Last year, the NFL and 72andSunny made Mexican flag football quarterback Diana Flores the focus for the league’s 2023 Super Bowl ad and an ambassador for the NFL FLAG program, promoting flag football as both a youth and adult sport. Those efforts not only helped local youth programs expand but also made flag football an Olympic sport for both women and men at the upcoming 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Messianu gives Solis considerable credit for that campaign’s success.
“Having worked with Marisa before that, there are very few champions like her in our industry. I wish we could clone her,” Messianu said. “What she has done in a relatively short period at Pepsi before, but now at NFL, is bring the Latino perspective to the mainstream, and I think the perfect example was the Diana Flores Super Bowl spot.”
Expanding the playing field
NFL’s efforts with Hispanic and Latinx audiences have expanded beyond both its marketing and its traditional market.
The NFL has played regular-season games in Mexico since 2005 and has hosted five International Series games at Azteca Stadium since 2016. That helped make the NFL the most popular U.S. sports league in Mexico, with 32% of fans surveyed by YouGov claiming it as their favorite, compared to 30% for the NBA.
In 2025, the NFL makes its regular-season debut in Spain for a yet-to-be-announced matchup at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Since starting its Global Markets Program in 2022 and allowing teams to promote themselves and build partnerships in different countries, 10 NFL teams have secured global rights in Mexico, while the Miami Dolphins have also reached out to fans in Argentina and Colombia.
