Team Insight

TEAM FOOTBALL million children and operates more than 1600 local leagues. Pigskin Profits. From a spending perspec- tive, football keeps the cash registers ringing for team dealers and sporting goods retailers. According to the SFIA's Manufacturers Sales by Category Report, wholesale sales of football gear (footballs, protective gear, blocking sleds, goal posts and accessories) reached $662.5 million in 2022, up 6.5 percent from $621.9 million in 2021. 3RD QUARTER Flag Football @ 2028 La Olympics Olympic Dreams Come True. e BIG news for the sport of football is that flag football will debut as an Olympic sport at the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. In mid-October the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of flag football, paving the way for USA Football's U.S. National Teams to make their Olympic debut. e IOC's decision came aer the LA28 Organizing Committee recommended flag football and four other sports (cricket, baseball/ soball, lacrosse and squash) for inclusion. Flag football in the Olympics will be a 5-on-5 game played on a 50-yard field. ere are no offensive and defensive linemen. According to LA Olympics chairman Casey Wasserman, the new sports are "relevant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe." Who Plays for the U.S.? USA Football, the sport's governing body, is the organization responsible for selecting and leading the U.S. National Teams. "We are incredibly thankful to the IOC and LA28 Organizing Committee for recognizing flag football as a sport worthy of inclusion in the Olympic Games and we share our excite- ment and celebrate this historic occasion with the millions of flag football players across our country," says Scott Hallenbeck, CEO of USA Football. "e decision to add flag football to the 2028 Summer Olympic program in Los Angeles is an acknowledgment of the sport's tremendous international growth and appeal as a fast, exciting and competitive sport." According to Hallenbeck, this decision by the IOC confirms that USA Football's year- round efforts to promote football and flag football did not fall on deaf ears. "USA Football works tirelessly to support the sport's exponential growth at all levels by encouraging the creation of more pathways to play and inclusion in the Olympic Games will have a transformative impact on our sport — from the grassroots level to our elite U.S. National Teams," Hallenbeck adds. "As the governing body of American football in the United States, we are committed to continuing to work closely with IFAF, the USOPC and the NFL as we pursue our collective efforts to grow the game for current and future generations." e Gronk Speaks: Now that flag football is going to be in the Olympics, none other than recently retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski has weighed in with an offer to join the national squad. "Hopefully there's no tryouts and they just accept me," Gronkowski said. "But I'm in. USA going all the way!" 21 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2023 teaminsightmag.com ® www.ProNine.com • 440-349-3500 A Better Way To Play Photo: Ron Cogswell/Wikimediacommons

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