The Olympics is a major international sporting event with participants from all over the world. There are the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics, where thousands of athletes compete in many different competitions.
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has announced that five new events will be included in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The new events include: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. This will be the first time flag football or squash will be played in the Olympics. These sports may not be the most traditional events, but the Olympics have expanded their list of events within the recent years. The IOC wants to keep adding more and more sports that people love, which is important to keep people interested in the Olympics and to keep the games fresh.
Flag football is just like American football except, instead of tackling, every player has flags around their waist which the opponent has to pull in order for you to be down. Most importantly, the sport is non-contact, which is important because this will help prevent injuries to the players. Flag Football was added to the Olympics because it isn’t just an American sport. It has actually spread worldwide where many countries play it their own way.
The Olympics have been trying to be more inclusive over the recent years and a big step for them is adding all of these new sports for the countries and players to compete in. All the new sports that the IOC has added will benefit the people at home watching the games. The new games will attract more people to the Olympics, which means more people will be tuning into the 2028 Olympics.
Following, the announcement of Flag Football’s addition to the Olympics Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill said that he would be interested in participating. Hill called on other NFL superstars to participate in the Olympics on social media. Hill also put together his “dream team” for the 2028 Olympics.
Each Olympic Flag Football team may have 8-12 players on the roster, and will be a 5 on 5 game without offensive or defensive lines.
Flag Football is only increasing in popularity and many people are finding more interest in the game. The NFL added Flag Football to their Pro Bowl games that are towards the end of the year. Many NFL players have already showcased their Flag Football skills at the Pro Bowl and many will be wanting to get in on the action in the 2028 LA Olympics.
NFL executive Peter O’Reilly is working with the players union to allow former and current NFL players to participate. League executives, including NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell said that they want NFL players to participate.
In opposition, many of the league’s owners are on the fence about this idea. Owners of NFL franchises like the marketing idea, but are scared of the potential chance of an injury to a star player on their team. New York Giants president and co-owner, John Mara, when asked if he would allow his players to participate in the games responded with, “Probably not.”
So far, only one owner is in favor of players participating in the Olympics. Washington Commanders owner, Josh Harris, when asked about players participating said, “Allowing people to represent their country in the Olympics is great, and I appreciate that. That’s the right thing to do. I appreciate that there is always that risk of injury, but I think letting people represent their country is a good thing and I think the athletes are very capable of managing their own personal risk.”
The LA28 Olympics are set up to be a huge success and many fans, countries, and athletes are all very excited to watch and participate in the events.
