Major League Baseball Considers Participation in the 2028 Olympic Games
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark have announced that they are moving forward with plans to explore the possibility of Major League players participating in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. This tournament could be held during an extended All-Star break.MLB met with Los Angeles organizers on Monday in Atlanta, before the All-Star Game, and Manfred noted that Olympic officials were meeting with the Major League Baseball Players Association.“I think it’s an opportunity to market the game on a truly global stage,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday. “Obviously, the clubs will have to get behind this. It’s a big deal.”
Rob Manfred
The World Baseball Softball Confederation announced on Monday that the baseball tournament will be played from July 15 to 20 at Dodger Stadium. MLB is considering whether it can interrupt its 2028 season to allow the participation of Major League players, which could require changes to the sport’s national television contracts.“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Clark said in a separate session. “We know that players are interested in playing, whether for Team USA or any other team in the world. … There’s a lot of conversation that needs to be had as soon as possible to see how viable this is, but we hope we can find a solution for the benefit of the game.”
Tony Clark
MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters to participate in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, when Japan’s Professional Baseball League interrupted its season and Japan beat the United States 2-0 in the gold medal game.“They present a schedule. They say it won’t move. We’ll see if there’s any movement on that,” Manfred said. “It’s possible to take it, play the All-Star Game in its normal place, have a single break that would be longer, obviously, but still play 162 games without extending into mid-November. That’s possible, okay? It would require significant adjustments, but it’s possible.”
Rob Manfred
“If Major League players are going to play, what does that mean and what does it look like?” Clark said. “And perhaps just as importantly, what does it mean for those players who are not participating? What kind of scheduling adjustments need to be made? What kind of travel and support considerations need to be considered? What does that mean with respect to insurance?”
Tony Clark
