MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has made some bombshell comments in recent days. He is dropping another bold statement, about the upcoming 2028 Olympics. Manfred is open to the idea of having Major League Baseball players participate in those games, with a catch.
“Commissioner Rob Manfred says ‘it’s possible’’ to have MLB players play in the 2028 Olympics if it was in conjunction for a long All Star break,” MLB reporter Bob Nightengale wrote for USA Today. “Yet, there would have to be major concessions to assure the full 162-game schedule can still be played.”
Manfred has made waves recently for other comments, about a possible salary cap coming to Major League Baseball. Although the commissioner didn't specify that a cap was coming, he told Pat McAfee on ESPN that things may be moving in that direction.
“We need to deal with that issue,” Manfred said on McAfee's show, which was reported on multiple outlets including Newsweek.
Manfred is making the comments ahead of Tuesday's All-Star Game.
There's movement to allow MLB players to compete in the 2028 Olympics
Manfred isn't alone in trying to get league players into the 2028 games. The head of the baseball players union, Tony Clark, is also hoping to work on a deal.
“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” Clark told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday, per the Associated Press. “We do know players are interested in playing, whether it’s for the Team USA or any number of other teams around the world. … There’s just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is, but we’re hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.”
There are some other obstacles that need overcome. MLB has specific television contracts with networks for instance, that could interfere with the 2028 Olympics schedule.
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, MLB wouldn't allow league players to participate on team rosters. Japan defeated the U.S. in the gold medal game.
