It began with a silence—an absence so profound it echoed from Tokyo all the way back to the Dodger Stadium in Southland. No crack of the bat and no sliding spikes on the Olympic stage. For MLB once identified as national pride, its absence left a strange and unshakable void in international competition. Fans waited, unsure if they would ever see it again in the Olympics.

However, the wait is over. Not only is MLB back, it is coming home—to a cathedral that has seen walk-offs, heartbreaks and baseball royalty. In addition, this time, the stakes are not just medals—they are legacy. The setting? We can just say, it is a classic.

The when, of course, is 2028. And where? None other than Dodger Stadium—a place that doesn’t just host games, it hosts moments. After being excluded following Tokyo 2020, baseball will officially return to the Olympics at the LA Games, and the iconic Chavez Ravine will serve as the sport’s central stage. “We have got a beautiful setting in Dodger Stadium,” said LA28 chair Casey Wasserman via the Los Angeles Times, reinforcing that this isn’t just a game—it’s a celebration. For a city that lives and breathes baseball, it’s more than fitting. It is destiny aligning with nostalgia.

But how did we get here? Time to rewind. Baseball’s Olympic status has always been rocky—scratched after 2008, brought back briefly in 2020, and then shelved again. Yet, LA’s bid reignited the flame. Wasserman and the LA28 committee lobbied for its return, not just out of sentiment, but strategic alignment.

Baseball is deeply rooted in American culture and LA’s community, and with the IOC’s recent nod to youth-focused, location-relevant sports, the return was inevitable. Add in the stadium’s $100 million in recent renovations, and the stars aligned. In short: LA pushed, the Olympics listened, and Dodger Stadium now gets the spotlight it’s more than earned.

French curveball—Why baseball did not make a cut in Paris

Let’s be realistic—baseball was not snubbed in Paris; it just did not fit the blueprint. Unlike the core Olympic games, baseball has not ensured a spot. The host country gets a say, and in 2024, France simply did not bite. Why? According to Tony Estanguet, baseball is not embedded in French culture. France’s national team has never made waves and has failed to qualify for every World Baseball Classic. In contrast, Japan’s deep love for baseball, exemplified by Shohei Ohtani‘s popularity, explains why it made sense there but not in France. 

The infrastructure—and lack of it—did not help either. France does not have the stadiums and grassroots setup to stage Olympic-level baseball and softball. Then came MLB’s calendar headache. MLB’s rigid July schedule left no wiggle room for talents to participate, a detail that did not sit well with Olympic planners focusing on full-throttle representation. Add in gender equity hurdles—the IOC’s push for an equal male-to-female athlete ratio—and baseball’s large roster clashed with softball’s smaller one, throwing off the balance. With breakdancing, skateboarding, and surfing stealing the focus, baseball just could not check the right boxes.

So, while Paris danced to the rhythm of breakdancing and rode the waves of surfing, America’s favorite pastime sat this one out—benched not by merit, however, by a mix of logistics, environment, and timing. But 2028 flips the script. From missing out to taking center stage at the most hallowed ground of baseball, the sport’s Olympic journey is writing a new chapter. This time, it will be filled with legacy, pride, and a home-field heartbeat that no host city can provide. Now the real question is: does the Olympics need to establish a permanent home for baseball?