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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Flag football has quickly grown across the country from the youth ranks to high school and beyond, and now Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants to see the sport continue to flourish.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “Aaron Rodgers is making a donation to USA Football to support the U.S. Women’s National Flag Football Team as the sport builds toward its Olympic debut in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.”
Aaron Rodgers is making a donation to USA Football to support the U.S. Women’s National Flag Football Team as the sport builds toward its Olympic debut in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Flag Football As Part Of The Olympics
Flag football has continued to grow and will be a part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with both a female and male event. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is a supporter of NFL players competing.
“I think this news represents a great opportunity for the sport, for the NFL,” Goodell told reporters in 2025. “It’s truly the next step in making NFL football and football a global sport for men and women of all ages and all opportunities across the globe. We think that’s the right thing to do, and this is a big step in accomplishing that.”
“We are now on a global stage, which is exciting,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said. “We can truly bring America’s greatest game on the global stage.”
How Does Flag Football Work?
The rules of flag football are a little different from NFL rules, Emran Shibeshi explains:
“As opposed to traditional football, flag football is a non-contact sport. To end a play, the objective is to remove a vinyl flag attached to the waist of the player with the ball. Each player wears two flags on their waist, one on each side.”
Shibeshi continues: “Each team will have five players on the field from a roster of 12, allowing teams to designate players for offense and defense. There are no special teams or linemen in flag football, so each drive begins at the offense’s own 5-yard line with a ‘center’ (not a traditional center) snapping the ball to the quarterback. Depending on the play, the quarterback can hand the ball off to a running back or throw it to a receiver.”
Some rules are similar to the NFL’s but on a smaller playing field.
“Plays end when a player goes out of bounds, a flag is removed or a pass falls incomplete. Each team has four downs to reach midfield and another four downs to reach the end zone, as the field is 70 yards long with two 10-yard end zones. Offenses are not allowed to run the ball when a team is five yards or fewer from scoring a touchdown. Teams earn six points for a touchdown and have the option of attempting an extra point from the 5-yard line or a two-point conversion from the 10-yard line. Offenses are allowed to run the ball in those situations. Turnovers occur when the defense records an interception or recovers a fumble.”
This will be flag football’s first appearance in the Olympics and will most likely be the last we see of it for some time. It is tradition for the host country to add a unique sport of their own.