If you don’t know, I’m an Olympics person. I might not the full-on stereotypical Olympics fan … but I’m not far off. I love it. I watch almost all of it. The Paris Games were incredible. I’m so sad they’re over. So here are my 24 Thoughts on the 2024 Olympics.
1. Not Baltimore’s Olympics
We’ve been spoiled in recent years. With the dominance of truly local athletes like Michael Phelps, Carmelo Anthony, Angel McCoughtry, Chase Kalisz and others, we’ve grown used to our city playing a significant role in the Olympics.
These were not our games. Marylanders from the D.C. area (like Katie Ledecky and Masai Russell and Kevin Durant and even 16-year-old phenom Quincy Wilson) had golden moments. But truly local athletes had a less significant impact. Congratulations still to Ellicott City’s Aaron Russell (Centennial) for being a huge part of the bronze-medal-winning men’s volleyball team. If you want to stretch, Hagerstown’s Aaron Brooks (North Hagerstown) added a wrestling bronze.
2. Men’s Basketball Delivers
Team sports are the most significant driver of my Olympics interest, but men’s basketball hasn’t always been compelling enough to truly capture my attention throughout the years. If I’m being fully honest, I really only viewed the games before this year’s semifinals sparingly.
But the semifinals and gold medal game produced some of the greatest Olympic theatre we have ever seen. Watching the trio of LeBron James, Durant and Steph Curry play meaningful basketball together this deep into their careers was genuinely beautiful. And I can’t possibly say enough about Curry specifically because I promised 22 more thoughts.
That was stirring. That’s why you watch sports. The 6-foot-2 star was already one of the most odds-defying athletes of all time. He had solidified his place as an icon of the sport without having anything left to prove. And then he did … that.
I’ve searched “Steph Curry” on Twitter no fewer than 75 times since the gold medal game just to see more content. I am genuinely considering whether Curry’s last three (over a double team) might end up going down as one of the most iconic shots in the history of the sport. The entire world watching, an entire country rooting the same way, a beloved superstar delivering the goods. It had everything. I’m so grateful we experienced it.
3. Women’s Basketball Survived
OK, I’m going to have to move quicker. The women’s basketball team wasn’t perfect (or even close) in its gold medal win over France. But they were more than good enough. Congratulations to former Maryland star Alyssa Thomas on earning her first gold medal.
In the losing effort, Gabby Williams looked very much like someone who should be back in the WNBA. I can’t fathom the heartbreak of her would-be game-tying buzzer beater coming from just a few inches in front of the 3-point line.
4. Baseball Should Learn
Tweets like this from ESPN’s Jeff Passan are truly on the nose.
I do not believe MLB will ultimately allow players to participate in the 2028 Olympics (when baseball returns to the program). It’s far too complicated. They can’t keep pitchers healthy as it is. I cannot believe they would slash the regular-season schedule as necessary to keep arms as healthy as possible.
But the Olympics provide what, with all due respect, the World Baseball Classic never could. This isn’t a “grow the game” issue for baseball. The sport itself is legitimately global. But the Major League Baseball brand is not. The league matters significantly to baseball fans. But few Major League Baseball stars have true pop culture relevance. The Olympics can change that. Stars like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper want it to happen. Somehow, some way, they need to figure out a way to make it happen.
5. Tennis Also Delivered
Tennis is my sport. While my interests in the Olympics are largely team sport-driven, I am overwhelmingly distracted from them because I’m glued to the tennis tournament during the first week.
For tennis fans, this is the biggest men’s three-set tournament that there is. The significance of Novak Djokovic “beating” the sport by finally winning the one tournament he had never won (seriously, the only one) cannot be understated.
The Olympics tennis tournament provided us one more (presumably final) Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal match, a spectacular Djokovic-Alcaraz final and the definitive end of Andy Murray’s legendary career.
Congratulations to Baltimore tennis legend Pam Shriver, who is now the coach of Donna Vekic, who went from nearly quitting the sport to making this year’s Wimbledon semifinals and then winning Olympic silver.
The only negative about the tournament is that for some insane reason, either the organizations or the NBC folks believe it deserves to be treated like the Winston-Salem Open. Broadcasters should be on site. More courts should have commentary.
6. Volleyball Is The Best Olympic Sport
I’ve compared volleyball at the Olympics to the cranberry relish on Thanksgiving. You know how much you love it. You know it’s low-key your favorite part of the event. You just totally forget that until it comes back around.
Volleyball is the best Olympic sport. You don’t have to follow the sport religiously to in order to get into it. The rules and the concepts are largely simple. The athletes are next level. The theater is captivating. And my favorite part is the celebrating. After every point you get team hugs, screaming and truly intense passion. I was ready for Poland to break out a conga line and some leapfrog during its dramatic semifinal win against the USA men.
Volleyball rules. I’d love for the sport to find greater footing between Olympiads, but I fear it might take away from the joy of getting back to Olympic volleyball. I hope Aaron Russell gives it one more shot for a gold in 2028.
7. I Almost Don’t Remember Anything About The Actual Beach Volleyball Because I Was Too Busy Staring At The Scenery (Wait, You’re Going To Think I Mean The Very Attractive Athletes Who Show Lots Of Skin While Playing That Sport, But I Actually Meant The Fact That They Were Literally Playing In Front Of The Eiffel Tower)
I mean, come on, man.
Beach volleyball has been tremendous for the television product that is the Olympics, but Paris took it to a different level. The venue was largely how NBC both started and ended the live portion of their broadcast day. It’s borderline unfathomable that no American team medaled in a very American sport but at the same time, who cares. I just wanted to keep watching every sundown and every evening of play at the stadium. It was perfect. I’m worried it might ruin future Olympic beach volleyball venues.
8. There Was So Much Good During The Olympics … There Were Also Deeply Embarrassing Controversies
We are a deeply unserious society. We are a people that look at the world through the prism of “how can I distort reality for tribal gain?” The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics aren’t for me. I thought the concept of having the athletes travel down the Seine was neat. But I’m not into the ceremonies. They might not be for some other people, too!
But the “Last Supper” non-troversy was particularly stupid. A group of people desperate for attention sparked faux outrage. To be fair, if that was an Olympic sport our country would probably sweep the podium. But at least that embarrassing chapter had no actual victims.
The controversy surrounding Algerian boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif ventured past stupidity. It was infuriating and dehumanizing. It made Khelif one of the most sympathetic figures of the Games and her victory one of the more inspiring moments.
9. This Was The Best Olympics Ever From The Broadcast Standpoint
NBC might have been at least a decade late in stopping its absurd practice of “hiding” live events to prioritize linear tape delayed television windows, but at least it finally got there. Perhaps other media industries will consider joining them here in the 21st century at some point.
“The Gold Zone” was great and helped bring more niche sports into our lives in digestible ways. Mike Tirico is perhaps our most versatile modern American sports broadcaster. Noah Eagle was a revelation in basketball coverage. Dwyane Wade was good enough in his first assignment that there’s serious reason for optimism if he becomes NBC’s lead NBA analyst. LaChina Robinson was outstanding. Maria Taylor has quickly moved into the “standard bearer” echelon of broadcasters. Rowdy Gaines is an American treasure.
NBC was also smart to add “Multiview” options on Peacock in addition to the Gold Zone to help give viewers more control of their experience.
The tennis coverage should have been (dramatically) better. Leigh Diffey badly screwed up the men’s 100-meter dash, although all broadcasters make mistakes. But this was such an incredibly pleasant viewing experience on the whole.
10. Snoop Dogg And Flavor Flav Genuinely Added To The Experience, Too
I’ll admit that by the end I was approaching being “Snoop Dogg-ed out.” But the paid NBC broadcaster brought a genuine quality to his assignments that lifted the entire broadcast. He’s somehow become America’s Sweetheart and impossibly has created an everyman quality simultaneously.
But the story of Flavor Flav “adopting” the women’s water polo team and becoming a mascot/cheerleader for a sport that deserves more attention (more to come) felt even more genuine. The images of these guys just hanging out and loving the Olympics really worked, even for someone as naturally skeptical as myself.
11. And To The Other Biggest Social Media Star Of The Olympics, A True Tip Of The Cap. Yes. The Cap. That’s The Tip I’m Talking About Here. The Tip Of The Cap.
His name is Anthony Ammirati. He competes in a sport in which Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis just keeps breaking his own world record and no one else has a chance. And yet, he’s the “biggest” star of the Olympics.
That’s the magic of the Olympics.
12. Speaking Of Social Media Stars, More Like “Breaking Bad,” Emmirite?
Look, I’m never going to be into judging sports. I have real issues with the concept. We’ll get back to that in the gymnastics portion of the program. But I thought it was cool to see breaking get a chance as an Olympic sport and was at least willing to look.
Now I’m convinced I might still have a chance to be an Olympian! Perhaps a fun breaking competition can be part of future Olympics somehow but like, not as a medal sport?
13. The USWNT Performance Was Inspiring
As social media has pointed out, perhaps Emma Hayes should be hired to coach both the USWNT and USMNT. In just a matter of weeks, she recalibrated the women’s program to lead it back to the mountaintop. It wasn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing soccer, but hot damn if it wasn’t a display of tremendous grit. Major kudos as well to goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who was superb.
14. Men’s Soccer Shouldn’t Be An Olympic Sport
The U-23 concept is better than what baseball will be if MLB players aren’t involved (a glorified beer league tournament), but it just isn’t real and shouldn’t exist. The Olympics are supposed to be a collection of the greatest athletes in the world. There’s no reason to purposely include events that are lesser than that.
15. Speaking Of Which, I Give You 3X3 Basketball
It doesn’t even bother me that the U.S. isn’t good at 3×3 basketball. It isn’t real. The sport isn’t significantly different enough from 5×5 to make you believe the athletes involved are possibly better than the best 5×5 players in the world would be if they competed. It’s beer league basketball.
If you want to have more basketball at the Olympics, a 1×1 tournament would be really compelling in a way that 3×3 simply isn’t. It’s a mid product with less than high-level players. The BIG 3 knows what it is. This is trying to be passed off as something that it isn’t. It stinks.
16. Water Polo, However, Is The Polar Opposite
Water polo is a top-five Olympic sport. It was a disappointing run for the U.S. women, while the men claimed a dramatic bronze. But water polo has the potential to be like volleyball for me in future Olympiads. I love it. It’s probably the sport where you have the greatest appreciation for the athleticism of the participant. It’s a matter of will that goes beyond just being born with natural skills.
These psychopaths choose to try to play an actual sport while treading water for an extraordinary amount of time. Oh and no big deal but the folks you’re competing against are actively trying to end your life.
The underwater cam in water polo is without question the most daring revelation in sports broadcasting. At one point in the knockout round a defender had his hand entirely inside the trunks of an opponent and I SWEAR the analyst said “that’s just really good leverage.”
Also, Kenny Albert did yeoman’s work despite not being on location. Water polo is tough to call to begin with. The numbers on the caps are very small and water is flying everywhere. Calling it off a monitor from half a world away is downright miraculous.
17. Rugby Produced The Single Greatest Moment Of The Olympics (Non-Steph Curry Category)
All hail Spiff Sedrick. I haven’t stopped screaming since it happened.
And shoutout to Ilona Maher https://x.com/kendallbaker/status/1817710674488750286 and Ariana Ramsey, whose content continued to captivate me. It’s a genuinely great thing to have athletes stick around the Olympics for legitimately two weeks after competing. The content is worth it.
18. I Know Everyone Really Cared About The Other Sports And I’m Sorry They’re Not Really As Much Of My Thing (Part 1: Swimming)
If Emma Hayes won’t take the USMNT job, perhaps former North Baltimore Aquatic Club coach Bob Bowman might. After guiding Phelps (among others), the current Texas swimming coach became the coach of the French national team, helping Leon Marchand become the current king of the sport (four individual gold medals).
Phelps was clearly quite invested.
Ledecky (two gold, one silver, one bronze) added to her remarkable career. And Bobby Finke delivered one of the best moments of the Olympics. In the final men’s race of the games, he won the 1500 free to keep a 120-year streak alive of American men winning gold in at least one individual swimming event.
19. I Know Everyone Really Cared About The Other Sports And I’m Sorry They’re Not Really As Much Of My Thing (Part 2: Track & Field)
Sha’Carri Richardson finally winning gold (4×100 relay) was spectacular. Perhaps she could teach the mens’ teams how to pass batons. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas are genuine superstars. The Noah Lyles story is probably the weirdest of the Games. He was dunked on (pun lightly intended) by basketball fans. He came down with COVID, helping to cost him his specialty event. And his only consolation prize is … winning perhaps the greatest race in Olympics history and being the World’s Fastest Man. WEIRD.
20. I Know Everyone Really Cared About The Other Sports And I’m Sorry They’re Not Really As Much Of My Thing (Part 3: Gymnastics)
The Jordan Chiles controversy is a prime example of why I’ll never be a gymnastics person. It’s insane. It makes you wonder how much is completely legit. But I don’t have to know the sport to know Simone Biles is one of one and that the pommel horse dude can straight up pommel a horse.
21. Golf Also Happened
Too much happened for me to pay attention to the golf but Scottie Scheffler’s podium emotions were wholesome as hell and Lydia Ko clinched a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame and that seems good.
22. I Have Scheduling Thoughts
I truly love the “soft opening” to the Olympics in the two days before the Opening Ceremony. In addition to rugby and soccer, I’d encourage maybe some other team sports to spread out during that week, particularly with baseball, softball, lacrosse and cricket joining the team sports program in Los Angeles. There’s just so much happening. It would be nice to spread it out as much as possible for sports fans to enjoy as much of it as possible.
23. How Is This A Thing?
Kayak Cross was an Olympic sport this year. It looks like an old episode of MXC. God bless ’em.
24. Back To 2028
I assume lacrosse will give us a greater “Baltimore” attachment to the 2028 games. Hopefully Angel Reese (St. Frances) will as well if she continues her stellar start to her WNBA career. I want to go. If you want to go, I’m willing to start making plans with you know.
Photo by Bo Zhang on Unsplash