TAMPA, Fla. — Christie Thomas, 25, cheers on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Wales.
On Sunday, she got to see her favorite team in person at Raymond James Stadium, and with the help of social media, her experience was unforgettable.
“This is my first home game in Tampa,” Thomas said. “I went to the Munich game, which was amazing. This is going to be better.”
Better because Thomas was part of the game, manifesting her way from the bleachers and onto the field as a Bucs’ flag runner.
“I booked a Florida holiday for Disney, but I did it before the NFL schedule,” she said. "So I booked it so there were a lot of options, two Sundays, a Thursday, a Monday, everything, just so I could get a game.”
She got much more than a game.
When she finalized her holiday plans, she began messaging the Buccaneers on the social media platform ‘X.'
“I tweeted a lot about it, kind of a joke at the start,” Thomas said. “Well, if I don’t ask, I don’t get. I kept doing it.”
Thomas posted the question to the Bucs’ social media team, ‘Am I packing my running shoes?’
“Then the Bucs retweeted it and said, ‘If this gets 1,000 likes, we’ll let Christie be a flag runner,’” she said.
The post got more than 3,000 likes.
From the U.K. to leading the team out of the tunnel and celebrating three Tampa Bay touchdowns in a 21 to 18 win against Carolina.
She was even on the sideline to see her favorite player, Mike Evans, set an NFL record with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons.
“He’s just so underrated. He’s just perfect all around. He is my favorite player,” she said.
This experience will forever change the way Thomas will watch a Bucs game.
“I’m going to have to tell them, ‘Can I bring a flag runner every time I come?’
