IOne of the most iconic moments in Olympic history remains that of a star-spangled rocket man flying over the Los Angeles Coliseum during the opening ceremony in 1984, heralding a new era of commercialism and pizzazz. And while history is unlikely to repeat itself when the Games return in five years, it will rhyme nonetheless. Because LA 2028 plans to become big and brash again.
This became even more evident on Monday when the Los Angeles bid team confirmed the Guardian exclusive that five new sports – cricket, flag football, baseball/softball, lacrosse and squash – would be offered for 2028. Most observers expected only two to be admitted. , given the pressure they would exert on the quota of 10,500 athletes from the International Olympic Committee. Ultimately, however, both sides saw the benefits of compromise – and saw dollar signs stretching from Hollywood Boulevard to Madison Avenue.
However, the negotiations were not simple. The IOC wanted cricket. Los Angeles has made a big push for flag football and baseball/softball. Neither side cared much about the other’s preferences. There were also bitter arguments over money and numbers, and relations became so strained that a decision was delayed for almost a month. Yet in the end, an uneasy peace was negotiated.
For the IOC, the advantages of cricket under the Olympic tent are obvious. As things stand, TV rights for the Games in India are worth a handful of millions. It is now realistic to hope for more than $150 million, according to Michael Payne, who was the IOC’s director of marketing and television for 20 years.
“Indian television revenues are peanuts right now,” he says. “And if you’re Thomas Bach at the IOC, with a mission to promote the Olympic movement around the world, you look at your globe and you’re doing pretty well, except for one glaring geographic hole: India, the Pakistan and Bangladesh. And one way to short-circuit this is to include their sporting religion in the Olympic program.
However, Payne, one of the most astute observers of the Olympic movement, says it was even more important for cricket to be included on the Los Angeles agenda because it now has a real chance of becoming a permanent fixture at the Games. . “Would cricket have entered Brisbane 2032? No question. But then it would have risked being just a one-off show, and cricket would not have had any momentum to make the 2036 schedule. Now, if it delivers on its promises in 2028, it has a good chance of being included fully on the Olympic program.
Some doubt whether cricket needs the Olympics. After all, the Indian Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the world, with players earning an average salary of $5.3 million. But Payne disagrees. “To understand what this could do to propel cricket onto the world stage, let’s go back to the 1992 Barcelona Games and look at basketball’s success. There is a night and day difference between the state of the NBA internationally before and after 1992.”
The figures confirm it. On opening day of the 1991-92 season, the NBA roster included just 23 international players from 18 countries. Last season there were 120 players out of 40.
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But what about flag football, a variation of American football involving teams of five players, where tackles are made by removing a flag from a player's belt? Many are unimpressed that a sport barely played outside of the United States could get an Olympic berth. However Payne, although not a true believer, can see the benefits. "When I was first told about it, I thought, 'Come on, who's smoking what?' But imagine what six months of NFL promotion will do for NBC, their Olympic broadcast and Los Angeles? This will create noise to sell airtime and will be a massive promotional build-up. This is a real game changer.
Certain tensions inevitably persist. In the run-up to Paris 2024, the IOC has made a big noise in favor of the adoption of urban sports. Yet Los Angeles has abandoned breakdancing, perhaps the most urban sport of all. Then there is the question of the number of athletes – and whether some sports could lose medal events to ensure the quota of 10,500 is reached.
None of these thorny issues are likely to resurface at Sunday's IOC session in Mumbai. This is where the five sports of Los Angeles will be ratified – and the smiles will break out, uniformly.