MLB’s Olympic Hopes in Jeopardy as Ex-Marlins President Flags Major Challenges

For decades, Olympic baseball has overall been a strange dance for MLB. If it’s one step in, it’s two steps out. And now with the 2028 Los Angeles Games inching closer, Commissioner Rob Manfred is signaling that maybe this time MLB is ready to take the next big step.

Just earlier this week, Manfred mentioned, “I think it is an opportunity to market the game on a really global stage..Obviously, the clubs are going to have to endorse this. I mean, this is a big deal.” But what sounds good in theory is, as usual, rather complicated in practice. And David Samson, the unfiltered former president of the Marlins, just dropped a reality check that feels like a 100 mph fastball.

On his show, Samson laid out a list of problems that MLB would need to clear out for their stars to take the field for the Olympics. The problems with it are timing, money, and logistics.

Manfred, talking about the fixed Olympic calendar, said, “They put out a schedule. They tell you it’s not going to move.” And Samson in his podcast agrees on the timing being an issue, saying, “It’s the Olympics. How are you going to get a full Olympic tournament in? Just not going to happen.” Unless MLB sacrifices the All-Star break to bring in the Olympic games into that tight five-day window. But even if the timing worked, the money becomes the next big swing and a miss.

The World Baseball Classic is MLB’s baby, and they control it; they make huge profits off it, and they insure their stars. The Olympics are a different piece of cake altogether. Samson questioned, “What revenue is Major League Baseball getting from the Olympics? I can’t think of any, but give me a minute. We’ve got time here. It’s a two-hour show now. Hold on. Wait for it. Sponsors? No, that goes to the Olympics.
Venues? Oh, what if it’s in a venue where we can collect venue money and then share it among the 30 teams? No, that’s not going to cut it either.
Oh no. My mind’s a blank.” 

Plus, there is also the contract stuff, which is messy. The bonuses are tied to the All-Star selection and arbitration cases that end up leaning on All-Star appearances, and players may feel pressured to represent their country when all they would want is maybe rest. For now, there seems to be no deal but just talk. Tony Clark, who is head of the MLB player association, had said, “We’re willing to talk, and we are talking.” Right now, the dream is not dead yet. Because if Manfred finds a win-win deal that ends up satisfying players, owners, and even cities, and the money, then it is possible. If not, it might remain a dream.

And the next big question is, can MLB really have both All-Star games and the Olympics?

All-Star vs. Olympics—can MLB have both?

The million-dollar question is whether MLB can make room for both the bigger events together. And the answer to it seemingly is maybe a fat NO! And even Samson subscribes to that fact. He mentioned that there was even a pitch that was floated by the league’s strategic planning committee to scrap the All-Star game once every four years. Replace it with the semifinals and finals of the World Baseball Classic in July. That way, players would be in midseason shape, and the injury chances would be minimized, right? Well, not so soon.

Samson explained it best, saying, “Cities like hosting the All-Star Game. Unlike the NBA, where you can’t find people who want to host it, in MLB, cities want to host it. All of us want to host the All-Star Game.” Plus, this time, the swing off in the All-Star just made a new niche of enthusiasts. Yes, but overall, there is tourism, the press, and the economic impact that’s at stake, and that’s hard to give up. Also, there is a player side of things, too. See, many contracts include bonuses; sometimes they run tens of thousands of dollars, and they are tied to being named an All-Star.

Those All-Star selections can also boost a player’s arbitration case or even their Hall of Fame narrative down the line. So replacing that with Olympian maybe doesn’t yet hold the same weight—maybe not yet. So what’s the solution to lure them? Samson floated around the idea of creating Olympic bonuses or rewriting contracts to value Olympic appearances, too. But if you are being honest, rewriting the incentive structure of an entire league isn’t a simple midseason tweak, is it?

So for MLB to jump in on this Olympic joyride, it might take a long, hard look. MLB needs to decide what it values more—a global showcase or maybe treasuring the American tradition only. What do you think will be their approach?