AFC wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) of the Miami Dolphins carries the ball against NFC cornerback Tariq Woolen (27) of the Seattle Seahawks and outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith (55) of the Minnesota Vikings during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Feb. 5, 2023, in Las Vegas. Flag football took a key step toward becoming an Olympic sport in 2028, a victory for the NFL and organizers in Los Angeles who will bring a distinctly American sport to the Summer Games as they return to the United States for the first time in 32 years. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
By Eddie Pells
Flag football took a key step toward becoming an Olympic sport in 2028, a victory for the NFL and organizers in Los Angeles who want to bring a distinctly American sport to the Summer Games as they return to the United States for the first time in 32 years.
Two people familiar with a proposal from the Los Angeles organizing committee told The Associated Press on Monday that the committee had delivered its proposal to the International Olympic Committee, setting it up for a vote at the IOC's meeting that starts Friday in Mumbai, India. The people did not want to be named because the LA committee was expected to release the information later Monday.
Other sports on the list included baseball and softball — which were in the Tokyo Games in 2021 but will not be played next year in Paris — lacrosse, squash and cricket, a sport with a much wider global reach that will go over well in Brisbane, Australia, which is hosting in 2032, and in India, where the vote will take place.
Out is breakdancing, which will be a one-and-done after its debut in Paris next year. Others not making the cut: motorsports, kickboxing and karate.
Unclear is whether other sports will have to trim the number of disciplines to help the IOC adhere to the limit it set of 10,500 athletes at a Summer Olympics. The addition of five team sports will inflate the number of participants.
Flag football is a less-violent cousin of America's most popular sport, one the NFL has been selling in Europe, Mexico and Japan for decades. This year, the NFL placed three games in London and two games in Germany on its schedule.
Flag football, in which “tackles” are made by pulling a flag off a belt worn by each player, would be a 5-on-5 affair played on a 50-yard field. There aren't offensive and defensive linemen. At the World Games last year, the U.S. men won the gold medal but the women fell to Mexico in the final.
While flag football will feel familiar to the home fans, cricket will be a steep learning curve. Hugely popular in India, Australia and Britain, it is virtually unknown in the United States. A version called Twenty20 — a shorter version of the original game — is proposed for the schedule in Los Angeles. Cricket was played once before at the Olympics — in Paris in 1900.
Jill and Carlo cover the news out of Facebook's latest earnings, Tesla's monumental day, Dave Chappelle addresses controversy and the tragedy of the climate emergency.
Zaire Wade and Jalen Newsome, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of 'YNG DNA' join us to talk about their new NFT collection available Oct. 25 on WAX NFT blockchain.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks defending its title with nearly the same team, bettors are putting their dollars behind "King" LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook is laying odds that the Larry O'Brien trophy will be hoisted by the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA's 75th season gets underway tonight with the Brooklyn Nets facing off against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the LA Lakers. The league also is expected to celebrate its anniversary by unveiling its list of 75 greatest players.
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
Amal Shah, co-host of 'Odds On', joins 'Cheddar Bets' to share how he likes to handle teams that just lost a coach when gambling, and whether the Arizona Cardinals can stay undefeated another week.
Sponsored by BetMGM
According to The Wall Street Journal, four U.S. gymnasts, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols, penned a letter to Congress asking them to break up the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee board of directors for allegedly turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse committed by team doctor Larry Nassar.
The Drone Racing League kicked off its 2021-2022 world championship season this week. Spanning across 14 different locations over the course of the year, 12 of the world's best drone pilots will be racing against each other to bring home the title. Drone racing has grown in popularity over the past year, with the Drone Racing League seeing an uptick of nearly 200 percent average viewership, 90 percent in virtual drone racing participation and 60 percent fanbase growth over social media. Rachel Jacobson, President of the Drone Racing League, discusses the future of the sport and why she thinks drone racing will soon be on par with traditional sports.
