Sporticast 451: Will NFL Players Dominate Olympic Flag Football?
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the latest with the NFL and flag football's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
NFL owners voted this week to allow active players to take place in the sport's Olympic debut in Los Angeles. It opens the door for a maximum of one player from each team to play in the team representing the U.S. It's part of a push by the NFL to make the flag version of football a more viable commercial entity, and a more viable participation sport. That's especially true among young women and international populations, two growth areas for the world's richest sports league.
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The hosts talk about whether NFL players would be the best performers in flag football. The Olympics 3×3 basketball did not use active NBA players, and many felt the U.S. team, which did not reach the knockout round in the 2024 Olympics, would have been better if it had. On the other hand, the two best singles tennis players in the world almost certainly wouldn't be the best doubles team at the Olympics. Regardless, NFL participation will be a big marketing boost for the sport.
Before that, the hosts discuss TGL expansion. The golf league launched last year by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and TMRW Sports just added an expansion team in Detroit, backed by the owners of the Lions and the Broncos. The group paid more than $70 million for the team, Sportico reported this week. Teams that made their debut last year were sold in the $30-$35 million range.
The hosts also talk about the Fanatics Games, a blend of Pros vs. Joes and MrBeast's YouTube channel; the good (big ratings) and bad (social race-baiting) about the WNBA's opening weekend; and the sale of LiveBarn, the youth sports streaming platform whose backers include Susquehanna and Ares.
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