Putting flag football on the grand stage of the 2028 L.A. Games is “arguably the best answer the NFL has ever had to motivate the entire world to pick up a football and play with it -- especially if some of the people picking up a football for their country also happen to be NFL players,” according to Charles Robinson of YAHOO SPORTS. There “will be some athletic risk involved,” and given that reality, “there’s a palpable reticence inside the personnel executives whose entire world is a team-first mentality.” But for a league “trying to solve remaining barriers to global consumption,” the “potential rewards sometimes mitigate the potential risk” (YAHOO SPORTS, 5/20). ESPN.com’s Holder & Seifert said, “it might seem as if NFL players suiting up” for LA28 “would be a slam dunk,” but in reality, “it will require the parties to navigate many thorny issues.” The approved resolution “proposes injury protection and salary-cap relief stemming from an injury to a player participating in the Olympics,” and the league would also “seek an agreement with Olympic officials to ensure that NFL minimum standards are met for medical staffs and playing fields used for competitions.” Insurance arrangements in case of injury will be a “major component of resolving this issue,” but not to be ignored is the “potential conflict” of Olympic duties with the NFL’s offseason and training camp schedule. NFL training camps occur in late July, and the L.A. Games are scheduled for July 14-30 (ESPN.com, 5/20).
HOW WILL IT WORK? YAHOO SPORTS’ Epstein & Cwik wrote the “setup and rules of the event will differ from NFL-style football.” Each team will feature 10 players total, and five players from each team can take the field at a time. Teams will play two 20-minute halves. The field will also be “smaller than a regulation NFL field.” The Olympics will feature a 70x25-yard field, including 10 yards for each end zone. If teams are tied after 40 minutes of play, “each team will receive possessions until one team achieves an unanswered score” (YAHOO SPORTS, 5/20). NBCSPORTS.com’s Nick Zaccardi wrote even though the league “is on board,” both the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and USA Football “would also have to approve for NFL players to become Olympians in 2028.” USA Football “has not announced how it plans to pick its team,” including whether it would “prioritize its established, world championship-winning flag players over NFL players” (NBCSPORTS.com, 5/20).
STAR POWER: The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Andrew Beaton noted the “prospect of adding some of America’s most popular athletes to the Summer Games would represent an injection of star power not seen since Michael Jordan and the Dream Team demolished all comers at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.” He said it’s “no guarantee that a U.S. roster will be composed solely of NFL stars.” The U.S. “dominated the 2024 world championships” led by QB Darrell “Housh” Doucette. Defensive players “trained in the art of flag pulling could also have an edge over their NFL counterparts” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/20).
WHAT DO WE THINK? Vikings RB Aaron Jones said that he would “absolutely love” to play in the Olympics. Jones: “Every other sport gets an opportunity to win a gold medal” (N.Y POST, 5/20). In Philadelphia, Gabriela Carroll wrote Eagles WR A.J. Brown “plans to opt out.” Brown: “Olympics is during [training] camp? So, no … [the media] would be complaining about, ‘A.J. Brown is not in camp.’ So would the fans. So I’m going to keep the main thing the main thing” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/20). Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who will be 32 during the L.A. Games, said, “I might be a little old at that point for flag football so I don’t know if can run around like that” (K.C. STAR, 5/20). In Milwaukee, Emmett Prosser wrote Packers GM Brian Gutekunst is “ready to throw a red flag at the idea as he is concerned about possible injuries.” Gutekunst: “I’d love it if we kept the NFL players out of it.” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is also “hesitant seeing an NFL shield on any Team USA jerseys.” Tomlin said, “I’m not going to assume that tackle football players are the very best option, to be quite honest with you” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/20). NFL EVP/Football Operations Troy Vincent said that he thinks “it’s going to be phenomenal.” Vikings LB Brain Asamoah II -- another global flag ambassador -- said, “You have to really give your respect to the players that have been training for this already and feel like they deserve the opportunity to play. Everyone getting an opportunity to play flag football will definitely push this whole growth of the game forward” (ESPN.com, 5/20).
