The Case for Flag Football As an Olympic Sport

FSU Campus Recreation | IM 4v4 Flag Football

The Olympics are unlike another wearing competition on the earth. For 16 days, over 300 events representing 35 sports activities and every country on the earth compete to take home their prized medals, and I have looked ahead to watching the Summer Olympics every 4 years when you consider that as some distance lower back as I can keep in mind. But there’s usually been some thing lacking. One of the US maximum popular sports, and a top 10 recreation all through the arena, it appears as though address and flag soccer will be Olympic sports activities by way of the yr 2024, but problem obstacles nevertheless stay for that to come to be a truth. First we’re going to stroll via some motives why the street to getting American Football covered into the Olympics has not been an easy journey, followed by means of why we believe flag football to be the logical answer and desire as a destiny Olympic recreation.

WHY ISN’T AMERICAN FOOTBALL ALREADY AN OLYMPIC SPORT?

According to an article via NFL.Com, the largest logistical issues facing the game of American Football being covered inside the Olympics are very just like that of Rugby. With the big numbers of participants on every team, the “gender equality” formats in which each males and females participate in every sport, and the compressed three week agenda that might be difficult with a more physical game like soccer and rugby. Furthermore for American Football, the barrier to entry is excessive due to it’s value to equip all gamers with pads and tools, and therefor has also been slow to adopt in many foreign countries, specifically of the poorer variety.

Knowing all this, it’s tough to see how both game would be an amazing fit for the Summer Olympics. Rugby is lots like Soccer in that very little is needed to play the game in terms of tools and exercise at it is base stage, and has a far large worldwide following. This amongst other reasons has lately allowed Rugby to be cleared for the Olympics beginning in 2016 via converting the conventional fashion to a much less traditional “sevens” layout that’s faster paced with much less humans, which could assist carve a similar path for American Football, or flag soccer extra mainly.

TACKLE SAFETY CONCERNS

Even more and more high faculty, college and seasoned groups are starting to reduce the variety of touch practices, nonetheless carrying the likes of tender-padded headgear and shoulder pads for added safety.