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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
The 2024 Paris Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Friday, and although there are 45 sports in this year’s Games, baseball is not one of them.
The sport has a periodic history in the Olympics, last appearing as a part of the 2020 Games in Tokyo (which were held in 2021) after being excluded from the 2012 and 2016 editions.
Why isn’t baseball a regularly occurring event? Will the sport return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles — and what would have to happen for MLB players to take part? Here’s everything you need to know about the future of baseball at the Olympics.
Why isn’t baseball part of the 2024 Olympics, and will the sport return in 2028?
Baseball is not a full-time event in the Olympics, appearing in the Games when the host country possesses deeper ties to the sport. That was the case in 2020 when the Olympics were held in Japan, but that’s not the case for France. The U.S. is an ideal country to have baseball played in the Olympics so it will return to the Games in 2028, marking the seventh time it’s been an official medal sport.
How does an Olympic baseball tournament work?
It all depends on how many countries participate. In 2008, there were eight teams playing in a round-robin format with the top four advancing to a single-elimination round followed by gold and bronze medal games.
In 2020, only six teams were in a tournament that featured a round-robin style first round followed by a modified double-elimination bracket before medal games were played. Past formats for the World Baseball Classic are also possible blueprints for the 2028 Olympics.
Where would games be played?
That has not been decided but with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium is an obvious venue. MLB stadiums in California — Anaheim’s Angel Stadium, San Diego’s Petco Park and San Francisco’s Oracle Park — are also options. It remains to be seen if early-round games would fan out throughout the country in the same way that the WBC has used MLB stadiums.
Would major league stars participate? Have any said they would be interested?
That’s an ongoing discussion but, yes, signs point to MLB players participating in the Olympics for the first time. In past tournaments, Team USA has been represented by teams composed of collegiate and minor league stars.
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark indicated during the MLB All-Star Game that momentum for major leaguers is picking up.
While it’s hard to pinpoint which major league stars would be the best fits for the team this far ahead of time, Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper expressed interest after the sport’s return in 2028 was announced last October.
“I think it’s everyone’s dream to be in the Olympics,” Harper said. “Especially coming here,”
What would happen to the MLB season during the games?
That’s the tricky part. An informal poll of some executives did not return a favorable response when it came to disrupting the major league season for the tournament — but that’s exactly what would have to happen for MLB stars to take part.
The regular season would have to be altered in several ways, similar to how the WNBA is in the midst of an Olympic Break to allow the league’s stars to compete in Paris.
MLB would likely need to forgo having its annual All-Star Game in 2028. Instead, the league would take about 10 days off at the end of July when the Games are played. To make up for the extra time off, the league would have two paths for the 2028 MLB schedule. One route would be simply lengthening the MLB calendar by more regular-season games in March or early October and extending the postseason further into November. The other possibility would be for teams to play fewer total games in 2028 over the normal span of a season. This could end up being the favored option by teams who wouldn’t want their pitchers competing in the Olympics to have to throw more innings than they normally do in a season.
Which countries would be the favorites and who has dominated the event in the past?
The 2023 World Baseball Classic gives us a good idea of who will be the teams to beat in a 2028 tournament featuring major league stars. Japan beat the United States in the WBC championship game, and those would likely be the Olympic favorites as well.
Historically, Cuba has won the most gold medals with three, followed by Japan, South Korea and the United States each with one. Team USA has also won a silver (2020) and two bronze (1996, 2008) in addition to taking home the gold in the 2000 Olympics with a team of amateur players that included future MLB stars Roy Oswalt and Ben Sheets.