Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis initially sought to contest an Olympic football championship, but were unable to host it officially. Both teams ended up simply playing their regular seasons from teams around the country, making their status as an official demonstration sport dubious. St. Louis was declared the champion "by default." As Francis Field was the main stadium for the 1904 Summer Olympics, only those games would have been considered a demonstration for Olympic crowds. Only two games at Francis Field were played that did not involve Washington University: a match between Purdue and Missouri, and the first match between two Indian school teams (Haskell and Carlisle) who were considered powerhouses in college football at the time.[3][10]
Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics.[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.[14] In 2013, the International Olympic Committee gave provisional recognition to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), setting up a possible vote on its future participation in the Olympics.[15] In 2015, American Football wasn't included in the 2020 additions with critics voicing the IFAF's lack of effort and surrounding drama around the 2015 IFAF World Championship.[7][8]
Following the IOC's decline of the IFAF's application, the IFAF resubmitted its application, re-earning the provisional recognition for the possible addition in the 2024 Summer Olympics, with the earliest vote being as possible as 2017.[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.[17] Eventually, American football was not included in the 2024 Olympics.
The IFAF and the National Football League later backed a proposal to include flag football, a non-contact variation of the game, as an one-off event at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[18] Flag football became a viable alternative for its limited contact, low costs, and due to it being playable by both men and women.[19][20] The bid was successful and flag football was officially announced as a sport exclusively for the 2028 games in October 2023.[9]
^Ray Schmidt (May 2004). "THE OLYMPICS GAME"(PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
