Financier Jeff Lewis is launching the American Flag Football League, which hopes to debut with "eight league-owned franchises" in '18, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Games will be "played 7-on-7 on a full 100-yard football field with 60 minutes of game time." San Jose's Avaya Stadium on June 27 is hosting a "test" game featuring former NFLers Michael Vick and Justin Forsett. The game will include flags "attached via magnets instead of the typical Velcro." When a flag is detached, a sensor "detects it and an official will be able to see the exact point on the field when the flag came off, thus ceding the guesswork to science." Not only does Lewis "see former NFL players, who did well financially, extending their football careers by trying the flag game, but he also sees college stars who didn't make it to the bigger stage showing their talents on his fields." Rovell noted there is "still a lot to be worked out, including how much players would be paid." The June game will not air live on any outlet, though it will be "streamed later that day." Lewis said that he "prefers having more of a soft launch in front of industry executives so that the kinks can be worked out and that a more polished product can be displayed when it is ready" (ESPN.com, 5/18).
