Welcome to Thursday!

• We didn't have the Atlanta Hawks trending due to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on our bingo card for 2026.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 88 and a low of 67.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member John Burger!

Today’s newsletter is 1,033 words — a 4-minute read.

Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago.

Why it matters: Few girls high school sports have moved from niche to mainstream so quickly, broadening athletic opportunities in the process.

By the numbers: More than 102,000 girls played high school flag football in 2025-26, a 551% increase in the past four years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Zoom in: The Falcons and Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation launched a girls flag football pilot at Gwinnett County high schools in 2018, drawing roughly 400 players.

• Last year, roughly 8,500 girls played at more than 300 Georgia high schools — up from 19 schools when the Falcons-backed experiment began.

State of play: The Blank Foundation says that every Georgia high school is eligible for funding this year to launch or support a team.

Catch up quick: In 2024, just 12 states sanctioned high school girls flag football, viewed as a safer, more accessible version of America's most popular spectator sport.

• Today, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., sanction it as an official varsity sport, including Georgia, and 3,990 schools reported participants in 2025-26.

The NFL is backing its growth, too. It has invested millions to launch and expand high school programs, and featured the sport in its Super Bowl commercials.

Beyond high schools, flag football will debut at the 2028 Olympics, and at least 40 NCAA schools already offer it as a collegiate varsity sport.

Reality check: It's not yet clear whether flag football is mostly creating new high school athletes or pulling girls from established sports.

• A recent Newsday analysis on Long Island found flag participation rising sharply while girls lacrosse, softball and track participation fell.

Read more

A family outing to a Falcons game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will cost you more than $1,230 this season, per a new analysis.

Why it matters: The hefty price for a family of four to see the Falcons play IRL can quickly become a four-figure outing.

State of play: The average listed ticket price for a Falcons game was $287.18 during the study period, costing a family of four $1,148.72 to see a game, according to The Action Network.

Yes, but: That amount just gets you in the door for a more than 3-hour game — and every parent knows the cost doesn't stop there.

Zoom in: If you factor in a single round of food and drinks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a family of four — two beers, two soft drinks, and four hot dogs — the average price rises to $1,232.67, the analysis said.

Yes, but: Mercedes-Benz Stadium's famously affordable concessions could bring that tab down.

How it works: The Action Network analyzed ticket listings for all 32 teams both on the primary and resale market between July 27-Aug. 2.

• Ultra-premium and lux packages were excluded.
• The analysis used 2025 concession prices and adjusted for inflation.

Share this story

Georgia's Democratic senators are divided on whether the country should move forward with a sweeping college sports bill regulating lucrative licensing deals.

Why it matters: After months of negotiations and revisions — and with support from President Trump — the legislation won bipartisan Senate support and now heads to the U.S. House.

• The vote was 77-22, with U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff voting in favor and Raphael Warnock in opposition.

Zoom in: The Protect College Sports Act would establish protections for name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, guardrails for school revenue sharing with student-athletes, along with rules for transfers, eligibility and recruitment.

• It's been a long road for the bill, which faced stark opposition from the Big Ten and the SEC, which ultimately endorsed the bill following changes.
• And the issue does not break cleanly along traditional partisan lines.

Between the lines: Warnock joined groups like the Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP who said the legislation advantages the NCAA and wealthy college sports programs over student-athletes.

• Ossoff told the AJC that the proposal could help colleges support less popular programs like women's and non-revenue Olympic sports and extend health coverage to student-athletes.

What's next: The U.S. House isn't expected to pick up the measure until after the midterms.

It's the weekend! Let's go and explore your city.

⚾️ The Braves play the last of its three-game postseason series against the Phillies. (Thurs.)

🖼️ The Other Art Fair has arrived in Atlanta, featuring the works of 100 artists from around the world. (Through Sun.)

🎬 The Georgia Latino International Film Festival celebrates 15 years of showcasing Hispanic communities' voices and culture. (Through Sun.)

🎤 Calling all hip-hop and R&B fans: TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue will perform at Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park. Enough said. (Fri.)

🎶 Speaking of R&B acts, Take 6 will serenade audiences at the Rialto Center for the Arts. (Fri.)

🎸 Yes, and: The Indigo Girls perform with Linda Perry at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. (Fri.)

🖼️ Dozens of artists and musicians take over The Goat Farm for this year's SITE experimental arts festival. (Sat.)

🍁 Mingle with neighbors or make new friends at the Candler Park Fall Fest. (Sat.-Sun.)

🐕 Watch your dog practice their paddle at the Splish Splash Doggie Bash at the Piedmont Park Aquatic Center. (Sat.-Sun.)

Tell a friend

⚖️ DeKalb County interim superintendent Norman Sauce III sent a cease-and-desist letter to a longtime critic of the school district over social media posts he says are inaccurate and defamatory. (Decaturish)

🚔 Another ex-law enforcement official has been arrested for allegedly misusing automated license plate reader technology. (Fox 5)

😷 Five siblings of a Georgia family have all been diagnosed with measles. The Department of Public Health said they were either unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. (WSB)

🎤 Kristal sang karaoke for the first time in her life and really enjoyed it.

💃 Thomas is happy his coworkers got the opportunity to experience Atlanta karaoke and Johnny's Hideaway during this week's retreat.

This newsletter was edited by Crystal Hill.