2025 Game Changer Award Recipient

rewrite this content and keep HTML tags (remove this from content : rewrite this content and keep HTML tags)

Diana Flores

Photo Credit: Humberto Mundo

Changing the game, on the field and beyond

Diana Flores is a trailblazing athlete whose talent, leadership and vision have propelled flag football into a global phenomenon. As quarterback and captain of Mexico’s National Flag Football Team – and as an ambassador for both the NFL and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) – she has become the defining female face of football. For her impact on the field, combined with her tireless advocacy to open doors for future generations, the Women’s Sports Foundation is proud to honor Flores with its inaugural Game Changer Award.

Flores’ journey began in Mexico City, where she picked up a football at just eight years old. In a country where opportunities for girls in sports was scarce, she forged her own path, often competing alongside boys and refusing to let barriers define her. By age 16, Flores had earned a spot on the Mexican National Team, becoming the youngest international player at the time and launching a career that would soon elevate her to global prominence.

Her leadership and playmaking ability reached a historic peak at the 2022 World Games, when she guided Mexico to a remarkable 39–6 victory over the United States, winning the gold medal. Flores and her team followed up with another win against the U.S. in 2025, this time by a narrower margin – a result she described as “the evolution of the game, pushing all of us to become better to keep up with how the sport is growing worldwide.” Together, these victories cemented her as the global leader of flag football’s rise and as a trailblazer for women in the game.

Flores’ influence extends far beyond the scoreboard. In 2023, she became the face of the NFL’s international flag football initiative, starring in the groundbreaking “Run With It” Super Bowl ad campaign. She also made history as the first flag football player to have personal artifacts displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, cementing her legacy. Flores’ visibility continued to grow in 2024, when she joined the Gatorade Women’s Advisory Board and again in 2025, when she provided commentary for Univision during the Super Bowl, sharing her insights and elevating the conversation around women’s football.

With her sights now set on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the first to include flag football, Flores continues to push boundaries, inspiring athletes everywhere to dream bigger and aim higher.

Equally powerful is her role as a mentor and motivator, traveling extensively as a speaker and advocate to encourage young athletes to reach their full potential. “When girls see me play,” said Flores, “I want them to know they can do anything – no matter where they come from, no matter what obstacles they face.” Her advocacy underscores that her influence is as much about breaking barriers off the field as it is about scoring touchdowns on it.

By honoring Flores with the Game Changer Award, the Women’s Sports Foundation celebrates not only her historic accomplishments but also her lasting influence as a global ambassador for one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. At just 28 years old, she has already changed the game – on the field, in the spotlight and in the hearts of young athletes everywhere, inspiring them to envision their future and to run with it.