🏈 Thursdays are for the girls | Sports Daily Newsletter

From where things sit, this is a pretty awesome Thursday if you’re a Philly sports fan — particularly if you are a lover of girls’ sports.

For starters, the Phillies could lock up a playoff spot even before the first pitch against the Mets tonight (7:15, Fox29). We also enter the first day in the official return of Flyers hockey as training camp opens today in Voorhees.

All of that is fantastic, but in the immediate, my personal joy is that yesterday, the PIAA finally approved girls’ flag football as a state-sanctioned sport, one that will finally kick off what’s reported as over 100 high schools across the state planning to field a team. As a father of two young girls, one of which is a huge fan of football, to be able to show her that there’s a path to play, if she wants it without any stigmas attached, I can’t lie, it feels pretty great.

There’s lots more below on yesterday’s PIAA decision, what it all means going forward, and even what the Eagles have to say about it.

As far as your day goes, these final few days of summer also look pretty sweet. Today, partially sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s are your forecast.

Have a good one, Philly. 👋🏽

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Even Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had something to say about it, which makes sense. Over the past three years, girls’ flag football has continued to grow in popularity. In July 2023, there were 25 schools statewide that sponsored teams. By April, more than 100 schools had sponsored girls’ flag football, and the majority of those schools were right here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Getting the sport sanctioned had a concerted effort from both the Eagles and the Steelers, with both NFL teams assuredly waiting with bated breath on the ruling, given all the resources put into having the sport made official in the Keystone State.

“We set an ambitious five-year goal to get the sport sanctioned in our state. Now, here we are three seasons later and two years ahead of schedule,” Lurie said in a statement on Wednesday. “The sport’s organic growth is a credit to the participants, administrators, coaches, officials, and parents who helped raise the profile of girls’ flag football.”

With the 2025-26 season set as the kickoff for girls’ flag to be a PIAA sport, Inquirer writer Isabella DiAmore has more on what to expect and what schools are getting involved, while Eagles reporter Olivia Reiner has more on what Eagles notables think of the news.

It’s been a wild season of dominant stretches and lights-out pitching followed by a summer slump that had everyone sweating, even with the Phillies never relinquishing first place. Now, the team appears to be getting hot at the right time, spearheaded by slugger Bryce Harper, who’s certainly found his groove down the stretch.

Also, if you’re wondering how to obtain tickets for the postseason and what all that would entail, here’s a helpful guide on what to expect.

As postseason baseball nears, the Phillies are finding ways to fine tune their hitting fundamentals. Among them was Brandon Marsh, who practiced his bunting pregame. Marsh has used that skill in-game, bunting for a hit on Tuesday and advancing two runners on a sacrifice bunt on Saturday.

The Phillies squandered their chance at clinching a playoff spot, dropping the series finale in Milwaukee on a walk-off single from Brewers’ Jake Bauers. The loss also kept the Phillies’ magic number to win the NL East division crown at four.

Next: The Phillies open a series against the Mets tonight (7:15 p.m., Fox29). Taijuan Walker (3-6, 6.29 ERA) will start against Mets right-hander Luis Severino (10-6, 3.77).

There’s been a lot of back and forth the past few days regarding Eagles coach Nick Sirianni’s late-game decisions in Monday’s 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But Sirianni told reporters Wednesday he has no regrets and is now “even more convicted” by his calls to throw the ball on a crucial third-and-3 with under two minutes to play and subsequently deciding to kick a field goal after Saquon Barkley’s dropped pass. (It hasn’t helped that A.J. Brown has been injured.)

Why? He said that he, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and the analytics team all have prepared for these situations and know how to proceed when they arise in games. Sirianni added that these decisions go beyond the scenario chart and are “not that black and white.”

Sirianni also addressed a run defense that is currently ranked last in the NFL. What’s wrong with it? EJ Smith reviews the film.

Thursday marks the first day of school for the Flyers, as 58 players, young and old, will converge on the team’s training center in Voorhees for the start of training camp. But while the first day of school is often easy, the first day of John Tortorella’s camps are anything but, highlighted by his infamous rope skating test. But rope test aside, several players will be looking to impress Tortorella over the next month ahead of the puck dropping on the regular season on Oct. 11.

Here are six players, headlined by Morgan Frost, who have something to prove as camp begins.

Next: Training camp opens Thursday, but the Flyers’ first preseason game isn’t until Sunday at the Washington Capitals (3 p.m.).

The Eagles laid an egg in their home debut, letting a late lead slip away in a 22-21 prime-time loss to the Atlanta Falcons. There was plenty of blame to go around, but Jeff McLane puts one key, recurring flaw under the microscope, and explores whether, even with the season a mere two weeks old, the issue can be fixed. Listen here.

Sept. 19, 1992: Demolition begins on the old JFK Stadium, a venue that in addition to serving as the home of the Eagles also hosted over 40 Army-Navy games, Stanley Cup parades for the Flyers in 1974-75, and even the U.S. edition of Live Aid in 1985.

Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.

NOEL SKEJAC

Bet you’ll never guess the Eagles controversial third-down play on Monday night against the Falcons, “the perfect play call.” Think you know? Take a guess and then click here to see if you’re correct.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Isabella DiAmore, Gabriela Carroll, DeAntae Prince, Devin Jackson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gustav Elvin, DeAntae Prince, Lochlahn March, EJ Smith, Ariel Simpson, and Olivia Reiner.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading, Philly! Jim will be back in your inbox for Friday’s edition of the newsletter. — Kerith