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Could baseball and softball be taking the field in the 2032 Games in Australia? It’s early days yet but concerns are already being raised about the sports’ viability at the Olympics after they appear in Los Angeles in 2028.
According to Inside The Games, The Brisbane 2032 Organizing Committee confirmed to ABC News that in order for sports to be selected for the Games, they must be operationally viable, with the criteria to include gender balance, global representation and popularity – and they must generate revenue.
And that last point is a big problem, apparently.
"We don't have checkbooks that are deep at all; we don't even have a checkbook," Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh told ABC Sport.
LA 2028 will be the seventh time men's baseball and sixth time women's softball has appeared at the Games. The Games in Tokyo marked the last time both sports featured after being dropped for Paris 2024.
Additionally, ABC News noted, softball athlete Tanya Harding has come forward with her concerns; Harding competed at four consecutive Olympics after softball made its debut in Atlanta in 1996, winning three bronze medals and one silver. In 2004, Australia won the silver medal in baseball.
"We struggle to compete with the bigger professional sports, rugby, the AFL [Australian Rules Football]; now that have all strong women's programs, we just don't have that presence, and we don't have the same funding,” Harding said. “So, if we're not in 2032, I'm not too sure what would happen to the sport of softball post that, particularly for young girls."
Baseball and softball are not permanent parts of the Games; they have been allowed in as what have been termed “showcase sports,” meaning they are recommended by the host city and approved by the IOC for that edition of the Games only. All sports that would like to be featured at the 2032 Games, softball and baseball included, will have to make their case to Brisbane organizers.
In the meantime, Softball Australia is hoping to pump the gas on its campaign by putting in a competitive bid to host the 2027 Softball World Cup in Brisbane; the World Cup is a qualifier for the 2028 Olympics. Should Australia win the bid, it will mark the first time that country has hosted the tournament since the inaugural event in 1965 in Melbourne.
Sarah Loh told ABC Sports that if the bid is unsuccessful, it will weaken Softball Australia's ability to showcase itself to the Brisbane Organizing Committee as a global sport that can generate sponsorship and broadcast revenue. Additionally, the team would likely have to travel to another country to qualify, losing home advantage and costing Softball Australia hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Baseball Australia is also plugging away at its own campaign, CEO Glenn Williams told reporters at ABC News.
"In the conversations that I continue to have, there's a genuine surprise when we say we're not guaranteed of being in Brisbane," Williams said. "People assume that baseball-softball will be there and we're hoping that the decisionmakers view that as something favorable.”
The sport has a strong following in Australia, he adds, and that country has given rise to some strong athletes.
"We have about 150 collegiate athletes in the US at the moment … Travis Bazzana was the number one pick in the MLB draft last year and he's from northern part of Sydney and is doing great for the Cleveland Guardians."
Meanwhile, Australia’s Victoria University did an analysis of the sports vying for showcase status, and created a rough estimate of their potential:
Considered favorites by the University are cricket, lacrosse, sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding – and baseball/softball.
The “maybe” list includes flag football, breakdancing and netball; while esports was mentioned, it was noted that the IOC seems to want to host a unique and separate esports event, outside of the traditional Games.
The “long shot” list has surf lifesaving, pickleball, motorsports, karate and kickboxing, as well as Australian Rules Football.
Possible showcase sports named by other sources include disc sports (disciplines of which include disc golf, freestyle and ultimate), teqball, dodgeball, cheer, squash (already a showcase sport for LA 2028) and wheelchair rugby league, as well as plenty of others.
Let the googling begin.
Of course, the comedians have been at it as well, suggesting their own events like Mixed Mansplaining and Synchronized Blame Shifting.
No firm date has been set for the IOC’s finalization of the 2032 sports program.
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