REPORT: NFL looks to add flag football to 2028 Olympic Games itinerary

The NFL is reportedly looking to make the sport of flag football a part of the 2028 Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles.

The league is seeking to expand its worldwide business to $1 billion yearly over the next decade and is using flag football to reach the finish line.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NFL International, Damani Leech, stated the NFL’s next step towards expansion is international. He forecasts 50 million more global consumers in the next 10 years, despite already having in excess of 150 million worldwide and 180 million fans locally.

To meet its objectives, the league is pushing to add flag football to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Leech, in an interview with CNBC at the NFL’s annual meetings, asserted:

“We’ve got to make the game matter. If flag football becomes a sport [in the Olympics], more countries will invest in playing that sport.”

American football was incorporated as a demonstration sport in the 1932 Olympics, which were also held in Los Angeles, but hasn’t been acknowledged since.

Apparel company Reebok lobbied unsuccessfully for American football to make its appearance back into the Olympic landscape in 1996. Reebok featured a TV ad with Dallas Cowboys four-time All-Pro running back Emmitt Smith.

However, the International Olympic Committee did recognize the International Federation of American Football as a governing body in 2013. That could help the NFL as it pushes for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The NFL and its International Reach

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence at Wembley Stadium in London.

The league will be associated with flag football’s 2022 World Games, which will take place in the state of Alabama from July 7 to July 17.

The games feature teams of men and women from a variety of nations, including Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, and Mexico.

Leech also noted that the games would act as a showcase for the sport. He stated that they were:

“A good opportunity to show the IOC what this sport looks like. That it is competitive and attractive.”

Currently, the league is tinkering with playing games abroad in Europe, primarily showcasing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

At the league’s yearly meetings, owners signed off on Jacksonville’s plan to play at Wembley Stadium in London over the next three years.

The league has set up five games outside the United States for the 2022 season, with three games in London, one in Germany and one in Mexico.

Mexico City will host the Arizona Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and Jaguars in London while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play in Munich.

We'll see if flag football joins the Olympic schedule in 2028.