'Astronomical' LA28 Olympics ticket prices have shocked fans. But could a more expensive games benefit taxpayers?

'Astronomical' LA28 Olympics ticket prices have shocked fans. But could a more expensive games benefit taxpayers?

From Imperfect Paradise by LAist Studios

April 17, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

'Astronomical' ticket prices for the LA28 Olympics raise questions about the financial implications for fans and taxpayers.

Despite an initial promise that LA Olympic events would start at $28, tickets for the games are costing fans hundreds to thousands of dollars. LAist Olympics reporter Libby Rainey joins us to discuss why the ticket prices are so expensive, what they can tell us about the money behind the games and who might stand to benefit – or lose – from the Olympics coming to LA. Read Libby’s full report at LAist.com   Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://laist.com/join

People in this episode

Guest: Libby Rainey

Topics covered

  • Olympics
  • ticket prices
  • Los Angeles
  • economics
  • sports
  • journalism

Keywords

  • LA28
  • Olympics
  • ticket prices
  • Los Angeles
  • Libby Rainey
  • economics
  • sports

Sponsors

SHOPIFY, Gordon and Dona Crawford

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LAist

More episodes of Imperfect Paradise

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Imperfect Paradise podcast page.