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For the first time ever, flag football will be included in the Olympic Games. And the NFL passed a vote allowing pro players to participate. It would be the first opportunity for the league’s extraordinarily talented athletes to compete for Olympic gold in football. Or, a version of football at least.
However, the issue isn’t quite that simple. “There is already a USA Flag Football team and apparently… these players do not think that NFL players should be playing in it, they think they should be playing in it,” retired NFL center Jason Kelce explained on his New Heights podcast.
“From Darrell Doucette, he is the quarterback of Team USA Flag Football, ‘This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time and we feel like we’re the best at it. We don’t need other guys,’” Kelce noted.
While Doucette would prefer that NFL players stay in their lane, Kelce delivered a reality check to the flag football vet. “I do agree if these guys are the best, they should represent USA… But I feel really confident they’re not the best,” he asserted.
Where do NFL players fit in Olympic flag football?
Ultimately, no one really knows for sure who would be best suited to represent the country in Olympic flag football because pro players have never faced off against dedicated flag enthusiasts.
Fortunately, Kelce offered a simple solution to this conundrum. “Let’s just have a team of flag football NFL players play these guys and see if they can win. May the best team win,” he suggested, via newheightshow on Instagram.
The idea of putting together the best possible flag football team from active NFL players certainly captures the imagination. And the concept of pros competing against flag-only players caused Travis Kelce to ask, “Do you think it’s as easy as putting Tyreek Hill outside and having Lamar just throw a go ball to Tyreek?”
“I think that alone would probably be pretty effective,” Jason Kelce responded.
Although the debate over who should represent America in Olympic flag football is just getting started, there’s plenty of time to consider a number of options. The event will officially debut during the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
