge, is his "inspiration" as he served as a kicker for USC before heading to Penn State and becoming the equipment manager for the Nittany Lions. Currently, Jorge works in a similar capacity for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Additionally, Echeverria Lozano's younger brother, Sebastian, is a freshman kicker and punter for the Panthers.

Echeverria Lozano's life changed during his middle school years. In seventh grade, he nailed a 40-yard field goal while practicing. Somewhere between eight and ninth grade, he booted a 50-yarder.

"At first, I thought, whatever, I can kick. My brother can kick," he rationalized. "But, that's when it all started."

Echeverria Lozano attempted to juggle both sports into his schedule, which included his academic classes in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. He is currently an honors student, carrying a 4.5 weighted GPA in his regular high school courses.

"My freshman year, I was going to play soccer and then football and see how the season developed but with all the games and practices I would have missed at least 70 percent of the soccer schedule so there was no point and it wouldn't have been fair."

Echeverria Lozano added he does "miss" soccer as well as basketball because he "likes running around" but he's good at football.

"When you're good at something, of course, you're going to love it. I still love other sports but football is what I am best at and I'm going to keep going at it. Hopefully, play at the next level."

That's a given because Echeverria Lozano is ranked 10th among placekickers and 82nd among punters in the country by Kohl's Kicking Camps.

"He'll definitely be playing on Saturdays," Junko predicted. "If Jacobo continues to grow and develop the way he has, I'm sure he's got the leg to one day kick on Sundays. That comes down to consistency and he's really shown that consistency."

Last fall, Echeverria Lozano earned all-conference, first-team honors as a punter and a kicker. He converted 8 of 13 field goals, with his longest being 46 yards. He connected on all 47 of his extra point attempts. Plus, 50 of his 71 kickoffs were touchbacks and he averaged 40 yards per punt, nailing 17 within the 20-yard line.

Echeverria Lozano started the season in similar fashion. In a 35-14 win against Mt. Lebanon, he converted five extra points and all six of his kickoffs were touchbacks. He was particularly impressive in a 48-0 win against Canon-McMillan. Echeverria Lozano booted four field goals, measuring 23, 24, 38 and 40 yards, added three PAT and had seven touchbacks, with two of his kickoffs measuring 76 and 69 yards.

"The biggest thing is how consistent Jacobo is. It doesn't matter the distance," Junko said. "He did a fantastic job against Canon-Mac. When we didn't finish drives, he finished them for us.

"Jacobo is such a weapon, particularly on kickoffs. I think if you have to start on the 20-yard line, 80 yards is a long way to go in high school football. He gives you that ability to try to win the field position battle."

As for field goals, Junko added that he's watched Echeverria Lozano convert attempts from 60 yards and beyond in practice. "So, I trust him anywhere from 55 in (during a game)," Junko said.

Echeverria Lozano's longest field goal was a 48-yard conversion but he says he probably could make attempts from 50 to 55 yards.

"Every time I break a new record or I go out and kick the ball farther, it just amps me up. I want to keep going," he said.

Hence, Echeverria Lozano practices, but he does so methodically. To develop his accuracy, which he terms as consistency, he warms up and then proceeds to kick anywhere from 10 to 25 balls, but no more.

"Because it's like a pitcher has a pitch count," he said. "A kicker has a kick count, too. If I overdo it, then I can't practice or I'll get hurt. So I just have to be careful. You come out here, work left hash, middle, right hash and work on the contact. It's just pretty much repetition and doing the same thing every time. Then you're not going to miss."

Echeverria Lozano is a can't miss college recruit. Last year, he kicked in front of recruiters from Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State. The Bulldogs and Nittany Lions didn't work out, he said, because he didn't perform his best and those schools picked other players, including his "best friend in the kicking world."

This year, Ohio State remains a top choice along with UCLA and Arkansas State. He's also currently talking to coaches from Robert Morris University.

"I'm keeping my options open," said Echeverria Lozano.

While he plans to major in business or finance, Echeverria Lozano knows his right leg is an option for earning his keep in life. He hopes to make a career out of kicking.

"That's the thought, of course, but what's propelling me is also I just like to go out there and kick. I'm passionate about it."

Echeverria Lozano is fervent about his expectations for his senior season. He wants to help the Panthers repeat as conference champions and advance to the WPIAL finals. Last year, USC won the Allegheny Six banner but lost to rival Peters Township, 7-3, in the Class 5A semifinals.

"The goal's to go 10-0. Try to go to the WPIAL final and then the next step would be the state finals," he said.

"I'm hyped up, especially after the Canon-Mac game, which was amazing," he added of senior night.. "We've been getting great execution from all three sides of the game, offense, defense and special teams."

USC senior kicker cherishes citizenship

Jacobo Echeverria Lozano has much to celebrate on and off the football field.

Born in Columbia, the Upper St. Clair High School senior became a United States citizen when his mother, Lilina, passed the naturalization test earlier this year.

Echeverria Lozano arrived in America nearly 14 years ago when a job opportunity opened up for his father, Jorge.

"My dad was just a good worker," Echeverria Lozano said. "A good friend of his, who lives in West Allegheny and he works with, kind of like recruited him."

Echeverria Lozano noted at the time the "family was going through" things, including his mother's illness.

"We took a chance and the opportunity to come here, of course, it was amazing," he said. "It's a great place."

Echeverria Lozano's family settled in Upper St. Clair but he did not become a citizen until certain criteria were met.

"If your parents live here for 10 years, then the children, if you're under 18, and they pass a test, the children become a citizen," Echeverria Lozano explained. "So, I'm a citizen now," he said.

Echeverria Lozano noted he "wasn't illegal" because his parents had the proper documentation, such as visas and green cards.

"I understand (immigration) is a touchy subject," he said. "I mean, it's sad, but at the same time, it makes sense. I just think it has to be more controlled about how they do it. But the thing that I'm happy about is my parents did it the right way."

What saddened Echeverria Lozano had been his inability to return to Colombia to visit relatives, particularly during the pandemic.

"Before COVID, I would go back every year and visit. So it was like almost four or five years before I saw my family again because most of them still live back in Colombia. So that's sad. Hopefully, I'll be back soon."

Since he has lived in America, Echeverria Lozano's English has improved, thanks in part to the education system in the Upper St. Clair School District, which offers an International Baccalaureate program.

Situations determine which language he enlists.

"When I'm home, I speak in Spanish to all my parents and brothers. So, of course, I think in Spanish. "When I'm in school, I think in English.

"And," he added with a laugh, "if I'm mad, usually I think in English."

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