Don’t mock me. I know the Summer Olympics aren’t coming here for years, but it’s already time for you to think about them. I know I am, and here’s why you should too.
Going to the Olympic games is a blast, and since it will be here in 2028, you don’t even have to go anywhere to see them. I’ve been to two Olympics now, the last one here in Southern California and the winter games in Salt Lake City. I can’t wait to see another one.
On Jan. 14, you can sign up to be notified when tickets for the Olympic events go on sale. You can learn more at la28.org. (Make sure you’re on the official website, not a fake one.) Even after you register, that doesn’t mean you’ll actually get to buy tickets. You’ll be put in a lottery, and if your name gets drawn, then you’ll get to buy tickets. But what the heck? Give it a shot. The games here will be July 14-30, 2028.
You can also volunteer to work at the games or in the community beforehand. Learn more at la28.org/en/volunteer.html. (Be emotionally prepared because not everyone will be selected.)
Since I’m older than dirt, I remember when the 1984 Summer Olympics came to Los Angeles. For years beforehand, everyone was predicting a near disaster. “Oh, the traffic is going to be a nightmare” was the most common refrain. Companies changed their operating hours to accommodate the predicted jammed freeways. People made plans to go out of town to avoid the crowds.
So what happened? The freeways were empty and the crowds were joyful. Even people who hadn’t purchased tickets for events were able to gather to watch the Olympic torch run by, because it seemed to run around Southern California for about five years. We stood on a boardwalk by the beach to watch the Olympic marathon for free, to cheer on the racers. It was exciting. It was magical. We loved it.
Decades later, the 2002 Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City, where I’d lived for years and my family still was in residence. This was exciting to me, because I knew I’d have someone to mooch off while I was there. I told my brother I was coming, so he should get tickets for me and his many children to go to some events.
He responded that he hated the Olympics, and he had no intention of going. Now, I understood this, because he was sick to death of nonstop media coverage for years, much of it negative. I’d felt the same way here. But I also knew that by the time the games actually arrived, he’d feel differently. I couldn’t convince him of that because he’s stubborn as a constipated mule, so I knew I’d have to buy tickets for us all, including our mom and his many, many children.
Luckily, I won the lottery to order tickets, long before the games started. Now, some of these seats can cost as much as a ride on the space shuttle, especially for the opening ceremonies and the finals of the most popular events. I knew there was no way I’d be able to buy those.
But my more knowledgeable friend had told me to try to get tickets to the finals, because then I’d see the medal event, where the athletes stand on pedestals and hear their national anthems played. As you might guess, these were always the most popular.
I carefully went through the many offerings and identified the puny number of events I could afford. For example, the chance to stand along the course and watch the cross-country skiers race for the finish at Soldier Hollow. Those tickets were only $25 each (keep in mind that was 20 years ago.) And $35 to watch the curling, which has never really caught on as a spectator sport here.
And, in the most lucky moment, I found obstructed-view tickets for the finals of the Olympic speed skating for deeply discounted prices. Regular tickets cost $300 each, but obstructed view ones were only $25. And, when we got there, we discovered that we could see almost everything. And it happened to be a controversial year in which the speed skating figured prominently. So it was even more exciting to see Apolo Ohno stand up there on the pedestal and win the gold medal for the USA.
So, my friends, no matter how skeptical you are, I recommend you sign up for the chance to try to buy tickets. It doesn’t cost anything just to sign up. And see what happens. In 2028, venues will include Dodger Stadium, various sites in Long Beach, the Honda Center in Anaheim, Carson Stadium, Fairplex in Pomona, the LA Coliseum, the Rose Bowl, Santa Anita racetrack, Venice Beach, Riviera Country Club, Whittier Narrows, the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area and Trestles beach.
Here’s the official website for the Olympic games. The next one is the winter games in Italy in February Then it will be our turn. olympics.com/en/
Oh, here’s a little postscript. For you soccer fans out there, you can sign up now for the lottery to win the right to spend a lot of money to buy World Cup tickets next summer. Venues include LA, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver and more. Learn more here: smartertravel.com/how-to-buy-world-cup-tickets/