NFL Players Joining LA Olympics Flag Football Team has Fans Losing it: “We just won gold”

NFL needed approval from all 32 owners to allow its players a chance to compete for a spot on the Olympic flag football team.

NFL Players Joining LA Olympics Flag Football Team has Fans Losing it: “We just won gold”

NFL owners allowed their players to try for Team USA's 2028 Los Angeles Olympic flag football team (Image via Ian Rapoport/X)

Gridiron football is not as popular outside the United States of America as basketball, soccer, or ice hockey. But flag football is on a different stratosphere when it comes to global acceptance at the grassroots level, especially after its early introduction to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

That proves that the sport is popular enough and nations worldwide are adopting it. So much so that in many regions of the world, fans are aware of flag football than its parent, gridiron football. The NFL is doing its part to increase the awareness of its game by scheduling multiple games across the world.

Some such arrangements might be questionable at best, such as when players feared for their lives in Brazil. However, the league is now trying to schedule games in the far corners of the world. At the same time, the league also knows that flag football is a way to bring new fans into its primary sport.

In true American capitalism form, the league also knows that one needs superstars to promote anything. With that in mind, NFL owners unanimously agreed to allow their players to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

That means every player in the league can try out for a spot on the Olympic roster. It will not be easy considering the United States already has a formidable flag football squad. But when the talent pool gets an influx of proven superstars, it generally leads to the creation of a super team.

Fans excited for NFL flag football LA Olympics team

Football fans, as do most sports fans, know very well about the exploits of the 1992 Dream Team that won gold at the Barcelona Olympics. Then they saw the Redeem Team do it again in style in 2008, and most recently, the Avengers, led by LeBron James and Stephen Curry, enthrall global audiences to win gold at the Paris Olympics.

Now their imagination is running wild, dreaming of Patrick Mahomes throwing a pass to either Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chase, or Tyreek Hill, while elite NFL cornerbacks pick off players from other nations. Essentially, fans are excited about the possibility of all-around dominance taking place and proving that the USA is the best in sports. Check out some of those suggestions fans made on social media.

Team USA might be stacked and could strike fear in the hearts of other teams. Jalen Hurts and others have openly talked about competing for a spot. Most importantly, as Jefferson put it, it is more about pride than anything else.

Justin Jefferson outlines what Olympic flag football means to him

Justin Jefferson is a global ambassador for flag football. The Minnesota Vikings superstar was at the NFL’s spring meeting on Tuesday to help owners decide on flag football. After they unanimously decided to allow players, the wide receiver could not hide his excitement.

Justin Jefferson is excited for a chance to win gold at LA 2028
Justin Jefferson is excited for a chance to win gold at LA 2028 (Image the Sporting News/X)

I’m just at a loss of words. Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream, just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal.

ESPN quoted Justin Jefferson

The 25-year-old added that he is happy that his sport is going to get the global recognition that it deserves. All his life, he has seen other sports receive importance than football, but now it is about to change. After his speech, the Louisiana native hit his famous griddy to celebrate the vote.

Expect Jefferson to be in the mix to fight for a spot. But current Team USA flag football QB Darrell “Housh” Doucette has made it clear that NFL stars will have a fight on their hands to snatch spots from those who are already on the team. This should be a battle worth keeping an eye on.

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