Wizel started as a Production Intern with the Giants during the 2014 season before working as a freelance employee for the next few years. She was then brought on as a full-time employee of the team in 2019. This upcoming season will be Wizel’s eighth with the Giants.
The partnership between the Giants and the NYGFL began in 2017. Upon becoming a captain in the league that year, Wizel began to try out and participate on some of the league’s tournament teams. The NYGFL sends teams to several tournaments each year, consisting of some of the league’s most competitive players, including the Florida Sunshine Cup Tournament every February. These tournaments require booking flights and hotels, so team members reach out to people within their circles for sponsorship opportunities. This was what sparked the connection between the NYGFL and the Giants.
“Whenever we’re playing in tournaments, we’re always trying to fundraise just because normally you’re flying and staying in hotels, so the money can add up for those things,” Wizel said. “Everyone was kind of pulling from their own lives, thinking about who they knew as far as sponsorship opportunities. At the time, I was working with the Giants and thought this could be a really nice partnership for both sides.
“I reached out to (Director of Community Relations and Youth Football) Ethan Medley, and he was extremely open and receptive to getting the partnership going, which was really exciting for me as far as being able to bridge two things that are very prominent in my life. That was really cool. The Giants became partners with the NYGFL before it was popular to have professional teams partner with LGBTQ groups and teams in that nature. I would say they were ahead of the curve and always very open to that, which I definitely appreciate.”
At the time Wizel approached the organization about becoming a sponsor, her lifestyle was not necessarily known within the organization. However, bringing this partnership opportunity to the team was a way to open the door to everyone knowing, which she was more than happy to do. As Wizel put it, “the more people that are out and proud, the better.”
While having the Giants as a sponsor helped fund some of the league’s tournament teams over the years, the partnership goes well beyond that.
The Giants, along with the NFL and the New York Jets, also served as a presenting partner of Gay Bowl XIX, a tournament held in New York City in 2019. The Gay Bowl is an annual tournament put together by the National Gay Flag Football League that brings together hundreds of LGBTQ+ and straight ally athletes to compete, connect and unite as a community around the game of football. Former Giants long snapper and two-time Super Bowl champion Zak DeOssie attended a celebration event for Gay Bowl XIX, where he addressed the crowd and helped hand out trophies to the athletes.
“Representation is essential to achieving LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in sports, equal rights, and breaking down stereotypes,” said Monty Clinton, the Commissioner of the NYGFL. “Recognition from major sports organizations like the NFL and the New York Giants helps to legitimize what we do as athletes and amplifies our community’s voice. The support and partnership that we’ve gotten with the Giants, it really helps us expand our reach and our platform on a much larger scale.
“We’re a nonprofit institution, so being able to work with the Giants, and in our efforts to fight for equal rights, diversity, and inclusion on every level, it means a lot. It continues to help us even function as an organization, and helps give us a platform to spread our mission and the purpose that we are as a league.”
