As Bryce Harper considered his options in free agency in 2018, he knew he wanted a place that felt like home, a chance to win, and a deal reflecting his value. Additionally, Harper desired to play in the Olympics.
He tried to include a clause in his Philadelphia Phillies contract to allow him to participate in the Games, despite Major League Baseball’s policy against it.
Unfortunately, the collective bargaining agreement didn’t permit players to negotiate individual terms for international play.
Harper, who grew up watching the Olympics and played for Team USA in 2008 and 2009, winning consecutive Pan American Championships, has been a strong advocate for MLB’s participation in the Olympics.
“You want to grow the game, right? Why wouldn’t you want to grow it at the peak [of sports]?” Harper asked.
According to the source, he isn’t alone in this desire; Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani, one of baseball’s biggest stars, also expressed interest in playing in the Olympics.
“Knowing that there will be non-baseball fans watching the games, I think it would be really good for the baseball industry,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Baseball was an Olympic sport from 1992 to 2008, but major leaguers never participated due to amateur policy restrictions and the league’s decision not to pause the season. This absence led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to remove baseball from the program in 2005, citing the lack of MLB players as a primary reason.
However, a new IOC rule since 2019 allows host nations to add sports popular in their country as one-time events. Japan brought back baseball for the Tokyo Games in 2021, and the United States is expected to do the same for Los Angeles in 2028.
While it initially seemed like the 2028 Olympics would follow the same pattern as previous years, there’s a growing push to include MLB players, driven partly by Casey Wasserman, CEO of Wasserman Sports Agency and chair of the LA2028 board.
Wasserman’s pitch to MLB owners suggested a scenario where six or eight teams play a tournament over five or six days in mid-July, requiring only a short extension of the All-Star break.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who attended Wasserman’s presentation, called it “persuasive,” indicating potential support for the idea.
Harper, who discussed Olympic participation during a press conference at the 2023 National League Championship Series, said he had brought the idea to Manfred, though the commissioner was noncommittal.
Ohtani, who hasn’t yet shared his views with Manfred, expressed a strong desire to participate if given the opportunity. “Putting the nation’s colors on your chest, there’s nothing like it,” Harper said.
“There’s no greater feeling than going into another country and winning and hearing your anthem blast.”
Other MLB stars, including Carlos Correa, Shōta Imanaga, Juan Soto, and Christian Yelich, have also shown interest in playing at the Olympics.
Pete Alonso, another player hopeful for Olympic participation, was surprised to learn that current rules don’t allow MLB players to participate. “That’s a great way to showcase our game worldwide,” Alonso said.
Tony Clark, the head of the players’ union, mentioned that most players are eager to play in the Olympics. He believes the union will push for Olympic participation in future collective bargaining agreement negotiations, not just for 2028 but beyond.
The league is currently focusing on the 2028 Games, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles. The IOC and national governing bodies would likely cover some costs associated with insuring players’ contracts, making participation more feasible.
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The potential inclusion of MLB players in the Olympics presents a catch-22 situation: MLB won’t send its best players unless baseball becomes a full Olympic sport again, but the IOC won’t reinstate baseball as a full sport without MLB’s top players.
Harper, Ohtani, and many other players are ready to commit to fulfilling their part of this agreement, hoping to see baseball back on the Olympic stage.