MLB Commissioner Reportedly Considers MLB Player Olympic Participation 'Possible'
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Baseball is scheduled to return to the Olympics for the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 2028, when the world will have its eyes set on Los Angeles. While MLB players are not yet allowed to participate in the games, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, said "it's possible" that MLB stars would get to don their country's colors.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Rob Manfred (C), Commissioner of Major League Baseball, is seen before the New York Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Two of the 2024 World Series at...
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Rob Manfred (C), Commissioner of Major League Baseball, is seen before the New York Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Two of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. More
Photo byNightengale's report mentions that if MLB players were allowed to participate, there would have to be "major concessions" to preserve a full 162-game schedule in the 2028 season.
The most likely result would be an extended All-Star break with either an earlier opening day or extending the regular season deeper into October for the afflicted season to keep a full schedule.
MLB players have never been allowed to participate in the Olympics, and while it is not set in stone, the growth in popularity of the World Baseball Classic, which is set to return next year, has sparked a renewal in the conversation of MLB players competing in the Olympics.
Manfred seems to be set on not losing games from a full schedule, and if there is no compromise about the start date, or potentially fewer off days, then MLB players may not be allowed to play in the Olympics.
A longer All-Star break sounds the most likely compromise for the event, and the Olympics is still a couple of years in the future, leaving MLB and the MLBPA with ample time to reach an agreement.
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If an all-star-specific uniform isn't worn does anyone miss it? The 2025 MLB All-Star game had multiple highlights. A swing off? That's new and exciting. Although, admit it, there was a part of you that wanted Bud Selig to come out and say the game was ending in a tie. But while that new element stole the show, there was something a little old school that was a widely welcomed sight for those who remember MLB All-Star game uniforms from a more civilized age (i.e. pre-2020). Each player wore their individual team's standard home or away jerseys when taking the field rather than matching one-off all-star uniforms. And as many all-star game scholars noted across social media in response to the change: that's the way it should be when it comes to all-star games. Advertisement Kobe vs. Jordan at Madison Square Garden. A-Rod telling Cal Ripken Jr. the Orioles legend is starting his final all-star game at shortstop. These games and the moments that define them are better when the all-stars are wearing the uniforms that made them icons in the first place, and not something less identifiable that almost always comes off as just a way to spruce up jersey and ballcap sales. Which leads to an even more serious question for those of us who take big-league merchandise seriously: what is the buyability of all-star gear given the small window of relevance? Does an MLB All-Star cap or jersey purchased in July get worn later that September in the home stretch of a playoff run? I don't need statistics to tell me in the chase for a wild card or a division title you're likely grabbing the merchandise that most closely mirrors what your favorite team is wearing on the field during their most important games of the season as opposed to something colored in a shade your team would never use. No one in the Bronx is reaching for anything ice-cream colored in October. 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Advertisement Every year I spend those Derby hours pondering. Not over the jerseys per se. You can't convince me those all-star jerseys are purchased with the intent of frequent usage. Although CC Sabathia gushing over James Wood while wearing Wood's 2025 All-Star jersey almost got me to bite as a Washington Nationals fan. A post shared by Washington Nationals (@nationals) The all-star caps almost get me every summer. Maybe if Wood wore his during his at bats in the Derby I would have caved, but he didn't, so my Ripken-like streak of not buying all-star gear continues. The blast radius of enjoyment for these types of caps and jerseys, for me, really feels like all-star weekend itself. I'll wear a Washington Nationals City Connect cap (both of them) until the end of time, but all-star game gear? I just can't do it. Wearing a 2025 all-star cap in 2026? Never. Yes, I get it. The intended point is to get the next all-star game cap in 2026. But who is really collecting these things? 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