‘No limitations’: Degenerative eye disease not stopping a young flag football player’s love for the Eagles, NFL

On a warm Sunday afternoon in late April, 10 girls walked onto a field behind Lansdale Catholic High School. They were players for the Lions and the Broncos, two teams in Athena Athletics, the largest all-girls recreational and travel flag football league in the Philadelphia area.

One of those girls was 17-year-old Nia Barley. Wearing her blue Lions uniform, a green flag tied around her waist, an Eagles cap on her head, and sunglasses to cut the glare, she took her position 7 yards off of the line of scrimmage. Barley has played center in the past, but she prefers rushing. She likes to be a disrupter.

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The position fits her personality. Barley, a junior in high school, has struggled with poor vision since the age of 3. In 2018, when she was 13 years old, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. Barley will lose her eyesight over time, but she’s uncertain of how she’ll lose it. Right now, her vision is blurry. It could get more blurry, or she could lose her peripheral vision, or both. Right now, there is no cure.

But Barley isn’t going to wait for one. She is a very busy 17-year-old. She writes a blog — Little Miss Football — in which she shares her hot takes, like why she thinks the Rams won’t repeat as Super Bowl champions and which AFC East team could dethrone the Buffalo Bills in 2022. She watches every Eagles game with her father, Mike, who describes his daughter as the type of fan who has a “visceral” reaction to whatever is happening on the field. But most of her time is dedicated to flag football, which she has played for five years, four with Athena Athletics.

On the football field, Nia looks like any other player. Many of the girls wear sunglasses and caps just like she does. Some of her newer teammates aren’t even aware of her condition. She takes the field as a rusher, not as a teenager with retinitis pigmentosa. Instead of worrying about what’s to come, she worries about grabbing flags and putting pressure on the quarterback. She says it has changed her life.

“When I heard the diagnosis, I was pretty fearful,” she said. “I was like, ‘Why is this happening? Is this my fault?’ But now it’s fine. I’ve learned to live with it, and flag football has helped with that. It’s been empowering. It’s the best part of my week.”

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As she continues to lose her vision, the game — and her day-to-day life — have become harder. At times, Nia struggles to see late at night. If she wants to read something, she has to make sure it’s large print. Bright light can hurt her eyes, which is why she often wears sunglasses.

On the flag football field, she takes cues from the sideline referee about where to stand. Sometimes, she isn’t able to see players who are in her peripheral vision and has trouble seeing the flags.

But nevertheless, Nia is always among the first to register for the league every year, and this year is no exception. She played with the Lions in the spring and has been suiting up with a different team, the Jets, this fall, bringing along her trademark tenacity.

“I think a lot of kids would be in a corner, but not her,” said her mother, Joanna. “She’s a toughie.

“It’s made her more confident because she knows she can do anything. There are no limitations. It gives her confidence to know I can go out there, I can do it, just like everybody else. I may have this thing, but it doesn’t define who I am.”

It’s a lesson Joanna believes will guide her daughter for years to come. But Nia doesn’t have to worry about all that right now. There are Eagles games to watch, and there is flag football to be played.