Getty Image / David Berding
The news that the International Olympic Committee would allow flag football to become an official sport at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles was great news for football fans. And, the NFL is already making it clear that they will be encouraging their top players to partake in the event.
Here is more, courtesy of Front Office Sports.
Responding to a Front Office Sports question at fall league meetings in New York, NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said the league will be working with key entities such as the NFL Players Association and national governing body USA Football to create a pathway for players to compete in those Games.
“We understand the desire,” O’Reilly said. “We think it’s a great opportunity, because the player interest is real and palpable. There’s a desire to work through with these stakeholders and get to that outcome for July [2028].”
O’Reilly’s comments amplify those made recently by current stars such as Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and former league standouts such as Rob Gronkowski and Dez Bryant, all of whom have been public about their desire to play in the Olympics.
“Clearly in the leadup to the announcement, and then [Monday], there was a lot of excitement, as you might expect, from great NFL athletes and NFL legends who love the idea of representing their country on an Olympic stage,” O’Reilly said.
Such a move would bring the NFL more in alignment with other leagues such as the NBA and NHL, which have featured its top athletes in the Olympics for many years. With baseball’s reentry into the 2028 Olympics, dialogue has resurfaced for potential MLB player participation.
I know what everyone is thinking. If Team USA has their best NFL players play, no one can touch them. And, they’re probably right. But, it’s a little more complicated than that due to how the IOC allows people to pick the country you can represent. For instance, at the Rio Olympics, an American gymnast named Kylie Dickson competed for Belarus after the government granted her citizenship. As far as anyone can tell, she had no connections to Belarus at all, but since she became a Belarussian citizen, there was little the IOC could do.
It’s more complicated than that, but you get the gist. There will be plenty of NFL players playing for other countries, in my opinion. Obviously, the USA will be the first choice for most guys and will be the favorites. But, it stil could be an entertaining tournament.
If not, oh well. Who doesn’t want to see Tyreek Hill being guarded by some Slovenian accountant?