Should NFL stars play Olympic flag football? Jason Kelce has a bold and old-school solution
As Olympic flag football talks taking the news headlines for its much-anticipated debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a new debate has been ignited—one that's been simmering beneath the surface since the sport's inclusion.
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Who exactly should represent the United States on this global stage: world-class NFL stars or battle-hardened professional flag football athletes? Jason Kelce has a solid idea.
Jason Kelce's proposal to determine NFL players' Olympic worth is too bold to ignore
The conversation took an unexpected twist thanks to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, who floated a wild yet captivating idea during the latest New Heights podcast episode with his brother, Travis Kelce. His solution? A high-stakes, winner-take-all showdown between NFL players and elite flag football professionals.
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"Let's just have a flag football team of NFL players play these guys and see if they can win," Kelce suggested. 'May the best team win... I think a coach that is familiar with flag football should select an NFL-represented team. And that team should just play this flag football team that's been playing for a long time and feels like they are the best at it and they don't need other guys. Then whoever wins (goes to the Olympics).
"
It's a proposal as simple as it is brilliant. At its core, it's more than just a game—it's a solution to a problem that doesn't yet have a clear answer. Should Olympic rosters favor experience in the flag football format or raw athleticism and name recognition from the NFL?
Kelce's idea is tailor-made for drama. Picture a squad of NFL giants—freak athletes trained in the highest levels of American football—taking the field against flag football veterans who've spent their lives mastering the speed, finesse, and strategy required by the non-contact version of the game.
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While the NFL players might have the edge in physicality and agility, flag football isn't just tackle football without the hits.
It demands different instincts, quicker decisions, and a mastery of spacing and evasion that even NFL pros might find disorienting.
This hypothetical clash could deliver not just answers but entertainment gold. 'The Longest Yard' comparisons are unavoidable—except in this case, the underdogs are professionals in their own right, armed with experience and chemistry.
Meanwhile, the NFL players would be the 'fish out of water,' navigating unfamiliar terrain where pure athletic dominance may not guarantee victory.
Of course, one can't ignore the elephant in the room: injury risk. More practices, more reps, more exposure—all increase the chance of something going wrong for active NFL stars. But as Kelce implied, if they lose the qualifier, the issue becomes moot. They wouldn't be playing in the Olympics anyway.
In a landscape where debates often stall over logistics and legacy, Jason Kelce's pitch provides a thrilling, competitive, and media-friendly path forward. The question is—will the powers that be dare to make it happen?
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