Football in the Olympics? Peyton Manning wants to see it happen
Asylum.com posted an interesting article about Colts’ star Peyton Manning “spearheading an effort to have football included in the Olympics.” Manning is reaching out to the public to sign a petition to help his cause.
But should American football be part of the games? In 2012, baseball and softball will be dropped from the Olympic roster, and it seems the IOC owes America at least one event, football or otherwise, in which the U.S. would be among the gold medal favorites. Let’s consider the options …
Pro: NFL preseason games sell out in Mexico and Japan, and last year a regular season game in London was the hottest ticket in town. The rest of the world sees in football the qualities that have made it our number one sport, and including it in the Olympics would only widen its appeal (and allow for a few more friendly wagers, of course).
Con: A 160-pound Namibian wide receiver who learned his craft from a Jerry Rice coloring book goes over the middle and is flattened by a 240-pound throat-slash-gesturing strong safety from the University of Miami. If football becomes an Olympic sport, that scene gets repeated for like the next 60 years.
Tell me that video couldn’t be a SNL skit? Love the music, Peyton.
It’s hard to imagine Jamaican wide receiver Usain Bolt going over the middle against Ed Reed without shuddering a little bit. While I wouldn’t mind seeing the U.S. dominant another Olympic event, I don’t know if introducing football to the summer games is such a good idea. It would no doubt have an affect on training camps and what if a marquee player got hurt and had to miss an entire season or even worse, the rest of his career?
This seems like a really silly idea.
There is absolutely no way the NFL would allow this to happen, and not only that, there is no way Fox, NBC, CBS or ESPN would allow this to happen. They spend too much money to lose a guy like Manning in a game that doesn’t “count.” If you need an example, see Fox’s bitch-slapping of MLB, forcing them to add the ridiculous ‘winner gets home field advantage in the World Series’ rule in the All-Star game.
Sorry, Peyton, but I guess you’ll have to be content with a Super Bowl ring and your millions of dollars.
Stupid idea. No one outside America cares about American football.
MY GOLD MEDALING TEAM USA!!!!
•Head Coach: Bill Parcells(he’ll always be the best coach)
Asst Coach: Bill Belichick
Offensive Coordinator: Blane Morgan(Air Force Falcons)
Defensivee Coordinate: Lovie Smith
QBs: Todd Reesing(Jayhawks) Shaun Carney(Air Force Falcons) Jeff Ballard(Texas Christian University)
HBs: Eric Olsen(Fighting Irish) Joe Grantz(Buckeyes) Mitchell Adwon(princeton Tigers)
FBs: Eric Stonayoff and Grant Serdy(Princeton)
TEs: Colin Naugle(Blue hens) Tyler Hunt(jayhawks) Tim Beire(Jayhawks)
WRs: Justin Rodriguez(Blue Hens), Xavier Rambo(Jayhawks) Bruce Katowski(Pioneers WPUNJ) Dan Kerr(WPUNJ) Derel Dukes, Brian Williams, Greg McLendon(All 3 from Kean University)
O-Line: Alex Atkins(UTenn-Martin) Darrin Johnson(Souhtern Methodist U) Matt Pardon(Texas State) Brad Poston(Chanticleers) David Livengood(Indiana UPenn)
DEs: Michael Cobbins(Missouri West), Dustin Dlouhy(U-Montana) Matt Ludeman(West Michigan U)
DTs: Shanwn Moorehead(Iowa State) Chris Thorner(Syracuse)
LBs:Dan Adams(College of the Holy Cross) Kevin Malast(Scarlet Knights) Ryan D’impiero(Scarlet Knights) Dakota Lewis, and Drew Dudley(Both jayhawks)
CBs: Ryan Murphy(jayhawks) Devin McCourty(Scarley Knights) Cody Brsitow and Charles Graves(Blue Hens)
Safeties, Strong and Free: Boston McClain, Aaron Kirchoff(Both from Air Force Falcons) Donnie Evedge and Travis Howard(Buckeyes)
LS: Kayl Anderson(Jayhawks)
P: Ryan Harrison(Air Force Falcons)
Return Specialist: Luke Hyder(AF Falcons)
K: Craig Coffin(So-Illinois Univerisity)
Gold: USA/Silver:PRC/Bronze:Austrailia (respectively)
NO offense but i’d stick w/ an NCAA All Star Dream Team(D1 D2 D3) since GMs will throw a fit and wont let the NFL stars in the games. The GMs will hike their salaries on purpose just so they wont go in. plus read these interesting articles
MVP: Todd Reesing QB
@ Javier: The World Sumo Wrestling Association has over 80 countries in its association, and there are sumo wrestling leagues in every continent on the planet. Just like American football outside America, there is some eccentrics who practice sumo wrestling outside Japan.
And yet neither American Football nor Sumo Wrestling will ever be an olympic sport. No one gives a crap. The shitty amateur “international federation of american football” website you posted just proves that even more.
@James
tackle football…. well.. more brits than americans filled up wembley stadium last season.. and it will be full house again.. that shows that tackle football is growing in popularity!!!! now I’d like to see the NFL launch a game in South Africa in the meer future.
Do you like equestrian? me.. no!! it shouldn’t be an olympic sport because its popularity is meager and its an irrevelant sport! plus its a boring atmosphere