I have no idea about flag football, but I am aware of the rest and they have been a sport for a very long time and I'm glad that they included it into Olympics. Cricket, Squash and Baseball were recently played at the Asian games as well and I'm sure that had some part to play to get into the olympic games as it gives some idea on how to manage those games and coordinate with concerning sports bodies in a big tournament.
Just like you I'm hearing about this flag football for the very first time, and I'm wondering how it's being played. This inclusions are very good, they'll really help to bring to limelight some sports that are not popular. Although I'm quit surprised that sports like baseball and cricket were not in the Olympics, because they have strong leagues and are popular sports. I believe that there many interesting sports out there that are yet to be recognized in the Olympics, hopefully as the organizers of such sports keeps pushing for them to be recognized sports, the Olympics can capture and add them to give more options to the viewers. The Olympics is the biggest sports event in the world today and the organizers need to add every interesting sports to be a part of it.