When Los Angeles hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, the spotlight will naturally fall on world-class athletes, medal ceremonies, and global competition. Yet for California’s business community, the Games represent something much larger than a sporting event.
They are an economic development project, an international branding opportunity, and a chance to showcase one of the world’s most influential regions to billions of viewers.
Helping coordinate that effort is Casey Wasserman, Chairperson of LA28. While his role is often viewed through the lens of sport, the responsibilities extend into areas that business leaders know well: strategic planning, public-private collaboration, sponsorship development, and long-term investment.
For Los Angeles, the success of LA28 will be measured not only by what happens during two weeks of competition, but by the legacy the Games leave behind.
More Than Hosting an Event
Every Olympic host city faces a common question: what remains after the closing ceremony?
In previous decades, many host cities invested heavily in new stadiums and permanent infrastructure, sometimes leaving behind facilities with uncertain long-term use.
Los Angeles has chosen a different path.
Rather than building an Olympic city from scratch, organizers have centered the Games around Southern California’s existing collection of professional sports venues, university campuses, entertainment facilities, and transportation assets. That strategy reflects a broader shift within the Olympic movement toward sustainability and fiscal responsibility.
For California businesses, the approach signals an emphasis on maximizing existing strengths instead of creating temporary solutions.
A Global Showcase for Southern California
Few cities possess the international recognition of Los Angeles.
Its influence spans entertainment, technology, aerospace, manufacturing, tourism, higher education, and professional sports. LA28 provides an opportunity to present those industries together on one of the world’s largest stages.
In discussing the Games, Wasserman has consistently emphasized Los Angeles itself as one of the event’s greatest assets. During an interview with NBC Sports, he said the goal is to show “the best of what L.A. is.”
That perspective extends beyond athletics.
For local companies, international investors, hospitality businesses, and tourism organizations, the Games offer an opportunity to strengthen relationships with global audiences already familiar with Southern California’s cultural influence.
The Economics Behind the Olympics
Preparing for an Olympic Games requires years of planning long before the first athlete arrives.
Sponsors are secured. Venues are coordinated. Transportation systems are refined. Hospitality programs are developed. Thousands of contracts are negotiated across industries ranging from construction and logistics to technology and communications.
Each stage creates opportunities for businesses throughout California.
While many discussions surrounding the Olympics focus on visitor spending during the event itself, the economic activity begins well in advance through procurement, staffing, consulting, marketing, and operational planning.
Large-scale projects of this nature also encourage collaboration between government agencies and private enterprise—relationships that often continue beyond the Games themselves.
Leadership Across Sectors
Unlike a traditional corporation, an Olympic organizing committee operates across multiple constituencies.
International sports federations, municipal governments, state agencies, sponsors, venue operators, community organizations, broadcasters, and corporate partners all bring different priorities to the table.
Leading an organization of that scale requires more than operational expertise.
In interviews about his career, Wasserman has emphasized persistence and the importance of creating opportunities over time rather than expecting success to happen immediately. That philosophy aligns with projects such as LA28, where planning spans nearly a decade and progress is measured through thousands of incremental decisions rather than individual milestones.
It is a style of leadership that many California executives will recognize from large infrastructure initiatives, corporate expansions, and complex public-private partnerships.
California’s Competitive Advantage
Los Angeles enters the Olympic cycle from a position few cities can match.
The region already hosts championship venues, internationally recognized universities, one of the world’s busiest airports, a thriving hospitality sector, and an established entertainment industry capable of producing events with global reach.
Those advantages reduce the need for extensive new construction while allowing organizers to concentrate resources on operations, technology, security, and the overall visitor experience.
For California’s business community, that existing infrastructure represents more than convenience.
It demonstrates how decades of investment across multiple industries have positioned Southern California to compete for projects of international significance.
Looking Beyond 2028
The immediate objective of LA28 is clear: deliver a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The broader opportunity is more enduring.
Major international events often influence tourism patterns, investment decisions, convention activity, and regional reputation long after the competitions conclude. Cities that successfully leverage those moments can strengthen their position as destinations for future business, innovation, and global collaboration.
Los Angeles has hosted the Olympic Games before, but the economic landscape has changed considerably since 1984.
Today’s economy is shaped by digital media, advanced technology, global commerce, and industries that increasingly depend on international visibility. The Games arrive at a time when cities compete not only for visitors but also for talent, investment, and corporate expansion.
An Opportunity Beyond Sport
For many Californians, LA28 will be remembered through athletic performances and memorable ceremonies.
For business leaders, however, the Games represent something equally important: a demonstration of how large-scale collaboration can position an entire region for long-term growth.
Wasserman’s role sits at the intersection of those ambitions.
His responsibility extends beyond organizing competition to helping coordinate one of the largest civic and business initiatives California has undertaken in decades. If LA28 succeeds in showcasing the innovation, creativity, and economic strength that define Southern California, its impact may ultimately be measured not only in medals won, but in the opportunities created long after the Olympic flame is extinguished.