The National Football League (NFL) just did something historic. Beginning with the 2028 Games, athletes will be able to compete for their nations in flag football at the Olympics in Los Angeles. This historic and unanimous vote opens the door for NFL athletes to demonstrate their remarkable skills on an international stage. It has raised some very real alarm over the future of the profession. Only one player per franchise is allowed to make the Olympic rosters. This has the potential to cause a huge talent gap and thousands of people around the world are asking whether this change will benefit or hinder the global flag football family.
The ruling allows for NFL players to take part, as long as their participation doesn’t interfere with club or league obligations. This requirement raises new questions regarding the bid selection process and the competitive balance between hosting nations. To accomplish this, IFAF – the International Federation of American Football – governs national federations. In addition, they determine the player selection criteria for international competitions. The combination of quantity and quality on the Olympic stage might play out exceedingly well for the United States. This could erode the very concept of competition itself.
NFL Players Eyeing Olympic Opportunities
A number of high-profile NFL players have already shown interest in hoping to play for their countries at the Olympics. Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has dreams of playing for Germany’s national team. For his former teammates Jakob Johnson and Michael Jackson, the same question may soon be the focus of their deliberations. Visualize this. Marcel Dabo, an ex-Indianapolis Colts practice squad safety, looks forward to battling for a position on the German squad.
The United States stands to field a roster composed entirely of NFL players, creating a formidable challenge for other countries. This is a particularly dangerous place to find yourself for countries that are already having a tough time attracting the best and brightest. One example is Mexico, who are heavy hit by a barrier in IFAF’s citizenship requirements, which would disallow them from calling up any NFL players. First, Tommy DeVito of New York Giants fame, followed up by Sam LaPorta of The Detroit Lions. In order to join Juve, both players require Italian citizenship.
Other European countries are similarly struggling with these issues. France boasts exciting players such as Maceo Beard and Joachim Trouabal, both players having come into the league through the NFL’s International Pathway Program. Their full overall depth probably still doesn’t measure up to an all-NFL U.S. roster.
Concerns Over Competitive Balance
The NFL players’ flag football invasion poses competitive balance questions at the Olympics. Benjamin Klever, an American flag football supporter, shared his concern over the talent gap.
“It’s not fair playing against the United States right now, and that’s with us facing college athletes from Division I and II, where maybe one or two have spent time on some NFL practice squad.” – Benjamin Klever
Klever said that difference is only going to grow. This change will only occur with the participation of NFL players at the Olympics. He emphasized that if only a select few teams can compete at such a high level, it risks reducing the sport’s appeal.
“From now on, the difference is probably going to be even greater.” – Benjamin Klever
Just eight teams will participate in Olympics flag football. That’s what makes President Biden’s call for more vigorous competition so important. Klever further explained that the long-term monopoly by a single nation might threaten the sport’s development and increasing inclusivity.
“If you want a sport at the Olympics, you don’t want a monopoly for just one team. You want to have competition, especially if we have only eight teams.” – Benjamin Klever
The Road Ahead for Flag Football
Nations are beginning to prepare to send their best teams to Los Angeles in 2028. Scott Hallenbeck, a chief executive with IFAF, recognizes the scope of this effort. He iterated that choosing, training, and educating national teams is key to having successful outcomes.
“We have an enormous responsibility ahead: picking, training and guiding the national teams for men and women for LA 28.” – Scott Hallenbeck
Hallenbeck underscored the value of collaboration with the NFL as they developed high-performance blueprints for country-specific teams. Their intention is to jointly foster a climate where emerging talent can flourish and be best represented en masse.
“We will continue developing our high-performance plan that will guide the structure of our national teams. We hope to work with the NFL on specific opportunities so that players can show off their talent and be considered for a team.” – Scott Hallenbeck
Flag football is hugely successful right now across the globe. Its future will rest on how countries react to the new parameters established by the NFL’s choice to take a knee. Darrell Doucette, a five-time flag football world champion, told USA Today that he has mixed feelings over NFL participation in the Olympics. While he acknowledges the prestige associated with competing alongside NFL athletes, he feels that existing players have built the game over time.
“Being on the same platform as those [NFL] players is incredible, but I also feel that we’ve been doing this for a long time.” – Darrell Doucette
Doucette made it clear that he is committed to making sure that flag football can still thrive without sacrificing its grassroots, homegrown nature.
“We built this game, and I would like to do it with mine.” – Darrell Doucette
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