Flag football, the non-contact variant of American football, is one of six sports to receive approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Baseball, softball, squash, lacrosse, and cricket are the others to be included. For three of the six, it will be a return to the Olympic stage, in a couple of cases after significant hiatuses.

Lacrosse was last played in the Olympics in the 1908 London Games. As for cricket, it made its sole appearance in the Olympics in the 1900 Paris Games. Baseball and softball, having been part of the Olympic itinerary between 1992 and 2008, returned to the fray in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Flag football and squash will make their respective debuts in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Many NFL icons, past and present, have expressed their interest in the soon-to-be Olympic sports.

NFL stars eye Olympics glory in flag football debut

NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill issued a rallying cry to the league for the same, as per The Athletic. The recently retired Tom Brady also admitted to having marked the debut of flag football in his calendar. Though achieving Olympic glory for their nation would be virgin territory for the NFL athletes, there are more questions than answers at this point. Logistically, the July 14 to 30 window for the L.A. games will permit NFL players to participate in the Olympics, should they want to. The possibility of unforeseen injury clouds the issue further.

While contact injuries can be avoided, the non-contact injuries are far more worrisome. Case in point, Robert Edwards’ injury during a pickup game at the beach in one off-season. Additionally, it remains to be seen if Olympic glory is a strong enough incentive for owners to part with their players during that time, according to NBC Sports. It remains unclear whether owners will continue to pay the players, particularly in the event they suffer an injury, during the Olympics. Moreover, they might not be willing to have a player on the sidelines because of a flag football injury.

Flag football is expected to have other contenders for the gold

Other questions posed include whether any team apart from the USA could have a chance. According to American Football International, it would be far from a walk in the park. They reasoned Canada, Nigeria, American Samoa, and Australia would make for fearsome opposition in the sport. Besides, there are no guarantees at the biggest stage.

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Simultaneously, the NFL is making waves by encouraging their players to go to the Olympics. The league is looking to grow the sport further and make it global. In that regard, they see this as a big step in the right direction. One suggestion that came up is to pick recently retired and/or aging NFL players for the Olympic team. It remains to be seen if this flagship venture proves to be a successful one.

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