Another edition of the Summer Olympics, another victory by the United States, who claimed the most total medals with 126 and tied with China for 40 gold medals to lead the pack.
Highlights included Katie Ledecky doing what she does best – dominating long-distance swimming – to become the most decorated U.S. olympian of all time, Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team shining once again and both Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson claiming gold on the track in exciting fashion, to name a few. The women’s basketball team claimed gold once again, but the men’s hoops team taking down Serbia in the semifinals and France in the finals helped end the 2024 Games with a bang.
Anything other than a gold medal would have been seen as a disaster for this group, and expectations were sky high. Many thought this team would rival the 1992 “Dream Team,” while more agreed that this was a more talented group than that historic squad. I say the Dream Team is still the model, but this group was stellar on paper.
In the showcase games leading up to France, a 98-92 win over Australia led to a gutsy 101-100 survival against South Sudan, who, according to reports, doesn’t have a single indoor basketball facility. After the U.S. avoided what would have been one of the all-time upsets in modern history, the U.S. downed Germany 92-88 in London before the Olympics began.
It was smooth sailing for the U.S. in the early going of the group phase, as the squad put away Serbia, South Sudan, Puerto Rico and Brazil with relative ease. But a rematch with Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinals was anything but a cakewalk. Down double digits for a good chunk of this clash, veterans LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant took control to put the U.S. over the hump in a riveting 95-91 triumph, leading to a showdown between the favorites and the host country.
The U.S., similarly to the semifinal contest, were down earlier in the game before a veteran took over. This time, Curry was simply unbelievable. He finished with eight three-pointers, including hitting one of the greatest shots in Olympic history with time winding down to put the dagger in France. James and Durant were both open on Curry’s final three, and no other player would have been given that leeway to take a shot in that spot with two defenders on him while other superstars are open. Only Steph Curry. After a 98-87 victory, the U.S. won gold yet again – the first time since 2012 for James in what in all likelihood was his last Olympics appearance.
Los Angeles, you’re next.
The Pickoff
As we just saw with the men’s basketball team, it sure is exciting when the best players in the sport represent their country on the biggest stage. Yet the last time that the U.S. participated in baseball, which will be played in the 2028 games in Los Angeles, there wasn’t a star to be seen. That ain’t right, and the MLB needs to step in and allow this to happen.
Sure, the World Baseball Classic fills that void for baseball fans and takes place prior to the MLB season each go-round, but it’s not the biggest stage. Besides, despite the showdown between Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the final that had everyone on the edge of their seat, star pitching wasn’t there for the U.S. That’s a hurdle that needs to be overcome.
You want to bring in new fans? Show the world how electric the top players in the MLB can be against the world’s best. Just take the aforementioned 1992 Dream Team as an example. The sport will be much better for it.
If it’s a concern that the Olympics takes place during the middle of the MLB season, look no further than the WNBA, who took an extended break during its season to allow its top stars to shine on the biggest stage. Both sports are looking for more viewers, and the WNBA will be the talk of the town once the likes of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale are invited to the team.
Play of the week
To keep with the Olympics theme, this week has two winners – both from Paris. First, Curry’s aforementioned dagger shot has to be mentioned, but so does Lyles’ photo-finish in the Men’s 100M dash, where he won by 0.005 seconds. I’m no math or science expert, but that might be quicker than a blink of an eye. He may have received some ire due to his comments towards NBA players, but none can deny that Lyles is a burst of lightning on the track.
