Flag football is set to make its Olympic debut during the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. If NFL players have it their way, they will be able to participate in the festivities.
‘I’ve heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it’s United States or the country that they came from,’ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at the end of the NFL’s annual meeting Tuesday.
NFL players haven’t been shy about expressing their desire to play in the Olympics. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow are among the many who are hopeful to become Olympians and compete on the world’s biggest athletic stage.
Goodell stopped short of guaranteeing players would be allowed to participate. He did, however, note that he expects the league and the NFLPA to come to a resolution about the Olympics in the not-so-distant future.
‘I think that’s something that we’ll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs,’ Goodell said. ‘I think both of those are things that we’ll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days.’
The NFL offered significant support to flag football the sports quest to get its Olympic debut in 2028. Goodell believes getting the sport onto the Olympic stage will allow it to experience significant growth, both domestically and internationally.
‘The Olympics is a critical moment for us in the flag development on a global basis,’ Goodell said. ‘The Olympics are the pinnacle of international sport. For us to be able to participate in that, to have both men’s and women’s flag teams participating in that from around the world, is a significant moment for us.’
It could also position the NFL, which is attempting to launch a professional flag football league, to capitalize quickly should the Olympics provide a boost in popularity to the sport.
‘It’s clear that there’s a lot of interest in a pro flag league,’ Goodell said. ‘We’ve been getting bids on people who want to invest in that either financially or invest in the operations of that. So, we’re hard at work, and I expect there’ll be progress soon.’
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