Baseball and Softball at LA28
Both return to the Games in Los Angeles — one at Dodger Stadium, one several states away in Oklahoma City. Here is how they differ and why.
Baseball and softball have had an on-and-off relationship with the Olympics: added, dropped, reinstated for a host that wanted them, dropped again. They return at LA28, which is about as natural a fit as either sport gets — a Games in the United States, with baseball played at Dodger Stadium.
The two sports are not the same sport
They share a shape — pitch, hit, run the bases, three outs an innings — but the differences are substantial, and they are not merely a matter of scale.
- The pitch. Softball is pitched underarm, with the arm rotating in a windmill motion, from a flat pitching circle. Baseball is pitched overarm from a raised mound.
- The distances. The softball diamond is smaller and the pitching distance shorter, which means a fast softball pitch gives the batter less reaction time than a fast baseball pitch, despite the lower raw speed.
- The ball. A softball is larger and, despite the name, not soft.
- The length. Softball games are typically seven innings; baseball games are nine.
Who plays which at the Olympics
At the Games, baseball is the men’s event and softball the women’s. That split is a historical artefact of how the two sports developed rather than a rule about who can play what, and it is one of the few places on the Olympic programme where men and women contest formally different sports.
The Oklahoma City question
LA28 plans to hold softball in Oklahoma City, several states from Los Angeles, alongside canoe slalom. Oklahoma City is the long-established home of the sport’s biggest events in the United States and has facilities built for it. Using them costs less and produces a better venue than building something temporary in Southern California.
It is a defensible, pragmatic decision, and also a real one to weigh if you are planning to attend: [the LA28 venue map](/guides/la28-venues) is spread across Southern California already, and softball sits outside it entirely.
A caution on the rosters
The biggest open question in Olympic baseball is always whether Major League players take part, since the Games fall in the middle of the MLB season. Torch will report what is agreed rather than what is hoped for.
Quick answers
What is the difference between baseball and softball?
Softball is pitched underarm in a windmill motion from a flat circle; baseball is pitched overarm from a raised mound. The softball diamond and pitching distance are shorter, the ball is larger, and softball games are typically seven innings to baseball’s nine.
Is Olympic baseball men only?
At the Olympics, baseball is contested as the men’s event and softball as the women’s. It is a historical artefact of how the two sports developed rather than a rule about who may play either one.
Where is baseball played at LA28?
At Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Why is Olympic softball in Oklahoma City?
Oklahoma City is the established home of the sport’s biggest events in the United States and already has purpose-built facilities. Using them costs less than building a temporary venue in Southern California — the same reasoning that sends canoe slalom there.
Will MLB players be at the Olympics?
Unconfirmed. The Games fall in the middle of the Major League season, which is why big-league participation is the recurring open question in Olympic baseball.