The opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are today. Baseball is not an olympic sport this time around, but MLB is interested in having a huge presence at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
The Olympics, apparently, were on Bryce Harper’s mind during his free agent year. Harper, according to a report from Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated, wanted to add a clause in his Phillies contract that made “him an exception to the Major League Baseball policy against allowing major leaguers to play in the Games.”
Such a request is not allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, which prohibits individual players from negotiating their own right to play in an international tournament.
But it does sound like Harper could eventually get the chance to play for Team USA in the Olympics. MLB is interested in pausing the 2028 season for a short period of time to allow players to participate in the Games. As Apstein detailed in her story, the International Olympic Committee ruled in 2019 that host nations could add sports popular in their country to the slate of events. Japan brought back baseball in 2021 and the U.S. will likely do the same in 2028.
It is interesting to think about a world where Harper could have negotiated an Olympic clause in his contract. Maybe he does go to Japan in 2021 during his MVP season and crushes every minor league pitcher he sees.
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