487: Jesse Linder and Callie Brownson on Building the Women’s Flag Football Pathway to LA 2028

Joe Favorito and Scott Rosner welcome Jesse Linder, Vice President of Community Relations for the New York Jets, and Callie Brownson, Senior Director of High Performance and National Teams at USA Football, live from Super Bowl Media Row, for a focused conversation on the rapid growth of girls and women’s flag football. Linder shares how the Jets helped launch girls flag football in New York City in 2011, growing from 19 teams to 60, with more girls flag teams than boys tackle teams, and why creating a clear pathway beyond high school became the organization’s next priority. Brownson explains how the Jets’ $1 million investment through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation is accelerating the launch of the ECAC women’s flag football conference, opening new collegiate and scholarship opportunities while strengthening the pipeline toward national teams and the Olympics. The discussion also explores flag football’s explosive international growth, the Jets’ expansion into London and Dublin, and why global competition is tightening as LA 2028 approaches, making this moment a turning point for the sport’s future.Jesse’s Profile: https://www.newyorkjets.com/team/front-office-roster/jesse-linderConnect with Callie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/calliebrownson/The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Lissa Ruiz. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com