74 countries make up the FF world federation currently.
I would actually think flag football is more shifty smaller players than “tall” (who generally are not very agile/quick on their feet).
Unlike cycling, right?
Sports added
2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles to add baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash to the event’s sports program.
Baseball/Softball, Cricket, Lacrosse, and Squash I can see. I may not fully agree, but I can see a case for all of them. Flag Football? Come on, man. What’s next? Dodge Ball? Cow Chip Tossing? Pumpkin Seed Spitting? Beer Pong?
To me, even if a sport like baseball has a larger premier event, it can add to the olympics if it brings in countries that otherwise would have little presence at the games.
Obviously it’s only broadly played in parts of east Asia and the Americas, but there are a lot of countries (DR, Panama, Venezuela) that can be real contenders in that sport and get some shine, but not be meaningfully competitive in anything else.
Like Fiji in rugby 7s.
I really don’t ever care when the IOC wants to try out sports. I get frustrated when they consider taking ancient/traditional ones away (though I understand the issues with weightlifting and boxing, I would be upset if they went away).
Why do baseball/cricket need to be in the Olympics? They are trillion-dollar sports already. Half of the athletes will skip the Olympics anyway because they’re not getting team salary and they don’t want to risk injury/illness.
Are the Olympics hoping to capitalize on this? I don’t know cricket, but most baseball fans aren’t fans of USA Baseball specifically, they are fans of their own local team. How many extra eyes will Mike Trout bring to the NBC Olympic broadcast?
I’m not saying the Olympics need to be exclusive to less mainstream sports, but there’s already 2,500 MLB games every year just in the US. Maybe if we’re looking to shake things up take a look at the medal distribution within the existing sports. There’s 34 medals given out for swimming, 2 for triathlon.
There are two billion people worldwide watching Cricket RIGHT NOW (there is a Cricket World Cup going on). The IPL has a market value in Dec 2022 of >$10B. The single most valuable franchise in the league has a higher market value than 6 MLB teams 27 NHL teams and all MLS teams. The value per match in league play is $13M based on levelized TV rights sold (on a per match basis).
The revenue draw of bringing T20 format cricket into the Olympics cannot be ignored.
There is an entire swath of humanity that we don’t see here, that is crazy abou the sport. IOC needs those eyeballs to care. On top of that India generally fares poorly in the Olympics and the IOC needs 1.4billion people from there to care. So $$$ talks and overall 2B extra eyeballs who care about the Olympic Cricket Tournament is worth more than pretty any single sport the IOC can bring in. There is no sport the IOC can add that will bring that many fans in.
Now back to following the world cup. New Zealand plays Afghanistan in 4.5 hrs. Those kids from a war torn nation with barely a functioning facility just beat the reigning champs (England) on Sunday.
You bet the IOC wants cricket in. The olympic cricket tournament will massively pad IOC bank accounts.
Look to the World Games event schedule to get a potential preview of sports that may get added. That’s one pathway for a sport to “showcase†at an international event and then slide into the actual Olympics.
I don’t know if flag football was announced as co-ed but it likely could do that, which seems to be a key element these days. 10 different country federations made up flag football at last years world games. (Separate male/female events there)I am amazed that there are sufficient countries which play ‘flag football’: I thought that was a key criterion (>60) for even consideration. I guess that enough nations have ‘American Football’ federations and this is a version of that sport which reduces the incidence of life affecting brain injuries to ALARP.
Is does seem to be a sport that favours large (tall) people. With basketball and netball already there, there needs to be a search for sports which favour short athletes, to balance things out.
i had no idea what flag football was until yesterday but to me it appears tag rugby is the same sport, or would that be wrong.
Do any of you from the US even know what cricket is? As an Australian that has this as it’s predominant summer sport blows my mind.
I don’t know if flag football was announced as co-ed but it likely could do that, which seems to be a key element these days. 10 different country federations made up flag football at last years world games. (Separate male/female events there)I am amazed that there are sufficient countries which play ‘flag football’: I thought that was a key criterion (>60) for even consideration. I guess that enough nations have ‘American Football’ federations and this is a version of that sport which reduces the incidence of life affecting brain injuries to ALARP.i had no idea what flag football was until yesterday but to me it appears tag rugby is the same sport, or would that be wrong.Yes, this seems to be tag rugby but played with 5 a side on a half pitch, you’re allowed one forward pass per play.
Mercifully I can’t imagine that it will be included in Brisbane. There may be 74 national American Football feds affliliated to IFAF but . . .
T20 should be absolutely massive, assume will be deconflicted with IPL. Is sure to stay for Brisbane.
For endurance sport fans there is another interesting change.
Leightweight rowing is out.
Coastal rowing is in.
Distance for rowing has been reduced from 2000m to 1500m due to the available facilities.
Why do baseball/cricket need to be in the Olympics? They are trillion-dollar sports already. Half of the athletes will skip the Olympics anyway because they’re not getting team salary and they don’t want to risk injury/illness.
.
Heard on the radio today that only 6 countries will get a cricket slot.
3 medals.
That’s just weird.
It could go the way of breakdancing. Get included in Olympics and removed from the Olympics for the following Olympics before said sport even gets to “showcase†in the Olympics……oooof
IF NFL players play in the Olympics and the NFL is “wanting” that to happen, flag football will stay in the Olympics, no brainer.
Why do baseball/cricket need to be in the Olympics? They are trillion-dollar sports already. Half of the athletes will skip the Olympics anyway because they’re not getting team salary and they don’t want to risk injury/illness.Heard on the radio today that only 6 countries will get a cricket slot.
3 medals.
That’s just weird. Yesbut. Twelve (M+W) teams with (at least)12 players each is 144. Way more athletes than triathlon. Six teams implies 15 matches round robin, and then semi-finals and gold and bronze medal matches: 38 (M+W) matches to be fitted into a ten day calendar. How many cricket grounds has Los Angeles (et environs) got?
To get more medals for ‘other’ sports some sports with ridiculous numbers of athletes doubling trebling (or more) up for multiple individual events (all with medals) need to be rationalised: swimming I’m looking at you.
It could go the way of breakdancing. Get included in Olympics and removed from the Olympics for the following Olympics before said sport even gets to “showcase†in the Olympics……oooof
IF NFL players play in the Olympics and the NFL is “wanting” that to happen, flag football will stay in the Olympics, no brainer.
Before the Patriots running back tore his knee and ruined his career (anyone remember that?) the NFL stars would play a flag football game against the US National Champion team. The only people in the world who can remotely guard NFL WRs are NFL defensive backs.
In the 141st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Programme Commission and Executive Board officially approved the addition of five new sports to the Olympic program. The vote, which took place earlier today, marks the official decision to add baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash to the schedule for the 2028 Olympic Games, which will take place in Los Angeles. This decision comes on the heels of the LA28 Organizing Committee proposing these additional sports last week.
IOC OFFICIALLY APPROVES FIVE NEW SPORTS TO BE INCLUDED AT LA 2028 OLYMPIC GAMES
IOC OFFICIALLY APPROVES FIVE NEW SPORTS TO BE INCLUDED AT LA 2028 OLYMPIC GAMES
That was one of the worst knee injuries I’ve ever seen. Gronk has stated he’s all in on this for what it’s worth, hell US could play retired players and likley win.
Coastal rowing can FRO. It’s being brought in on aspirations of universality, which will not happen - overwhelmingly the same nations will win other than the occasional medal from a country which lets FISA give itself a hug, and brings chance into the equation far too much. You can be the fastest in the event and lose because someone else cracks it for a wave and brings them right through you.
Getting rid of LWT rowing - can’t honestly say that I care. You’re never going to see a reputable cycling or running event at an elite level with an athlete-greater-than-n-kg, and those are sports where weight has a much greater speed impact than in rowing. Clydesdae is going to be about the only division in triathlon where I’d be any good, but I don’t pretend there’s a representation issue and universality - if I wanted to be good at a sport, it wouldn’t be triathlon, but I do it because I enjoy it. Olympics should be elite and best of the best, not just for enjoyment.
My “Rules for Deciding if a Sport should Be In the Olympics”:
- The sport needs an established, well-recognized code. Flag football doesn’t qualify. Sailing does.
- The sport needs a broad fan base, preferably world-wide. Baseball emphatically DOES qualify (at least on this criteria), Softball does not.
- Crucially: the Olympics should be the biggest competition for the sport. Baseball, soccer (football), tennis and basketball all don’t qualify. Swimming, T&F, volleyball, rowing and alpine skiing all do.
- The need for expensive facilities should be miminized. Kayaking and canoeing both require ridiculously expensive artificial runs that might never be used again. Building a basketball or baseball arena in a country that couldn’t care less about basketball or baseball. Ski jumping hills and bobsled runs that are never used again etc. The need for these new facilities shouldn’t be an automatic exclusion criteria but it should weigh heavily against the sport. The IOC should consider stopping rotating the event around and holding it in a permanent spot for this reason.
- Controversially: the sport should be as quantitative as possible. Sports that rely on timing, have a finish line, keep score etc all qualify. Sports with nebulous, ajudicated “artistic merit” scores should be minimized, sorry diving, gymnastics, half-pipe and figure skating.
I’m in for this - I’d go further and take any sport with judging out of the Olympics.
Perversely, I’d keep combat sports in them though - it’s a count of hits, and shouldn’t be judged. I’d move towards automated judging like fencing for these sports. Not sure how it’d work.
But we could also get the prettiness element out of ski-jumping as well. That really drives me nuts. It’s either judged or not, not both!
My “Rules for Deciding if a Sport should Be In the Olympics”:
-
The sport needs an established, well-recognized code.
What is “code” mean in this context? What about defining “well established” ? What does this mean? -
The sport needs a broad fan base, preferably world-wide.
This narrows sport to soccer/football, swimming, running/athletics.
Womens’ sport disciplines are going to struggle compared to mens’. -
Crucially: the Olympics should be the biggest competition for the sport.
WMM ($$), NFL ($$$$), Nike ($), Adidas ($), Mizuno ($), etc., marketing for the other 3yrs 49weeks between Olympics probs would not agree. -
The need for expensive facilities should be miminized.
Yep. This is always an issue. And why host nations seem to struggle. -
Controversially: the sport should be as quantitative as possible.
The Olympics are headed in the opposite direction because it can reach a broader base (and more rev streams) by bringing emergent sports into the fold.
Also, Tony Hawk Pro Skater on X-box is a very lucrative franchise.
Above all else, the Olympic Games is a business,
I can see them adding events that don’t add to the athlete count. Likely means the 55 slots for the Oly distance would see a cut to make it happen. Open water had 25 slots, but only has 21 in Paris.
The standards just to get an “A” cut for swimming are insane in some events like mens 400IM at 4:12.5, my sons team mate is on track to make that cut and he was 9th at worlds last year (3rd at Jr Worlds 4:12.8) .
All these new sports mean that universality slots will be trimmed and regular qualification gets harder in existing sports.