LA28 Olympics Announce Location for Events
The 2028 Summer Olympics are going to be a must-watch in the City of Angels. On Friday, locations were announced for the 2028 games, and they will be showing off some of the best sports venues in the world. How will it affect professional leagues in the middle of the summer?
The Coliseum (USC) and SoFi Stadium (Rams and Chargers)
The Coliseum, on the campus of the University of Southern California, has hosted the Olympics before. It may look old school, but it would get the job done. It is definitely big enough, however, SoFi Stadium is the crown jewel of sporting venues in not just in Los Angeles, but in the whole United States.
The plans on how they will go about this are still being planned. Opening and closing ceremonies would be quite a display at SoFi Stadium. With the games in July 2028, it looks like the games will not affect the start of training camp for either the Los Angeles Rams or Los Angeles Chargers.
One cool event that looks to be planned is to have an Olympic pool inside SoFi Stadium. You thought the Super Bowl Halftime Show a few years ago was good, what could LA have planned for the Olympics?
Intuit Dome and Crypto.com Arena
Inglewood, California may not be quite Los Angeles, but that is where many events will be happening in state-of-the-art venues. The Intuit Dome, the soon-to-be home of the Los Angeles Clippers, is set to open later this summer. The aforementioned Intuit Dome would have a few years under its belt before hosting Olympic basketball and other events.
Crypto.com Arena, or at least that is what it is called as of now, is set to host gymnastics. The issue with that is that many events happen in that neighborhood like the ESPY’s. The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Kings shouldn’t be affected.
Dodger Stadium and Other Baseball Stadiums
Olympic baseball will take place at least at Dodger Stadium. There have been some talks about Angel Stadium in Anaheim in the past, but that looks like that may be now out of the picture. Thanks, Arte Moreno. Anyway, baseball is the biggest American sport that would be in-season during this time of the year.
Bryce Harper via CBS Sports and USA Today: "There's nothing more worldwide than the Olympics," Harper told reporters in London.
"I watch the most random sports in the Olympics because it's the Olympics, and that's really cool. I love hockey. It's one of my favorite sports to watch. To see (the NHL) take that three-week break and let those guys go play, that's another big goal that we should have as Major League Baseball. I've talked to numerous people with MLB about it. I would love to be a part of that. We have the WBC, but it's not the same. It's not. The Olympics is something that you dream about playing in."
- Bryce Harper
People talk about baseball being America’s Game. Japan and Korea halt their seasons so their players can play in it. Can you imagine a Japan team with no Shohei Ohtani? Imagine Dodger Stadium when Ohtani faces off against a pitcher like Bobby Miller. Dodger on Dodger for a chance at a gold medal? The United States has to show their best players when this game is on our turf.
LA28 is going to shine a spotlight on not just the venues of Los Angeles County, but also the talent Southern California produces. We still have three years until everything has to be finalized, so a lot of leagues and athletes have to decide if they want to represent the red, white, and blue. I think there is no doubt LA vendors are ready for this and LA residents and fans are ready. Let the countdown begin.