The odds are increasing that members of the Los Angeles Dodgers and other MLB players could compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The odds are increasing that members of the Los Angeles Dodgers and other Major League Baseball players could compete for their home countries in the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The games, hosted by Los Angeles, are featuring baseball again, and players like Mookie Betts said they want in.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Betts said when addressing the media. “I would have done the WBC if it wasn’t for the bad timing of having a child. Kids are always a blessing, but yeah, if I get the opportunity to play in the Olympics, absolutely.”
Betts is far from alone, especially given the recent success of hockey in the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina.
Olympic hockey allows current National Hockey League players to compete, and baseball players saw Jack Hughes and other hockey stars win a gold medal for the U.S.
Now, they want that same chance when the Olympics come to Los Angeles in two years.
“After watching that hockey game,” Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson said, as reported by Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal, “that’s definitely something that’s a top priority.”
What’s Holding MLB Players Up?
In short, timing is the issue.
The Summer Olympics take place during the MLB regular season, as does hockey for the NHL, forcing them to halt play to accommodate the Olympics.
“Unlike their NHL counterparts, the franchise owners have never been willing to shut down the season long enough to send players to the Games,” Diamond explained. “Nor have they been willing to accept the injury risk for a competition that comes with no direct financial reward.”
While there’s no “direct financial reward,” exposing a wider audience to baseball would fit with the sport’s strategy.
The sport is growing in Asia with the success of players like Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, and it’s possible that the Olympics might help add to that momentum in the long term.
It’s possible that’s at least part of the reason why sentiment among decision makers seems to be moving toward allowing players to participate.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he “sense[s] a lot of momentum towards playing in L.A. in 2028.”
“I think people have come to appreciate that the Olympics on U.S. soil is a unique marketing opportunity for the game,” Manfred said. “I feel pretty good about the idea that we’ll get there.”
Category: General Sports
