The countdown is on for the next Summer Olympics. After spending 2024 in Paris, France, the Summer Olympics are heading to Los Angeles, Calif., in 2028. This is the first time that the Summer Olympics will be held in the United States since 1996 in Atlanta, Ga.
We know the usual competitions that will take place in the Summer Olympics, but there are some new ones. Flag football will make it's debut in 2028, and they are wasting no time in growing it. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that he's been approached by various players wanting to compete, but it's still something they are working out.
One competition that will return to the Summer Olympics in 2028 is baseball, which fell off the program in 2024. With the games being played at Dodger Stadium, will viewers see the top players in MLB compete?
Casey Wasserman, who is the chairman of the LA28 Olympic committee, spoke with Fastball On SI about having MLB players represent their countries in the summer games. Wasserman said that that's the goal, and they are working towards it.
"We've had extensive conversations – the commissioner has talked about it quite publicly – with both the league and the MLBPA," Wasserman said. "I think they both realize this is a unique opportunity, not without its complexities, but something we're all working together to see if we can get to the right place, which obviously would be to have Major League players playing."
LA28 Summer Olympics committee hoping for MLB participation
Wasserman said that one benefit of the players who spoke out about playing are not his clients. Wasserman has a sports agency which represents a variety of MLB players, such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves, and Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres.
"The best part was the two first people to really come out when we put baseball in the Olympics were Bryce Harper and Shohei (Ohtani) – neither of whom we represent," Wasserman said. "The players have the strongest voice and if they want to play, that's gonna be a big influence over the process."
With the Summer Olympics scheduled to open on July 14, 2028, MLB would have to find a way to pause the season for players to compete. So this is far from a confirmation. But having some of the top players in the game pushing to play should only help the chances of MLB participation happening.
In 2026, the top MLB stars will participate in the World Baseball Classic. New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was named captain for Team USA, while Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was named captain for Team Puerto Rico. The games will take place in Tokyo, San Juan, Miami, and Houston.
It will be interesting to see if the Olympic committee and MLB agree on making player participation happen. Wasserman says that is the goal more than three years away from the games.