Flag planting is a behavior humans have exhibited in various different contexts. It is often done as a means to assert territorial claims in military or geopolitical situations, though it has also become common in sports – particularly college football in the United States.
In war
World War II had multiple notable flag planting incidents, including those by American soldiers on Iwo Jima, by Finnish soldiers on the Three-Country Cairn, and by Soviet soldiers over the Reichstag. The capture of Umm al-Rashrāsh (modern day Eilat) in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War was marked by the raising and planting of the Ink Flag.
In college football
Flag planting incidents occurred, but were relatively infrequent, during the 2000s and 2010s. These included Michigan State players planting their flag on Notre Dame's field in 2005 and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield planting a flag at Ohio State in 2017.
Much discourse surrounded flag planting following the 2024 season's rivalry week, with Michigan's upset road win over Ohio State and their subsequent flag planting on the latter's field drawing particular attention. Following the 2024 incidents, Mayfield stated "College football is meant to have rivalries. That's like the Big 12 banning the 'horns down' signal. Just let the boys play". Former college football head coach Nick Saban conversely called flag planting "disrespectful" and "bad for the game". The incidents led to Ohio state Representative Josh Williams proposing the O.H.I.O Sportsmanship Act, which would make sports planting a felony in Ohio; Williams stated that "Behavior that incites violent brawls and puts our law enforcement officers in danger has no place on the football field".
In scientific missions
The Apollo program planned to erect the American flag on the lunar surface, with the Lunar Flag Assembly being the specific kit designed for this goal. Russia performed a crewed descent to the North Pole's ocean floor in 2007, dubbed Arktika 2007, in which explorers planted a rust-proof titanium metal Russian flag.
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