The ‘greatest in the world’ with an Olympic dream for Team GB
New York Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr could represent Team GB in baseball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, provided Britain qualifies and he obtains British citizenship. The Bahamas-born player has already captained Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic, and his potential involvement would raise the profile and competitiveness of the British side.
Chisholm, raised in Nassau and developed as a young player in Kansas before signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks, drove in three runs as GB beat Brazil 8-1 at this year’s World Baseball Classic. Britain faces a difficult qualification route, with only one European nation securing an Olympic place next year, while Chisholm would need a British passport and Major League Baseball would need to release players during its season. An 11-day mid-season break has been proposed to allow leading MLB players to take part.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr hopes to play Olympic baseball for Team GB.
- Britain must win Europe’s sole LA 2028 qualification place.
- Citizenship and MLB player release remain key obstacles.
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Baseball is played by two teams taking turns to bat and field, with the batting side trying to score by running round four bases. Great Britain has a national team, but it is less established than the leading baseball nations. The World Baseball Classic is an international tournament; the Olympics are a separate competition with their own qualification process.
Jazz Chisholm Jr was born in the Bahamas and plays for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball, the top professional league in the United States. He has already captained Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic, but playing for the country at the Olympics would require British citizenship as well as a place for the team.
Baseball returns to the Olympic programme in Los Angeles in 2028. Britain would have to qualify, and the timing of the Games could make it difficult for MLB clubs to release players during their season.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The strongest good-faith case is that Chisholm is eligible under international rules and has already demonstrated commitment to GB by captaining the team at the World Baseball Classic. His involvement would significantly enhance Britain's competitiveness on an Olympic stage where the sport is underdeveloped domestically, and pragmatically, baseball in Britain needs exposure and success to grow its participation base—prioritising merit and eligibility over purely domestic development is how you build international success in niche sports.
The case against
The countervailing view holds that Olympic representation should prioritise developing homegrown talent and building sustainable domestic infrastructure rather than importing foreign stars for immediate competitiveness. If Britain consistently recruits foreign-born talent rather than investing in grassroots development, the sport never develops authentic British foundations, and this approach potentially diverts resources and attention from the harder but more valuable work of nurturing British-born players who will sustain the sport long-term.