The NFL is pushing for flag football to be included in the Olympics.
As you know, flag football resembles regular football, except there is no tackling, and pads and helmets aren’t necessary for participation.
“If flag football becomes an Olympic sport, more countries will invest in playing that sport,” said Damani Leech, chief operating officer of NFL International.
- American football was included as a demonstration sport in the 1932 Olympics but hasn’t been recognized since — it requires at least a one-week pause between games of the same teams.
- Reebok’s lobby for the sport’s entrance failed in 1996.
During Super Bowl weekend earlier this year in Los Angeles, Leech said the NFL organized a U.S. versus Mexico flag football game featuring both men and women.
The next step, according to former executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee Harvey Schiller, is that the NFL will need to get more countries to play the game, spend time with the IOC members voting on the plan, and compete in international markets.
