Olympic Day was established in 1948 to commemorate the start of the modern Olympic Games, which was reintroduced to the sporting world in 1894 through the foundation of the International Olympic Committee.
Last year's Olympic Day marked the first since NFL players had been permitted to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Tuesday's celebration comes as the popularity of flag football continues to spread around the globe, as seen in the FLAG Championships, IFAF World Championships and expansion across all levels of the game.
With approximately 20 million players worldwide, including more than 4.1 million youth participants in the United States -- a 50% increase since 2020 -- flag football is one of the world's fastest-growing sports.
Speaking recently on , NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed excitement over the sport finding a foothold worldwide, which he attributed to a number of simple factors.
"One of the key things about flag football is making it accessible," he said. "It's not expensive, you don't need a lot of equipment, you can run out on most any field and play."
The low barrier to access has aided in an explosion of interest leading up to flag football's first appearance in the Olympics two years from now.
The greatest display of a boom in youth flag football participation is the NFL Flag Championships.
This year's tournament, set to take place , is the biggest yet, featuring 350 girls and boys teams from around the world.
That level of participation naturally bolsters the game at the high school and collegiate levels, especially when it comes to women. 69,000 female students across 40 different states participated in flag football during the 2024-25 calendar year, a 60% year-over-year increase. Over 250 colleges and universities offer women's flag football, and, in recent months, the NCAA approved adding flag football as part of the emerging sports for women program and as early as spring 2028, potentially taking place months ahead of flag football at the Summer Olympics.
"The reality is for young women, I think it's even more powerful that they are able to cross over into traditionally a men's sport," Goodell said. "But also, they're incredible athletes, they're incredible people, and I think the same things you get out of football, they can get out of flag football. It's that empowerment and confidence that you can do a lot of things that you might not have believed before. ⊠It's no longer a men's sport. Flag is for the world. We call it a global sport. It's different from football, but it has so [much] of the unique natures and so many of the values that are so valuable to kids as they grow up."
There have also been major strides taken in expanding the sport at the professional level.
The NFL in March announced a partnership with TMRW Sports, notable investors and numerous athletes to launch a professional flag football league for men and women. Backers included football greats past and present, such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Larry Fitzgerald, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Bobby Wagner and Arik Armstead, but also legendary women from multiple sports: Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss and Alex Morgan.
The league will be key to flag football's continued development, solidifying a pathway for players from the youth level into college and through to the pros.
Similarly important and likewise emblematic of flag football becoming more and more a global game is the IFAF World Championships. A record 31 teams participated in the most recent world championships. The 2026 event, which features the top 16 men's and women's national teams and serves as a '28 Olympics qualifier, will take place in DĂŒsseldorf, Germany on .
Excitement for flag football continues to reach and reestablish all-time highs in the lead-up to what will be the sport's crowning achievement, an Olympic tournament in 2028.
The game will only continue to grow ahead of the event and surely benefit when the sport is showcased at the XXXIV Olympiad. Perhaps a few players currently rising through the established pipelines will even have the chance to go for gold alongside (or against) some of their favorite NFL athletes.
"Absolutely," Goodell said when asked if he envisions current or past NFL players participating in the Olympics. "We approved it a year ago, and I've had a lot of players that have said, 'We want to participate in that.' It sets up really well because it's before camps. It'll be the first week of the Olympics [in 2028]. These players are competitors and they love the big stage. To win a gold medal or any medal is something I think they would all treasure. They talk about it all the time, so I absolutely believe we're going to have players in the Olympics."
