Mexican superstar Diana Flores: “Flag football keeps showing us there are no limits”

When Diana Flores’ father first placed an American football in her hands, she couldn’t have imagined the way the peculiar prolate spheroid would come to shape her life.

Then, at just eight years old, the ball was simply an invitation into his father's past life at high school and at university, so Flores took it with both hands.

“Back then, it wasn’t very popular, and there weren’t many opportunities to play”, the 27-year-old Mexican says, charting her flag football origin story to Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.

“Imagine being eight years old but having to compete against girls of 16 or 17, because that was the only option. Sometimes I even had to play with boys, as the only girl on the team.”

Inspired and unperturbed, Flores grew into the game of flag football and its challenges, and quickly rose through its ranks.

At just 16, she was named to her first national team, but it wouldn’t be until nine years later that she would ascend to her role today as quarterback.

The wait may have been long, but it was ultimately worth it with Mexico, under her guidance, becoming a fully-fledged powerhouse, evidenced by recent back-to-back golds at The World Games.

“It’s been nearly 20 years of playing flag football, almost 12 of them representing Mexico," Flores says proudly. "Watching how fast the sport has grown worldwide fills me with pride and even more motivation to keep pushing for it to reach and change more lives."

Diana Flores: “My role is to leave a legacy"

On the field, Flores is easily one of the finest players around.

Her affable character shifts into relentless pack leader energy when she suits up to play, with her astute IQ and wickedly accurate arm making her one of the most feared and respected athletes in the game.

While the Mexican is a world-leading quarterback, she is also one of flag football’s fiercest advocates.

As an NFL Flag Ambassador and head of the IFAF (International Federation of American Football) Athletes’ Commission, she possesses an insatiable drive to share with whoever might listen how the sport can shape you as an individual.

“I definitely know I am who I am, as an athlete, as a woman and as a professional, thanks to sport,” Flores says definitively.

“It has taught me to understand myself in different situations, to connect with people through something bigger than just performance: passion. Sport has given me the ability to listen, to work as part of a team, and to understand that everything we do has an impact, even if we don’t always see it right away.

“That perspective has given me purpose”, she continues. “Beyond the field, my role is to leave a legacy, to use my talents and opportunities to make a difference and leave every place better than I found it.”

A life-changing Super Bowl commercial

Proof of her ambition to grow the game was watched live by millions of households around the world in 2023 when her face appeared in a commercial during the NFL Super Bowl LVII, just after Rihanna’s half-time show.

In the advert, titled ‘Run With it’, Flores can be seen dipping, weaving and sprinting, as she paces past a slew of passersby, all trying to pull her flags.

A cast of famous faces appear throughout, including tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, YouTube superstar Mr. Beast, American Football legend Jim Kelly and even Flores’ own mother.

The commercial not only spotlighted Flores as a key protagonist of the game but also contained a wider message about the involvement of women in the sport. Not only do they belong, they’re at the front, changing it for the better.

“For many years, this sport was male-dominated. But women have always been here, generation after generation, fighting to live their passion,” Flores says of the role of women in her sport.

“I’m grateful to those who came before us, who refused to give up, because now we can live this passion with different tools, in a time where women’s empowerment, our voices and our dreams are stronger than ever.

“Flag football keeps showing us there are no limits. Dreams don’t have a gender; sport doesn’t have a gender. On the field, we can be 100 per cent ourselves without stereotypes and restrictions. As athletes, we have the ability to shape the narrative, and that’s exactly what we’re here to do."

Getting, then, to be the face of that narrative during the Super Bowl remains for the ambassador in Flores a huge point of pride.

“That meant so much. Honestly, it was something I never imagined or even dreamed of, because when I was little,” she says. “It was about empowering the next generation of women, to show them we’ve always been here, and that we deserve the platform, the voice, the resources to pursue our dreams.”

LA28: "A dream come true"

However, the quarterback’s greatest legacy-writing work for flag football came when, in October 2023, the sport was announced as part of the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

The event to be staged in Exposition Park will feature 12 teams - six men’s and six women’s - and possibly some of the most famous faces in sport, with the NFL permitted to play.

As one of the ambassadors in the sport’s campaign to be elected, confirmation of its place came like an enormous victory, and there is little doubt in Flores’ mind as to the thrust the Olympics has now given flag football.

“It’s a dream come true. Not only for me personally, as an athlete, but for the flag football community,” she says. “As an athlete, representing your country at the Olympic Games is the ultimate dream, and to have the chance to do that, to compete for an Olympic medal, showcase flag football and what it represents on such a global stage is incredible.

“This is a step forward in creating more opportunities for both current and future generations, allowing them to dream big, not just on the field, but also beyond it.”

Speaking of the Games, Flores' eyes light up at the question of whether she hopes to compete there. With the tournament limited to just six countries, the competition will be decidedly fierce - but there is no doubt in the Mexican's mind about her goals.

"It’s the ultimate dream, and it would be the greatest honour. It’s what drives me every day: to one day hear my national anthem at the Olympic Games, and, hopefully, to bring a medal back home."

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