As the NFL continues its goal of growing overseas, the Olympics have become a key part of the strategy.
Specifically, the league has been working on making inroads internationally with an eye toward flag football becoming an Olympic sport. NFL Executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent says the league believes the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles could be an opportunity for American football to shine on a world stage.
“That’s the ultimate goal to make flag football an Olympic sport,” Vincent told the Associated Press.
Vincent says flag football will be much easier to export to the world, for both men and women, than tackle football.
“When we talk about the future of the game of football, it is, no question, flag,” Vincent said. “When I’ve been asked over the last 24 months, in particular, what does the next 100 years look like when you look at football, not professional football, it’s flag. It’s the inclusion and the true motto of ‘football for all.’ There is a place in flag football for all.”
The World Games, a major international multi-sport event that takes place every four years in the summer after the Olympics, are beginning today in Birmingham, Alabama, and flag football is one of the sports for the first time. The NFL sees that as an important step toward international recognition, and perhaps a slot as an Olympic sport.