The USO and the NFL Come Together Through Gaming to Support Service Members and Send Two Airmen to the Super Bowl LX

By Danielle DeSimone

There are few things more American than football and supporting our nation’s military, and for nearly 60 years, the USO and the National Football League (NFL) have worked in partnership to support the people who serve in our nation’s Armed Forces, as well as their military families.

From USO Entertainment Tours, to funding the construction of USO Centers, to USO Gaming Tournaments, the NFL’s commitment to our men and women in uniform has been far-reaching, as they have joined the USO in adapting to the needs of today’s military.

This past year, the USO and the NFL joined forces to host the fifth annual Salute to Service Tournament, an EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26 tournament, bringing together service members from across the world in a unique gaming competition.

The winning prize? The top two finalists of the tournament have received tickets to attend Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. Learn more about the Salute to Service Tournament and this year’s winners below!

What is the NFL’s USO Salute to Service Gaming Tournament?

Each year, the USO and the NFL host the Salute to Service Tournament, an EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26 tournament, which unites the military community through the fun of football and gaming.

Through this tournament, which is run by the USO and supported by USAA, service members – including active duty, National Guard, or Reserve – compete in a series of online and in-person qualifiers by playing Madden against their fellow service members. The top eight of these competing service members traveled to participate in the in-person finals at the Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions Salute to Service game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on November 9, 2025. From there, the two tournament winners received tickets to attend Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.

“We couldn’t be more excited to come together again with the NFL for our fifth annual Salute to Service Tournament — this event truly energizes the USO Gaming Program,” said USO Chief Operating Officer Christopher Plamp.

“The USO’s Gaming program and this tournament aren’t just about competition; they create a space for service members to connect, share camaraderie and have some fun playing Madden no matter where they are.”

USO Gaming is more than just a console – it is an in-person and virtual community of service members and military families alike, brought together through a shared love of gaming. At most of our 250+ USO Centers around the globe, service members and military families can access computers, gaming consoles, virtual reality and mobile video games, as well as tabletop games, board games, card games and group party games. Our gaming equipment and screens are top-of-the-line, and the program provides the military community with the opportunity to participate in gaming tournaments, major competitions, leagues, community events and family nights. And the NFL has been pivotal in supporting these efforts.

For nearly 60 years, the USO and NFL have worked together to deliver programs and events that support service members and military families across the globe. The NFL supports the USO Gaming Program through this Salute to Service Tournament, the USO-NFL Gaming Trailer as part of our Mobile USO vehicle fleet, and most recently sponsored the renovation of the USO Yokota Center that provides gaming equipment and other amenities to help boost morale and improve the quality of life for U.S. service members stationed in Japan.

“The annual Salute to Service Tournament is an extraordinary celebration bringing together the power of football and gaming to honor the brave men and women who serve our country,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility.

“We’re deeply proud to team up once again with the USO for this inspiring initiative. It’s our heartfelt way of saying thank you to our service members for their unwavering courage, dedication and the tremendous sacrifices they make to safeguard our freedom.”

And now, those two finalist winners are headed to the Super Bowl.

Meet the two tournament winners and service members who are headed to the Super Bowl

This year’s Salute to Service Tournament winners are both members of the U.S. Air Force: Technical Sgt. Michael Evans and Airman 1st Class Nate Vitolas.

Michael was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He joined the U.S. Air Force almost 10 years ago, and in the time since, has been stationed and deployed everywhere from California, the Middle East, Virginia and Florida. Michael is currently stationed in Florida with his wife and young daughter.

Michael tried out different paths before joining the military, exploring work in the police force and other avenues, before he decided to join the U.S. Air Force.

“I wanted to get some more life experience, do some things different, see some different places,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Nate Vitolas is originally from Fresno, California, and lived there almost his entire life until he decided to join the Air Force. He joined the Air Force at the encouragement of his family and friends as he searched for an adventure beyond Fresno and has been serving for just shy of three years. Nate was first stationed in Montana, and only a few days after he goes to this year’s Super Bowl, he’ll be flying out to Spain, his next duty station.

For both Michael and Nate, it was their families who first inspired them to get into video gaming.

Both of Michael’s parents, in a way, led to his passion for playing Madden. Michael credits his mother with first getting him into gaming in the first place.

“She’s someone that just likes playing games. She’s always into board games,” he explained. “So she’d be the one to encourage it.”

And it is Michael’s father who instilled in him a passion for football, which they watched together. Michael also played football in high school, so naturally, Madden’s combination of gaming and the sport was a perfect fit for Michael, and he has now been playing the game – which he loves for its competitive nature – for over 20 years.

“You combine the two and I mean … it doesn’t get much better for me,” he said. “It’s something to keep me closer to the game that I enjoyed watching and playing.”

Nate also was introduced to gaming through his family. He has fond memories of his extended family members coming over to his house to play video games together, and how he started gaming alongside his family at the young age of four or five.

“My uncles and my cousins and everyone would come over and we’d play games,” Nate said. “And for the longest, I was getting beat all the time.”

For the next 15 years, Nate honed his skills and not only was able to win a few games against his family members, but also against his fellow service members in the USO and NFL Salute to Service Madden Tournament.

Nate first heard about the tournament from one of his sergeants who knew a past winner.

“I was like, ‘You’re lying. This can’t be real. There’s no way they’re taking someone to the Super Bowl.’” But then he received an email describing the details of the tournament – and he promptly signed up.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I could win this.’”

That confidence isn’t unfounded – within Madden, Nate is currently ranked #32 in the world.

Meanwhile, Michael first heard about the USO Salute to Service Tournament through other EA Sports advertisements.

“I thought, ‘Oh, this is the USO – it’s a great organization and it’s something that’s niche.’”

While both of these U.S. Air Force members had prior experience with the USO, leveraging USO airport Centers whenever they traveled, this was a particularly unique experience for them. Michael explained that while he didn’t quite feel like he could compete on a professional EA Sports level, this tournament felt tailor-made to him, as it was specifically for service members. Notably, his competitors would be navigating similar military life challenges while participating in the tournament.

“I know these other guys have to be working all the time too, so it’s more in my realm and it’s a great thing to bring everyone together,” Michael said. “I was like, ‘Why not give it a shot?’”

Making it through several rounds of the tournament, Michael and Nate both ended up in the group of eight finalists. The finals were hosted in-person in the Mobile USO Gaming vehicle, presented by the NFL, which was located at the Washington Commanders’ Northwest Stadium. Following an intense competition, Michael Evans and Nate Vitolas were named the winners, and the entire group got to enjoy a Washington Commanders game.

For both Michael and Nate, one common theme throughout the tournament was the idea of connection, and how gaming can help service members forge bonds through the game.

“Knowing that there’s someone on the other side of the game who could be anywhere in my region or in the country, just playing the same thing and the same style, that has the same mindset as me … it was really cool to think about that,” Michael said.

In fact, Michael shared that bonding with his fellow competitors was his favorite part of the entire tournament experience, and especially while competing in Washington, D.C.

“It was a lot of fun. I think everyone got along really well and we all clicked pretty much instantly,” Michael said. “Even if I had lost every single game, the whole entire thing would’ve been so worth it because it was just a great time out there.”

Nate agreed, explaining that several times, he felt like he was playing with friends he had known for years.

“It was a blessing, I don’t even know how to explain it,” he said. “We were all sitting there [at dinner] and everyone was just laughing and having a good time. It was definitely one of the top five experiences of my life.”

Both Michael and Nate are extremely excited to be attending the Super Bowl.

“Oh I’m ecstatic, I’ve been looking forward to this … It’s one of those things where it’s like, who actually gets to go to the Super Bowl?” Nate said in disbelief. “I don’t care if we’re sitting up in the bleachers, I’m happy.”

Nate will be bringing his uncle with him as his guest – one of the uncles who first introduced him to gaming and, specifically, Madden. Meanwhile, Michael will be bringing his wife.

“She’s been kind enough to let me play all these years. I have to finally pay her back all those hours that I spent playing games,” he joked. “We’re both excited for sure.”

But bringing his wife with him goes beyond gratefulness for embracing his gaming – Michael is also incredibly grateful to his wife for being so supportive throughout the ups and downs of military life.

“She’s had to put her career and choices and decisions on hold a lot of times. She’s had to do a lot of different jobs and things,” Michael said. “I really appreciate everything she’s gone through. She’s been super supportive and great throughout the whole entire time and I couldn’t have done it all without my wife and daughter.”

For both of these airmen, gaming, football and this tournament go beyond just an enjoyable pastime. For them, gaming provides them with a way to take a break from the daily stressors of their military duties.

“Ater a good 12-hour shift, you just want to come home and decompress. Most of us in Montana would just sit there on the game. It didn’t matter if we were playing or we were just sitting there together. It was a stress release where we could go and it’s just us and we’re just messing around,” Nate explained. “Gaming is kind of like going to the gym. It’s your time and space, no one’s going to bother you. It’s sort of a recharge place.”

For Michael, gaming – and the opportunity to participate in this tournament – has helped him navigate those stressors of military life.

“It’s a blessing for sure. I enjoy what I do. I know what it’s for, all the things that we do together in the military, and I don’t take anything for granted. To have all this support from the outside to supplement the things that maybe I have to sacrifice here and there, like gaming, family, and things like that .. and for it to all be brought together in just one big bucket? It’s really special and it’s really cool,” Michael said. “This has been some of the best times I’ve had in a while. So me and my family are very happy.”