What Bryce Harper said about baseball’s return to the Olympics

Krysyan Edler
·3 min read
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Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a wild pitch during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a wild pitch during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. | Brynn Anderson, Associated Press
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Not only did Bryce Harper get a win and home run in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series for his birthday on Monday, his wish of baseball returning to the Olympics came true.

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee approved the addition of baseball — along with flag football, softball, lacrosse and squash — to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Would Bryce Harper want to play baseball in the Olympics?

The Philadelphia Phillies first baseman told reporters on Monday that playing in the Olympics would be a “dream,” according to Yahoo! Sports. But he acknowledged that his age could play a factor in whether he’ll make an Olympic team. He’ll almost be 36 in 2028.

“I will be old at that point, so I don’t know if they’re going to want me to be on the team, but it’s always a dream. I mean, I think it’s everybody’s dream to be in the Olympics.”

Harper missed out on representing the U.S. in the 2023 World Baseball Classic due to an elbow injury, so playing in the Olympics would allow him to represent his country for the first time if he doesn’t suit up for the next WBC in 2026.

“I mean, I think it would be really cool. I think it would be a lot of fun. I don’t know if they’ll ever go for it, but I would love to put USA on my chest and represent it at the highest level,” he said. “I know the WBC, and everybody loves that, and it’s great for the game, but it’s not the Olympics,” he said. “It’s not what it’s supposed to be. But, you know, it would be really cool.”

Will the MLB take a break for the 2028 Summer Olympics?

Harper hopes that Major League Baseball will take a summer break in 2028 to allow its players to play in the Olympics. The brief hiatus would be similar to the National Hockey League’s policy. The NHL took a break in 2022 during the Winter Games and will take one again in 2026 to enable players to participate, according to ESPN.

“I would hope that Major League Baseball — and I don’t know if they ever will or if they do or ownerships or anything like that — you talk about growing the game, and that’s the way you grow it at the highest peak. You let guys that are playing in the league take that break just like in the NHL and see what happens,” Harper said this week, according to Yahoo! Sports.

When was the last time baseball was played at the Olympics?

Baseball made its first appearance at the Olympics in 1904 but didn’t become a medal sport until 1992, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation. It was part of the next four Summer Games, but the IOC voted in 2005 to drop it.

“IOC members cited Major League Baseball’s unwillingness to let its players take part in the Olympics and the sport’s doping problems as major reasons for the decision to remove it from the games,” according to ESPN.

The sport returned for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will not be part of the Summer Olympics in Paris next year.