Watch: Bryce Harper Wants MLB Players To Compete In Olympics, Calling MLB’s Decision ‘Dumb’

Although the Olympics have been pushed back to 2021, there is some news surrounding it. Baseball is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, which has some players eager to play in it. Major League Baseball has already said that its players can’t play in it, partially because the Olympics fall in the heart of the season which has some like Bryce Harper not happy, calling the choice “dumb.”

Harper said that this is one of those things that athletes dream of, representing their country. “It is such a travesty to me. I’m not saying this as disrespect to minor-leaguers – the [2021] Olympics are in Tokyo, and you’re not sending big-league guys? Are you kidding me? You wanna grow the game as much as possible and you’re not gonna let us play in the Olympics because you don’t wanna cut out on money for a two-week period? Like, ok, that’s dumb.

The Olympic team will be mostly composed of minor league players and some veteran MLB free agents have yet to qualify for the games. In the World Baseball Championship, another tournament featuring international play, MLB players are allowed to partake in it. The one difference is that the WBC is played during the MLB offseason.

Because of the Olympics taking place in the middle of the season, one of the biggest concerns for MLB is that if a star player were to play in the Olympics, there is a chance of injury, which would be detrimental for a team’s season. 

In a post on Instagram, Harper tagged numerous MLB stars, trying to gain traction and force the league’s hand in letting its players represent their respective countries.