Even though the official opening ceremony is tomorrow, they've already started the party early with handball, rugby and soccer so far this week. This will also have medal counts and what not lol. Who is going to watch?

Things got off to an awesome start with the Morocco- Argentina soccer fun.

Looking forward to gymnastics and track and field.

The best sport of all time is on right now...table tennis.

The coach of the women's Canadian soccer team was sent home in a drone spying scandal. Of all the possible scandals, the coach of the women's Canadian soccer team being sent home for drone spying was not on my bingo card.

The best sport of all time is on right now...table tennis.

Not to be confused with ping pong of course.

Speaking as an ignorant American, I get mad they call soccer football.

Speaking as an ignorant American, I get mad they call soccer football.

In Spanish speaking countries it's Futbol . ;)

The best sport of all time is on right now...table tennis.

:lol::D

Looking forward to gymnastics and track and field.

Me too. I like those best ! ;)

I also like the weightlifting, those really huge people ! Esp. the lady weight lifters , I get a kick out of them! :eek::lol:

Still trying to figure out rugby.

Water polo is okay. I look at it like hockey if the ice melted.

I'm surprised team handball hasn't caught on more in the USA. Maybe it will become more popular when the USA teams qualify again in 2028.

It has lots of action and goal scoring. It's a combination of soccer, basketball, hockey, water polo, and lacrosse. It's very physical like hockey.

Still trying to figure out rugby.


A few hours after I wrote that US women rugby had a miracle bronze medal win. Still don’t totally understand, but based on the distance they ran the ball and the few seconds left on the clock it definitely felt miraculous.

(video not embeddable but watchable on YouTube)

Sa7nXjx_Jj4?si=5vjV4o2oxK_GxkXi
https://youtu.be/Sa7nXjx_Jj4?si=5vjV4o2oxK_GxkXi

I'm surprised team handball hasn't caught on more in the USA. Maybe it will become more popular when the USA teams qualify again in 2028.

It has lots of action and goal scoring. It's a combination of soccer, basketball, hockey, water polo, and lacrosse. It's very physical like hockey.

Certainly better than pickleball.

A few hours after I wrote that US women rugby had a miracle bronze medal win. Still don’t totally understand, but based on the distance they ran the ball and the few seconds left on the clock it definitely felt miraculous.

(video not embeddable but watchable on YouTube)

Sa7nXjx_Jj4?si=5vjV4o2oxK_GxkXi
https://youtu.be/Sa7nXjx_Jj4?si=5vjV4o2oxK_GxkXi

That was Rugby Sevens, regular rugby is 4 quarters if im not mistaken. And they definitely dont score as easy as they do in sevens.

Certainly better than pickleball.

How dare you lol. Pickleball is essentially just tennis anyway on a smaller court.

At least it's not something like Netball which is just basketball without a backboard.

How dare you lol. Pickleball is essentially just tennis anyway on a smaller court.

At least it's not something like Netball which is just basketball without a backboard.

I considered saying cornhole instead of pickleball.

By the way, if you ever wondered what an Olympic rugby bronze medal was worth

After historic win, US women's rugby team gets $4 million donation (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/us-womens-rugby-team-win-donation/3581715/)

Bob Costas and Al Michaels to make an Olympics cameo (https://frontofficesports.com/costas-michaels-nbc-olympic-coverage/#:~:text=NBC%20Sports%20is%20planning%20an,under%20something%20of%20a%20cloud.)

NBC Sports is planning an Olympics surprise. The network plans to bring back (https://www.google.com/search?q=Bob+Costas+and+Al+Michaels+to+make+an+Olympics+cameo&oq=Bob+Costas+and+Al+Michaels+to+make+an+Olympics+cameo&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg80gEINzgwajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) legendary broadcasters Bob Costas and Al Michaels for surprise on-air appearances (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/al-michaels-bob-costas-guest-appearance-nbc-paris.html) during its coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The move represents a reconciliation after both Costas and Michaels left NBC under something of a cloud.

Peacock's Gold Zone is the breakout star of the 2024 Paris Olympics (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5666064/2024/07/30/olympic-streaming-peacock-gold-zone/)

In its Olympics debut, Peacock's 'Gold Zone' (https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-gold-zone-hosts-for-the-2024-paris-olympics-on-peacock/) has been an addictive hit with fans.

NBC's Paris coverage is too celeb-dependent (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-07-31/paris-olympics-2024-nbc-peacock-snoop-dogg-flava-flav-colin-jost-leslie-jones)

The Summer Games in Paris have been a star-studded affair. But for The Times' most avid Olympic watchers, NBC's focus on celebrities (https://www.google.com/search?q=+NBC%27s+Paris+coverage+is+too+celeb-dependent&sca_esv=12268370a69439db&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIK4s6bqvsWOAIEdMNlT0LeSBpPRfg%3A1722494686441&ei=3i6rZsHVGu7HkPIPhMjtsAc&ved=0ahUKEwjBvKbfmNOHAxXuI0QIHQRkG3YQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=+NBC%27s+Paris+coverage+is+too+celeb-dependent&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLCBOQkMncyBQYXJpcyBjb3ZlcmFnZSBpcyB0b28gY2VsZWItZGVwZW5kZW50MgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSO0PUKwFWKwFcAF4AZABAJgBzgGgAc4BqgEDMi0xuAEDyAEA-AEB-AECmAICoAK0AqgCEcICBxAjGCcY6gLCAhcQLhiABBiRAhi0AhjIAxiKBRjqAtgBAcICGhAuGIAEGJECGNQCGLQCGMgDGIoFGOoC2AEBwgIUEAAYgAQYkQIYtAIYigUY6gLYAQLCAhQQABiABBjjBBi0AhjpBBjqAtgBApgDSroGBggBEAEYCLoGBggCEAEYAZIHBTEuMC4xoAeIBA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) has ...

By the way, if you ever wondered what an Olympic rugby bronze medal was worth

After historic win, US women's rugby team gets $4 million donation (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/us-womens-rugby-team-win-donation/3581715/)

That's....click bait lol. That was someone giving them a donation. I've read that the US olympic committee pays out 15K for a bronze and up to 30K for a gold.

That's....click bait lol. That was someone giving them a donation. I've read that the US olympic committee pays out 15K for a bronze and up to 30K for a gold.

How do you see that as ”click bait”? It’s a news story about the program getting a 4 million dollar donation (over 4 years, so about a million a year, still I’m sure big money in the rugby world) they probably wouldn’t have gotten if they lost that game.


Race walking was on this morning, still kinda funny. They don’t walk at speeds in the traditional walking sense, but they do get penalized if they start going too fast. I like to picture the officials yelling “It’s a race. Slow down!”

I'm surprised team handball hasn't caught on more in the USA. Maybe it will become more popular when the USA teams qualify again in 2028.

It has lots of action and goal scoring. It's a combination of soccer, basketball, hockey, water polo, and lacrosse. It's very physical like hockey.

You want to know what doesn't help matters? The Handball finals and (regular, not 3x3) Basketball preliminaries have been moved completely outside of Paris's metropolitan area... to Lille.

Similarly, for the next Summer Olympics in 2028 (to be held in Los Angeles), Softball and Slalom Canoeing are being moved to Oklahoma City because Los Angeles isn't willing to build even a temporary venue for those sports. This has got me worried about future host cities after Brisbane in 2032 relocating too many sports completely outside of the host city's metropolitan area. I've been okay with this for football preliminaries and sailing, but gold-medal finals for indoor-sports events... no, just no.

Katie Ledecky wins 13th medal, most ever for female Olympian (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/katie-ledecky-wins-13th-medal-ever-female-olympian-history-rcna164763)

Her uncle is co owner of the New York Islanders. They don’t win as much.

I remember not liking 3 on 3 basketball back in Tokyo but for some reason I’m liking it more this time around.

Peacock's Gold Zone is the breakout star of the 2024 Paris Olympics (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5666064/2024/07/30/olympic-streaming-peacock-gold-zone/)

In its Olympics debut, Peacock's 'Gold Zone' (https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-gold-zone-hosts-for-the-2024-paris-olympics-on-peacock/) has been an addictive hit with fans.

Gold Zone is giving Olympic viewers a taste of NFL Sundays (https://www.wsj.com/sports/olympics/nbc-paris-olympics-gold-zone-d1955224)

Both Siciliano — whose Red Zone Channel was canceled before the 2023 NFL season — and Hanson were hired to bring their whip-around expertise to Peacock's Gold Zone. Matt Iseman and Jac Collinsworth host from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET, followed by Siciliano from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET and Hanson from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

Culture wars are ruining the Paris Olympics (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/bringing-out-worst-us-boxing-opening-ceremony.html)

From the Opening Ceremony hysteria to Olympic boxing falsehoods, the exhaustive culture wars (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/08/02/olympic-boxing-culture-war-imane-khelif-lin-yu-ting/) are ruining the Olympics for everybody.

Al Michaels A.I. is surprisingly good at Olympics highlights (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/02/nbc-ai-al-michaels-paris-olympics/#:~:text=Experts%20also%20say%20generative%20AI,haven't%20required%20much%20intervention.)

Experts also say generative AI can spout gibberish. It would be a bad look if A.I. Al concocted Olympic results that never happened. Jelley said the AI-generated text and audio for Peacock's highlight reels have been accurate and haven't required much intervention.

Katie Ledecky wins 13th medal, most ever for female Olympian (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/katie-ledecky-wins-13th-medal-ever-female-olympian-history-rcna164763)

Her uncle is co owner of the New York Islanders. They don’t win as much.

Got another gold today.

U.S.A’ s Noah Lyles wins the 100m gold by five one thousandths of a second. Had it all the way.

Laurie Hernandez is NBC's breakout Olympics star (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5678207/2024/08/05/laurie-hernandez-nbc-gymnastics-paris-olympics/)

From The Athletic: Laurie Hernandez has been one of the broadcasting stars of the Olympics. Her ability to communicate (https://www.nbcnewyork.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/laurie-hernandez-commentary-paris-olympics/5665189/) gymnastics to a broad audience combined with enthusiasm for the success of her former U.S. teammates has made for exceptional viewing (https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/08/05/nbc-olympics-talent-laurie-hernandez).

U.S. surfer Caroline Marks wins women's gold at Olympics
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40739997/french-polynesian-surfer-kauli-vaast-wins-men-gold-olympics

Steeplechase race still seems randomly invented

“Should we have them run and jump over long barriers?”
“Sure”
“Should we have them run and jump over long barriers into pools of water?”
“Sure, why not”

Justice has prevailed, and the US figure skating team from 2 years ago get their gold medals

Some javelin was on today. If you throw it and skewer one of the officials marking the distance, is it bonus points or a penalty?

This was a lot of fun, but half the events were live on Peacock and if you didnt know it, there were hidden Olympic channels on cable, i sure as hell didnt know about it until after the fact. Going back and rewatching some of the stuff I missed now before they take it off.

NBC's emphasis on live made Paris possibly the best Olympics ever (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5680663/2024/08/12/2024-paris-olympics-tv-streaming-nbc-peacock/)

The ratings numbers have been massive, and the streaming product was rock-solid. Here are 20 media thoughts on NBC (https://awfulannouncing.com/category/nbc) and the Paris Olympics.

Closing Ceremony went "jarringly Hollywood" (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-08-11/olympics-closing-ceremony-review)

The Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony was great — until it sputtered by going "jarringly Hollywood".

And now we know why Jordan Chiles had her medal taken away

https://www.sbnation.com/2024/8/14/24220233/jordan-chiles-bronze-stripped-cas-romania

Peacock may bring Gold Zone to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, mulls expanding it for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5702878/2024/08/15/gold-zone-peacock-olympics-2028/)

“We’ll definitely bring it back in Los Angeles,” says Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president of NBC Olympics production. “We’re also going to go wipe the whiteboard clean and start to think about how it works in a Winter Olympics and what that best presentation could be. But how could you not have a returning ‘Gold Zone’ in Los Angeles, and it may even be more hours a day.” ALSO: 2024 Paris Paralympics to get Gold Zone coverage, hosted by CNN's Carolyn Manno (https://www.thewrap.com/peacock-gold-zone-paris-2024-paralympics-multiview/).

Raygun says the international hate for her Paris Olympics viral routine is "pretty devastating" (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/raygun-slams-olympics-backlash-devastating-allegations-1236107688/)

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, has been accused of manipulating the selection process (https://www.newsweek.com/sports/viral-australian-breaker-raygun-accused-manipulating-olympics-qualifier-1939545), which Vox reports is completely false (https://www.vox.com/culture/367059/raygun-olympic-controversy-breaking-corruption). In a video posted to her Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-sDDtfokE4/), Raygun said: “I just want to start out by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your life. That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which frankly has been pretty devastating.”