The talk about MLB players participating in the 2028 Olympics is getting stronger, and there’s real indication that the MLB will take a 10 day mid-summer break so their athletes can participate in the LA games

If so, the Olympics will have a new venue in play - Dodger Stadium - the largest stadium in MLB at over 56,000 capacity, and the home of baseball in the 1984 games

The 2022 World Baseball Classic wound up being a smash success, ending with the two best players in the game facing one another. It drew fans from Japan, Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, even as far as Israel, and all around the US, insane crowds, camaraderie, everything you’d want from a tournament that brought the world together.

Here’s an example of Dodger Stadium when it’s full. Los Angeles is a baseball-mad city, and it’s likely a few Dodgers stars will be involved (including Shohei Ohtani, the most popular athlete in Japan). LA won’t just be US fans, there are massive Mexican, Korean, and Japanese communities as well. You also have teams like the superstar-rich Dominican Republic, who don’t have a lot of traveling fans but people will pay just to see smash baseballs.

All this to say I think the conditions exist to showcase the sport at its best, with high tension and crazy crowds and a totally different Olympics vibe, and once the world gets to experience baseball this way I can’t imagine it being dumped again.

  • Charming_Ad_6021BEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Largest stadium has a 56k capacity, doesn’t sound like it’s a popular sport in the only country it’s popular in.

    • InGenNateKennyBEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan (ever wonder why all those Nintendo games have it). It’s just not the U.S. where it’s played and popular.

  • dagoni_BEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Please no, it’s a sport for statisticians and hot dog sellers. At least bring Blernsball

  • oldbirdwatcherstickBEnglish
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    2 months ago

    I absolutely agree that baseball is appropriate as an Olympic sport, and is more than “international enough” to qualify. Like you said, if the most recent WBC is any indication, baseball 100% has enough of a worldwide following to make for a killer Summer Games event. Contrary to what many on this thread depressingly seem to be implying, wide European interest is most definitely not, and should not be, a prerequisite for inclusion, any more than American interest in rugby should be an issue.

    The key is MLB getting on board. There are enough players from around the world in the MLB alone to field some formidable international squads, and they have to be allowed to go play. Allowing all those high-profile players to leave for 2-3 weeks mid-season is quite a big change that the league will have to adapt to, so it is going to take some convincing.

  • goldingen1969BEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Baseball is a niche sport played in very few countries After LA it will disappear again Thankfully

  • miletestBEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    I never realised how boring this game is

  • mag1986BEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    And LA teams refs known for cheating at home 😂