Flag football is quickly becoming a sport to watch, not least because of the inventive minds turning their attention to the game's gear. Enter Geoff Baldwin, a DAAP graduate, and his company WIN WIN Athletics, which is making waves by redesigning flag football equipment to better meet the needs of those who play the game.
Baldwin, an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), is using his design chops to game-change flag football's traditional gear. "My entire career has been built on what I learned at DAAP,” according to UC News, Baldwin remarked, reflecting on his stint at Nike and other design firms during his academic co-op experiences. It is this expertise that he has poured into the revamp of flag football gear. His offerings aim to tackle common issues faced by athletes on the field.
And while Baldwin has been focusing on enhancing the player experience, statistics from the Youth Sports Business Report suggest that he’s hitting the market at just the right moment. Flag football is experiencing a surge in popularity, becoming the fastest-growing youth sport with an upward jump to more than 2.4 million kids in flag football programs. Notably, there has been a 63% increase in the number of female players from 2019 to 2023.
With organizations like the NFL also propelling the sport forward through initiatives like the NFL Flag program - billed as the largest youth flag football league in the nation - the stage is well set for Baldwin’s innovative designs to play a substantial role in this burgeoning sport. "My entire career has been built on what I learned at DAAP," Baldwin told the University of Cincinnati, indicating that his time at the institution was instrumental in shaping his design philosophy and approach to sports gear. As the flag football community grows and diversifies, WIN WIN Athletics is poised to outfit a new generation of players who are ready to take the field by storm.
