When Izzy Geraci was seven years old, she wasn’t wearing the USA crest or dreaming of a world championship gold medal. Flag football wasn’t even close to being an Olympic sport. She was just a girl in North Ridgeville, Ohio, with a simple question: “Can I play too?” She saw the boys in helmets and flags and wanted to join in. Her parents, a bit surprised, said yes.

In her hometown, Geraci grew up surrounded by sports. She played soccer, softball, and whatever else was going on. Sundays were usually spent watching the Cleveland Browns with her family, a routine that deepened her connection to football. “I just remember watching the games and thinking, ‘That looks so fun. I just want to play,’” she told Olympics.com.

“It was really cool that a girl wanted to play”

Even as the only girl, she immediately felt part of the boys’ football team. “All my teammates, the coaches, the parents… they welcomed me from day one,” she recalled. “They thought it was really cool that a girl wanted to play.” Her coach gave her a helmet, a ball, and a new name: “Do you ever go by Izzy?” he asked. “No,” she replied. “Well, I think I’m going to call you Izzy. I’m not going to be yelling Isabella across the field.” The nickname stuck. And so did she.

In high school, Geraci had to make a decision. Football, which she had played alongside boys since she was little, became less viable as the contact grew heavier and college opportunities shrank. She chose basketball, which earned her a scholarship at Cleveland State, and later at USC Upstate. But her motivation started to fade. “I was already zoned out of basketball,” she admitted. “I was looking for something that brought back the joy I felt on the football field.”

A Google search that changed everything

While browsing online, she typed in “women’s tackle football.” Among the search results, she discovered flag football, a version of the game she had never played. She was drawn to its speed and structure. She also noticed mentions of a national women’s team and whispers of possible Olympic inclusion.

After college, she moved to Charlotte, where she connected with other players. One of them was Madison Fulford, a national team member. “I sent her a message like, ‘What was your path to getting on the team?’” Geraci said. Fulford broke it down for her. Geraci trained, recorded her plays, shared them on social media, and soon started drawing attention from coaches and scouts. Her efforts led to her debut with Team USA at the 2024 IFAF World Championships in Finland. “It didn’t really hit me until the gold medal game. Seeing the American flags in the stands made it real.” Geraci became a world champion.

The morning that changed the sport’s future

The confirmation that flag football would become an Olympic sport came during a club tournament with Apex. The night before, rumors had begun to circulate. When she woke up, she heard the cheers: the bid had passed. “I got goosebumps,” she said. “I had just started playing, and suddenly this happened.”

Although the news impacted her personally, what stood out most was the reaction of the women who had been building the sport for years. “Seeing their emotion was what struck me the most. They’d been working toward this for a long time.” In the weeks that followed, she began to understand the weight of the announcement. “The Olympics are the peak of sport. Now it’s the long-term goal.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you can play”

According to Geraci, flag football has a unique quality: accessibility. “This sport doesn’t discriminate,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are—you can play.” She also explained how skills from other sports easily translate into flag football: “Jumping for a rebound helped me fight for balls in the air,” she noted.

When talking about the international scene, she pointed out that “more and more countries are catching up to the level of the U.S.” She mentioned growing programs in Japan, Australia, Germany, and the historic first continental championship in Africa. The next challenge for Geraci and Team USA will be the 2025 World Games, where the U.S. team will face Canada in their opening match on August 14.

Asked whether she’d trade an Olympic gold medal for a Cleveland Browns championship, Geraci didn’t hesitate: “Olympic gold medal,” she said with a laugh. “But a Browns win would be nice too. I feel like it has to happen at some point in my lifetime.”