The NFL remains the only major professional league in the United States outside the Olympic program. Soccer (MLS), ice hockey (NHL), and basketball (NBA) have firmly established themselves as Olympic sports and are confidently holding first place in the ranking of Olympic broadcasts. But what about the Olympic prospects of American football? Why is the activity that annually gives the Forbes top-10 richest teams in world sports not represented in the Olympic program?
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Top 5 Reasons Why American Football is Not in the Olympics
1) Incompatibility between the competitive format of American football and the Olympic Games
As one of the most contact and violent team sports, classic American football (11×11), requires at least a seven-day pause between games of the same team. A shorter interval will inevitably lead to the impossibility of full recovery, and, as a result, an increased risk of injury. Given that the program of the Games is designed for a maximum of 2.5 weeks, it is simply impossible to conduct a classic American football tournament during this period. So, American football fans are increasingly turning their views from the bookmaker’s sites to the best NZ online casinos.
2) Total domination of one country
There is nothing to comment on here. Even if you imagine an Olympic American football tournament without NFL players (which significantly reduces the level of interest), the US team can still assemble a hundred squads from schools, colleges, and universities that will confidently beat any other team.
3) High risk of injury
As already mentioned, American football is risky due to the contact play and multiple injuries. No NFL club owner would ever allow his multimillion-dollar assets to play on the side (even for the US national team) without sufficient financial guarantees in case of an injury to his players.
4) An inconvenient period for the Olympic Games
Typically, the Summer Olympics are held in late July or early August, that is, in the midst of the preseason of the NFL and college football. Accordingly, for the sake of the Olympic Games, it will be necessary to completely change the existing schedule for the entire pre-season period, and, most likely, the regular season and playoffs.
5) Externally similar sport in the Olympic program
Of course, everyone who is really into the topic of American football will almost unanimously say that rugby and football are completely different sports, and they have in common only the shape of the ball. The appearance of rugby in the 2016 Olympic program made the already small chances for American football to obtain Olympic status. Now, the IOC members will have to be convinced that American football is necessary for the Games program, but also explain how it is fundamentally different from rugby, and why they can coexist in the Olympic family.
Conclusion
In summer 2028, the Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles, and it can be safely predicted that the Americans will strive to fill the Games with those sports that are interesting to the local public. American football is in first pla