Inclusion of Flag Football in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: A Strategic Move for NFL’s Global Exposure

After first making headlines with Taylor Swift’s involvement, the NFL has gained further international attention with the announcement that flag football may become part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The proposal, presented on Monday by the event’s organizers, marks an important milestone as the Summer Games will be held in the United States for the first time in over three decades.

Flag football stands in stark contrast to American football—while it remains somewhat niche in the United States, it enjoys widespread popularity in many other parts of the world. According to LA committee chair Casey Wasserman, the newly proposed sports are “contemporary, groundbreaking, and deeply rooted in community engagement, enjoyed in various settings from backyards and schoolyards to community centers, stadiums, and parks, both nationally and internationally.”

Despite a decline in domestic participation numbers, American football continues to be the most-watched sport in the United States. The inclusion of its less hazardous counterpart, flag football, in the Olympics would signify a monumental triumph for the NFL. Over the past decade, the league has held several games in Europe and continuously seeks to extend its reach and viewership beyond Western Europe and the United States. This move aligns with one of the recent major stories in the NFL: pop superstar Taylor Swift attending two Kansas City Chiefs games to support her friend, tight end Travis Kelce.

Dan Durbin, Director of the Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the University of Southern California, commented, “American football is primarily a U.S. phenomenon. Its influence wanes once you venture a short distance from either the Atlantic or Pacific coasts. Including flag football in the Olympic Games provides an opportunity for the sport to gain global visibility.”

In flag football, “tackles” are made by pulling a flag from a belt worn by each player. The game is a 5-on-5 event and is played on a 50-yard field, without the need for offensive and defensive linemen. Last year, the U.S. men’s team clinched the gold medal at the World Games, whereas the women’s team lost to Mexico in the final round.

Conversely, cricket, largely unfamiliar to American audiences, is also proposed for inclusion in the 2028 LA Olympics. This could serve as an enticement for countries where the sport is popular, like Australia—which is set to host the Olympics in 2032—and possibly India, viewed as a prospective future host. “Incorporating cricket offers a sense of diplomatic outreach, expanding the range of sports included,” noted Durbin.

Excluded from the LA program are breakdancing, motorsports, kickboxing, and karate. It remains uncertain whether the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will have to reduce the number of disciplines in other sports to maintain its 10,500-athlete limit for the Summer Games, especially as the inclusion of five new team sports could inflate participant numbers.

How this nascent form of football will be received in 2028, amid a crowded 17-day Olympic schedule, is speculative. The IOC, much like the NFL, is diligently targeting younger audiences. Recent additions like skateboarding, climbing, and 3-on-3 basketball seem to be part of this strategy. Bettina Cornwell, a sports business expert at the University of Oregon, believes that the introduction of a less perilous form of football could indeed prove advantageous for the NFL. “Although some ardent NFL fans may resist this change, the safety concerns associated with American football are an increasing point of discussion. If there’s an initiative that could alter this narrative, the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics may very well be it,” Cornwell said.

For more information, visit AP Olympics: 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Flag Football

More about 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Flag Football

• NFL’s International Expansion Efforts
• 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Official Site
• International Olympic Committee Athlete Limits
• Flag Football in World Games
• Cricket’s Global Popularity
• Institute of Sports, Media and Society at USC
• University of Oregon Sports Business Program
• Safety Concerns in American Football