Being in Los Angeles this weekend, practicing and playing in flag football games, and mentoring younger players, makes it all seem that much more real for quarterback Darrell ''Housh'' Doucette.
Just three summers from now, his sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games. What the final roster will look like, how many NFL players may be on it, is still being sorted out.
This weekend in LA is simply another chance to showcase flag football. Approximately 900 players from nine countries are taking part in USA Football's ''Summer Series.'' No active-roster NFL players are slated to take the field. But that could change down the road after league owners unanimously gave permission in May for players to participate in flag football.
''It's gaining traction,'' the 35-year-old Doucette said of his sport, which is currently already part of the NFL's Pro Bowl festivities. ''It's being talked about on ESPN, the NFL Network. The NFL is putting (resources) behind it. It's an exciting, fun, fast game.''
The teams of tomorrow
The fields at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles will host tournaments and showcases for players of all ages. The men's and women's national teams also play in a series of friendly international matches throughout the weekend.
On top of that, federations will engage in an international high-performance summit. Basically, it's an exchange of ideas and methodologies to grow the game around the world. The U.S. men and women are both No. 1 in the world, according to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) rankings.
''There's sort of a sports diplomacy going on,'' said Scott Hallenbeck, the CEO of USA Football. ''There's just lots of elements that I think speak really well to the growth of the sport within the Olympic movement and what's expected within the Olympic movement and the opportunity to all learn from each other as quickly as possible.