USA Hosted Olympics Countdown Is On Thanks To Sky Diving Tom Cruise; NFL In The Olympics? (LA 2028 Olympics Preview)

Emma McIntyre. Getty Images.

For the first time in 28 years, the Olympic Rings are in the United States for the Summer Olympics.

Holy shit. Chills, up and down my body. As a diehard Olympics fan, and someone who was only five years old for the Atlanta 1996 Games, I have waited nearly my entire life for this moment. A home soil Games, which has taken way too long to have happen again by the way, is only four years away, and what better way to kick off a Hollywood Olympics than Mr. Hollywood himself, Tom Cruise…

…I love how this is what we wear on our sleeves as AMERICAN.

The Paris 2024 Olympics had a nice Closing Ceremony (they did some things that had an Opening Ceremony feel to it, which is not shocking since they tried to do theirs outside of a stadium, missing out on traditional things such as the Olympic Rings reveal), but it was very, very French…

The full segment of the Closing Ceremony was fairly long, very artistic, and a great representation of the culture and history of both Paris & France. It's been without question a very French Olympic Games, from the imagery, down to the venues, and everything in between.

But it's our turn now, and as much as this was a very French Games, my fucking word do I hope this is a very American Games. And what better way to kick off than the Red Hot Chili Peppers?

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Followed by Billie Eilish, followed by Snoop Dogg, and then… this (skip to 1:28 in the video)…

The picture at the top of this blog with the colors of the Olympics by the LA 2028 logo gets the juices flowing. To have the roars of the Olympic crowds almost be entirely for the Stars & Stripes will be special.

NOTE: I live about 10 minutes by foot away from where this concert took place. Normally, I walk along this beach when I go for my daily walk. On Saturday, I decided to take a different route because the walk felt aimless, and I wanted more of an end goal. By changing my route, I missed this whole thing… the fact I am not curled up in hiding out of shame and regret is incredible. I will get over this failure by me, but no time soon.

Leon Marchand (Arizona State Sun Devil & now Austin, TX resident), who will be much like Usain Bolt during the next Olympics in terms of a popular international star in the United States, extinguished the flame, and then IOC President Thomas Bach said the famous line he says once every four years:

"In accordance with tradition, I call upon the youth of the world, to assemble four years from now in Los Angeles, United States of America, for the Games of the 34th Olympiad." 

(For some reason NBC didn't clip this moment)

And with that, game on world, let the countdown begin. Once again chills went down my spine as those words left the mouth of Thomas Bach. The Games of the XXXIV Olympiad can't get here, to United States soil, soon enough. 

While I don't want to get too much into the athletes of the Games this many years out, I figured I'd discuss the venues, the new sports, and some other notes about the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

VENUES

Here are some of the renderings, followed by a list of what will be where in Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas:

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The next two locations, which will host Rowing & Sailing, you can actually see my apartment in one of the photos:

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There are more renderings, but I can't find all of them on Twitter. They've broken up much of the venues into "parks" across Los Angeles County. Here is the list:

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES PARK (Los Angeles):

- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Athletics, Ceremonies (TBD)

- Galen Center (USC Basketball): Badminton

- John C. Argue Swim Stadium (USC): Diving

- Crypto.com Arena (Lakers): Gymnastics

- LA Convention Center: Fencing, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Judo, Wrestling

- LA Live Theater (Emmy Awards): Weightlifting

- Grand Park: Race Walking, Road Cycling, Marathon (star)

VALLEY SPORTS PARK (San Fernando Valley):

- Sepulveda Basin Rec Area: Archery, BMX, Skateboarding

SOUTH BAY SPORTS PARK (Carson): 

- Dignity Health Sports Park:

-- Main Sport (LA Galaxy/Chargers): Rugby Sevens, Modern Pentathlon

-- Tennis Stadium: Tennis

-- VELO Sports Center: Track Cycling

-- Track and Field Facility: (Field) Hockey

LONG BEACH SPORTS PARK (Long Beach):
- Long Beach Waterfront: Triathlon & Marathon Swimming

- Long Beach Convention Center: Water Polo, Artistic Swimming

- Long Beach Arena: Handball

- Belmont Shore Pier: Sailing

- Long Beach Marine Stadium: Rowing, Canoe Sprint

WESTSIDE (Westside Los Angeles):

- Santa Monica State Beach: Beach Volleyball (TBD)

- Riviera Country Club: Golf

- Pauley Pavilion (UCLA Basketball): Volleyball (TBD)

- SoFi Stadium (Rams & Chargers): Swimming, Ceremonies (TBD)

- Intuit Dome (Clippers): Basketball

VARIOUS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VENUES:
- Galway Downs (Temecula Valley): Equestrian

- Frank G. Bonelli Park (San Dimas): Mountain Biking

- Santa Monica Mountains (Santa Monica): Mountain Biking

- Honda Center (Ducks): Volleyball (TBD)

- Rose Bowl: Soccer

OKLAHOMA CITY (YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT):

- Devon Park (College World Series): Softball

- Riversport OKC: Canoe Slalom

SPORTS WITHOUT VENUES AS OF NOW:

- Baseball (Possibly Dodger Stadium or Angels Stadium)

- 3x3 Basketball

- Cricket

- Flag Football

- Lacrosse

- Squash

- Surfing (Santa Monica or Huntington Beach)

Some of those sports may come as a surprise to you, but I'll get there in a minute. There is a growing narrative that "LA can't replicate Paris," and my response to that is: no shit. That's exactly the thing LA 2028 needs to avoid, trying to replicate the history of the city of Paris. Where Paris was artsy, regal, and grand, LA 2028 needs to lean into the glitz, the flash, the over-top-top Hollywood aesthetic, and the beaches. Make these Games very American. We have nothing to be ashamed for, damn it we had Tom Cruise accept the Olympic Rings, so lean into the Hollywood angle, and make this a Blockbuster Olympic Games.

The venue selection is pretty great, in my opinion. SoFi hosting Swimming is going to be insane, and because SoFi will likely share some of the Opening Ceremony with the Los Angeles Coliseum, Swimming will flip flop with Athletics and take place the second week. They need to transform the venue into a massive Swimming Stadium, so it makes sense.

It'd be ideal to have Baseball in one of the MLB ballparks, but there is an obvious issue of the season going on at that time. Originally Swimming was going to take place on USC's baseball stadium, but with it moved, that is another option. With the Games starting in mid-July, it might make sense to have the All-Star Break align with the Olympics, then send the Dodgers or Angels out on the road.

The other venues don't have many rumors, and Flag Football (more on that shortly) won't have SoFi as an option, but the LAFC soccer stadium seems like a possible solution to me. 

As for Surfing, if they don't put it in Huntington Beach, they're fucking stupid, and the same can be said for Santa Monica Pier hosting Beach Volleyball.

I love the plan, and I want to see the Hollywood Sign, palm trees, beaches, and everything that can make these Games as Los Angeles and American as possible.

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NEW SPORTS

There has been a recent change to the Olympic vision, as each Summer Games will have Core Sports, and six OPTIONAL slots for sports that can be added due to regional relevance, or other factors. Los Angeles is removing Breaking (goodbye Break Dancing) and adding a ton of new sports. Will they all stay after LA 2028? I am not sure, but there is one headliner…

FLAG FOOTBALL: The NFL pushed hard for this, and the NFL is now going to promote the shit out of it. I will say this now, and make fun of me all you want, but just remember I said this on August 12th, 2024: star NFL players will play in the Olympic Games. Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes, and others have expressed interest repping the United States. The dates line up well with training camp and, while those guys may not play, I am very confident multiple stars will rep the Stars & Stripes in Flag Football at LA 2028. There are hurdles for the IOC, NFL, & NFLPA, but the promotion for this is far too NFL heavy for them to not commit relevant players to the sport.

BASEBALL & SOFTBALL: This is a weird one, because it is the Michael Scott & Jan of Olympic Sports. It was in Beijing 2008 for the last time for a while, back for Tokyo 2020, out for Paris 2024, and back for LA 2028 (and likely Brisbane 2032). It's odd, but they moved Softball to Oklahoma City to use their world class venues and assure great attendance. As for baseball, it will likely be amateur players, but the momentum is growing for the MLB to take an extended All-Star Break (again, it already aligns with one week of the LA 2028 Games) and let its players play. The World Baseball Classic is happening again in 2026 (why every three years?), and I see no reason why they can't just skip the 2029 one and use the LA Olympic Games. While Commissioner Manfred, in the article linked above, has already begun to be persuaded, players such as Bryce Harper have been very vocal in the movement. He tried to get it written into his Phillies contract that he could play in the Games, and last Summer discussed his desire to represent Team USA. Again, I do not think MLB will be smarter enough to do this, but they should, because it would be fucking awesome. Not only that, NBC's ratings for the Paris 2024 Olympics were fucking insane, with an average of around 30 million viewers a day. Why on Earth would Major League Baseball pass up the chance to market their stars on the biggest global stage possible… on American soil?

SQUASH: I don't know much about Squash in terms of the wider competitive level, but I actually find it to be a fun sport to watch. It sort of snuck through as a new sport for LA 2028 and could be one of those whacky "every four years" sports that people catch onto in 2028.

LACROSSE: The long-awaited return of Lacrosse to the Olympic Games is here for LA 2028 and will surely be a fun sport to watch when the Games roll around. Fun fact alert! Barstool employee, and social team member, Jake Malasek is on the Czech Republic national Lacrosse Team. He recently played at the World Cup, and, a goalie, Malasek will have a legit shot to qualify for the LA 2028 Olympics in a few years. Pretty fucking cool.

CRICKET: The popularity of the Cricket is growing in the United States at a pretty fast pace, especially after the United States hosted the T20 World Cup in 2024. That version of the sport will be what is played at LA 2028, as the sport makes its return after a 128 year absence. Expect a major push with Cricket, maybe more than any of the new sports, in the lead-up to the LA 2028 Olympics. This one will surely be here to stay, as it is popular in Australia, where the Brisbane 2032 Games take play. Check social media, and you'll see how excited countries around the world are for Cricket to return. Could this also wake the sleeping Olympics giant that is India? The country has 1.4 BILLION people, but just 110 Olympic Athletes, and only won six total medals in Paris. India, the reigning T20 Cricket World Cup Champions, might get a big spark for an athletic youth movement with such a popular national sport on a major world broadcast stage at the LA 2028 Olympics. There is also a growing sense that India will possibly host the 2036 Olympic Games. There are a lot of factors at play economically, related to the government, you name it, when it comes to national success for a country in the Olympics. But China kicked off a new era of Olympic dominance after it won the rights to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics, so a national commitment to sports and the Olympic movement for India could be happening with Cricket and a possible home soil games on the horizon.

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WHO WILL LIGHT THE CAULDRON WITH THE OLYMPIC FLAME?

Okay, so good luck topping this moment from Atlanta 1996. But there will be a ton of great options for people to light the Cauldron at the LA 2028 Olympic Games:

- The Dream Team: This is the obvious choice, and a team doing it wouldn't be unprecedented, as the 1980 Miracle on Ice team did it at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Games.

- LeBron James: I could actually see him doing it along with Steph Curry, Carmelo Anthony, or Kevin Durant. Maybe a combination of all three? Possibly a Vanessa Bryant in honor of a local icon and Olympic Champion in Kobe Bryant? I could also see multiple generations of basketball stars coming together for it. A theme in the last few Olympics (London 2012, Paris 2024) has been something similar to this idea.

- Michael Phelps: The TOO obvious choice? Michael Phelps has 23 Olympic Gold Medals, the most all time by 14 over a group of people behind him with nine (more on them in a second). If you go with an Olympian, it has to be Phelps.

- USA Olympic Legends: Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, Katie Ledecky, & Caeleb Dressel all have 9 Olympic Gold Medals behind Michael Phelps. The likes of Simone Biles, Michael Johnson, the Williams Sisters (Los Angeles natives), Jenny Thompson, & Allyson Felix (Los Angeles native, and part of the Olympic Movement), are all great options.

- USC Football Legends: With Flag Football part of the Olympics, could Marcus Allen or Reggie Bush be part of it? Unlikely, but those guys will absolutely be part of the Torch Relay.

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That's it for my preview of Los Angeles 2028. Before we go, let me note that H.E.R. crushed the National Anthem at the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony…

Who will be perform at the Opening Ceremony in 2028? The potential for an insane open to the LA 2028 Games is just unthinkable. Everyone and anyone will want to be there.

See you in a few years, Olympics…

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…can't wait.