The countdown to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympics (LA28) is well underway. Anticipation and excitement surrounding the Games have been fueled by promises of innovation, sustainability, community engagement, and the return of the Olympics to Los Angeles for a third time. Organizers have highlighted the use of existing venues, the addition of new sports such as cricket, flag football, lacrosse, baseball/softball, and squash, and the vision of creating a fiscally responsible and environmentally conscious mega-event.
Yet, as with all Olympic Games, celebration exists alongside controversy, critique, and uncertainty. Public discussions surrounding LA28 have already raised questions about transportation infrastructure, funding responsibilities, urban development, environmental sustainability, security, and the long-term consequences of hosting a global mega-event. Recent debates have focused on transit planning and funding, concerns about cost overruns, the geographic expansion of the Games across Southern California, and the broader social impacts that large-scale sporting events can have on local communities.
This special issue invites scholars to move beyond celebratory narratives and critically examine the build up to LA28 as a social, cultural, political, economic, and historical phenomenon. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and conceptual submissions from a broad range of disciplines (history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, sport management, media studies).
Possible topics might include:
- Housing, displacement, gentrification, and urban redevelopment
- Bidding for LA28
- Community responses to LA28
- Labor, volunteerism, and the event workforce
- Media representations and public discourse
- Surveillance, policing, and security
- Comparisons between LA28 and the 1932 and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- Olympic urbanism in Los Angeles
- The meaning and value of Olympic ideals in the twenty-first century
- American politics in the planning and organization of LA28
Submission Instructions
Interested authors should submit a 250-word abstract and a short bio by e-mail to guest editor, Julie Brice (jbrice@fullerton.edu) by November 1, 2026. Decisions will be communicated shortly after.
Selected authors are expected to submit an original article of 6,000-10,000 words.
Manuscript submissions due by April 30, 2027. Manuscript formatting details can be found at https://olympicstudies.org/submissions/
For any questions, please contact Julie Brice (jbrice@fullerton.edu), California State University, Fullerton.
