[7][8] The IFAF subsequently launched efforts to instead include flag football at the Summer Olympics, the non-contact variant of American football where players pull off flags from the ball carrier instead of tackling them, which the IOC eventually approved in 2023 to include at the 2028 Summer Games.

Seniors from three Western universities (Cal, Stanford, and USC) were matched against those from the East Coast's "Big Three" (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton).

[5] The sport has been considered by some as incompatible with the Olympics for several reasons, among them the high-risk of injury, inconvenience in the time period the games are held, and its lack of global popularity.

[16] It had also been argued that due to roster restrictions, seven-on-seven was the most likely style of play to make it as a medal event in the same vein as rugby sevens, which debuted at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

[18] Flag football became a viable alternative for its limited contact, low costs, and accessibility to both men and women.