MLB commissioner says it’s hard to stop league for 2028 Olympics in LA

Baseball has been selected as an official sport for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, and Major League Baseball (MLB) expects to play its season as normal with no interruptions during the Games.

According to the Associated Press, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters before Game 1 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday that he believes it would be difficult to suspend the season for the 2028 Olympics.

“I’m grateful that baseball is back in the Olympics,” said Commissioner Manfred. It’s a great thing,” Manfred said, adding that he welcomes Major League Baseball players to compete in the Olympics.

He continued, “But we have to play every day. It’s very important to have an uninterrupted regular season.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its 141st Session in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 16 and approved five sports – baseball and softball, plus cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash – for the Los Angeles Games.

This marks the first time an Olympic baseball game has been played in seven years since Tokyo 2021. Baseball was removed from the 2024 Games in Paris.

As a result, there’s been a lot of interest in whether major league athletes will compete in the Olympics. Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies) has publicly expressed his desire to compete in the Olympics.

The MLB Office of the Commissioner denied active major leaguers Olympic eligibility in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and Beijing 2008. Two years ago in Tokyo, only minor leaguers were allowed to compete in the Olympics, as long as they were on the 26-man roster and not on the disabled list, but their teams objected.

The Los Angeles Olympics are scheduled to open on July 14, 2008, and close on the 30th, which coincides with the second half of Major League Baseball’s schedule.

Some have argued that Major League Baseball should pause during the All-Star break and send a dream team to the Olympics to help promote the event and expand baseball’s reach.

However, the MLB Office of the Commissioner decided that the continued normal progression of the league was more important than any changes to the league’s operations as a result of the Los Angeles Olympics.

As a result, Major League Baseball and Olympic baseball will be played simultaneously in the United States in late July 2028. 19가이드03