We're still five years out from the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but the recently announced inclusion of Flag Football, one of the Games' newest events, has already captured the attention of sports fans, NFL players, and a handful of very important people who will have a say in determining just how popular the sport ends up being.
Those very important people are the CEO of USA Football, Scott Hallenbeck, and President of NBC Olympics and Paralympics, Gary Zenkel. Both Hallenbeck and Zenkel expressed excitement about not only the inclusion of flag football to the Summer Olympic lineup, but also the potential participation of NFL stars in the Games (h/t Richard Deitsch of The Athletic).
“It’s America’s favorite sport, in this case inclusive of both men and women, on the world’s greatest stage and a very exciting addition to the Olympic program for the American audience,” Zenkel said before going on to share that although NBC has not yet done any research regarding how popular the sport could be at the 2028 Olympics, it was no doubt an intriguing prospect.
Equally intrigued was Hallenbeck, who will play an important role in determining what the inaugural U.S. Flag Football team will look like. Hallenbeck spoke with NFL Network's Judy Battista about the possibility of NFL players participating, which he said there was a strong possibility of.
Our talk about flag football in the Olympics with Scott Hallenbeck of USA Football, who talks about a potential Dream Team of NFL players. pic.twitter.com/0JZ28KGv35
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) October 17, 2023
Playing a role in the enthusiasm of all involved parties is the relative success the NFL has had in marketing and broadcasting flag football in the very recent past. Last year's Pro Bowl, which for the first time was a flag football game between the NFC and AFC, drew over six million viewers. That's over six million people watching a meaningless flag football game with virtually no stakes. One would anticipate that a gold medal game where recognizable stars like Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Rob Gronkowski and who knows who else are playing would draw a significantly larger TV audience.
Follow Us
Subscribe