***Paris 2024 Summer Olympics: July 26-August 11*** USA dominates medal count; Finish tied w/ China for most golds - See ya in Milan 2026! (2 Viewers)

[WVU Alum]

Watching surfing. I don’t understand the scoring, but I am glued.

 

[heckmanm]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

I've got FB friends who are livid. I'm guessing the French did some very French things?

Some kind of ménage a trois at one point. Not sure if that is what they would be livid about.

A handful of similar moments for the pearl clutchers

 

[AAABatteries]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

I've got FB friends who are livid. I'm guessing the French did some very French things?

Some kind of ménage a trois at one point. Not sure if that is what they would be livid about.

My understanding is the drag queens posed in a fashion like Da Vinci’s Last Supper.

I honestly didn’t notice it but I can see why both sides have their take on it. I couldn’t care less. The artsy part of that was lost on me anyway.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

How do I watch this without spoilers? I watched the women's beach volleyball match earlier today and it was scrolling results at the bottom for the swimming events that are going to be aired on NBC later.

 

[dino259]

How do I watch this without spoilers? I watched the women's beach volleyball match earlier today and it was scrolling results at the bottom for the swimming events that are going to be aired on NBC later.

Put tape over your TV?

I also figured out enough of what I watched this morning/afternoon is going to be a big part of NBC PrimeTime. Even if it is USA, I would rather not have repeats as there is so many events.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

of all the olympic sports that i don't understand, and there are a lot of them, i understand rugby the least

just watched a guy get tackled, fumble the ball, the opponent scoop and kick the ball way downfield where no one was.. out of bounds.. and the announcers commenting remarked how amazing the play was by both teams.

no idea what's going on

When we first discovered curling (Vancouver Olympics), we found that reading the rules on Wikipedia was a big help.

It also helped that those announcers were terrific.

good tip

where curling feels like it makes sense, nothing about rugby clicks for me. find myself watching it, though. probably time to learn the rules.

There are only three games left so maybe not worth it at this point. The first thing to know is Olympic rugby is - at best - “rugby lite” because it’s 7s. I watch a ton of rugby but only see 7s during the Olympics and don't otherwise bother because it's not very entertaining for me. However, it is popular, especially in the US. Second, it’s hard to understand rugby if you filter it through the American football lens. Think more soccer or hockey, forget about things like plays and downs. The gameplay in rugby is constant and when a ball carrier is tackled that’s when it gets interesting, rather than being the end of a “play.” When watching 7s, you naturally watch the ball but the key is spacing and creating overlaps so pay attention to how the defenders are lining up across the field as the ball is switched. Attacks are based on trying different things like spinning the ball wide, kicking ahead and keeping it tight to the scrum or ruck until you find a seam.

I thought 3 of the 4 quarterfinals were very entertaining games, with the exception being the dud the US put on against Australia.

What are the rules once someone is tackled? Why do they seem to just push the ball out behind them and why aren't opponents usually diving to get at that ball?

Despite appearances, rugby is really highly-regulated chaos. I first played when I lived in New Zealand as a teenager in the 80's and have been a big fan ever since but still often don't know why the ref has blown a whistle until seeing the replay. When a player is tackled and goes to ground, he has to release the ball. Typically, there are at least 2-3 players involved and a ruck is formed (if he is tackled and no ruck is formed, he can just pick up the ball and keep running. This happens pretty often in 7s, is more rare in 15s.) If the player does not go to ground and is held up, that's a "maul" and different rules apply. In a ruck, the first thing to understand is the offside rules. I can't fully explain the offside rule here but suffice it to say players generally have to stay on their side of the offside line - they can't run around back and attack the ruck from the opposing team's side. In rugby, players can never pass forward or knock the ball forward with their hands - that's a penalty. Also, once a ruck is formed, the ball is released (typically by moving it back toward your players) and then no one can put their hands on the ball in the ruck - only feet can be used to work it out. So if a defender dives into a ruck and is offside or reaches in and puts his hands on the ball, that's a penalty. This all typically happens very quickly, especially in 7s, but it is a huge part of the game - the attacking side using rucks to maintain possession, re-organize and form the next phase attack or, alternatively, the defense stealing the ball in a ruck by overpowering the other team or forcing a penalty. In open play as you see phase after phase of - run, tackle, ruck, run tackle, ruck and the ball is switched wide from side to side - what you're looking for is seeing the defense get disorganized as the big guys find themselves out wide and the smaller fast guys find themselves stuck in the rucks like fish out of water, and after several phases of this they are all out of position and that's when the attacking team can create 2 v 1 situations or find seams to break through.

I really appreciate your efforts here but I still don’t think i understand anything about this…

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

I've got FB friends who are livid. I'm guessing the French did some very French things?

Some kind of ménage a trois at one point. Not sure if that is what they would be livid about.

My understanding is the drag queens posed in a fashion like Da Vinci’s Last Supper.

I honestly didn’t notice it but I can see why both sides have their take on it. I couldn’t care less. The artsy part of that was lost on me anyway.

Seems like the dumbest fake outrage ever.

There was nothing to do with the Last Supper. There wasn't even a table. There was a pretend fashion show with people lining the runway on both sides and in one of the video shots it's kind of at an angle that makes the runway look like a table.

This is the offending photo

Zooming out a bit

The "offensive" video that the "I'm tired of people getting offended so easily!" crew is losing their mind over.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

I've got FB friends who are livid. I'm guessing the French did some very French things?

Unless the pic circulating on twitter is fake or misleading, one of the dudes had a testicle hanging out of his shorts…

 

[GroveDiesel]

Man, sports can be brutal. 5 minute feel good segment on a US men’s gymnast named Brody. They transition to his performance saying “And there’s his dad and his fiancée in the stands…his mom died when in 2012. Brody won the international title in 2022 when he last competed and is one of the favorites to medal here.”

60 seconds later Brody had fallen twice and his Olympics is essentially over.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Man, sports can be brutal. 5 minute feel good segment on a US men’s gymnast named Brody. They transition to his performance saying “And there’s his dad and his fiancée in the stands…his mom died when in 2012. Brody won the international title in 2022 when he last competed and is one of the favorites to medal here.”

60 seconds later Brody had fallen twice and his Olympics is essentially over.

The agony of defeat

 

[BlackCrowes]

Man, sports can be brutal. 5 minute feel good segment on a US men’s gymnast named Brody. They transition to his performance saying “And there’s his dad and his fiancée in the stands…his mom died when in 2012. Brody won the international title in 2022 when he last competed and is one of the favorites to medal here.”

60 seconds later Brody had fallen twice and his Olympics is essentially over.

that was tough

 

[GroveDiesel]

The event was earlier today, but I’m not really sure there is a need for an underwater camera for water polo. Seemed super creepy.

 

[TLEF316]

I just can't with handball. It just looks like a gym class where the guy with the ball is trying way too hard and nobody else is trying at all.

 

[Don Quixote]

Currently watching synchronized diving, complaining about some of these favorable judge’s scores for the Chinese team.

Good to have the Olympics back.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Ugh and they just showed highlights and a score flash from the USA soccer game ,which they're not even airing for another hour. Stop spoiling everything NBC.

 

[Orange&Blue]

I'm not biased, but the American girls synchronized diving looked better than PRC.

Judges need to be investigated.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I'm not biased, but the American girls synchronized diving looked better than PRC.

Judges need to be investigated.

I just can never get quite as excited for judged events precisely because of this. It’s just human nature to have even unconscious bias towards someone if they’ve been dominant for a long time.

 

[the moops]

Hey sports fans, is firing up the Peacock subscription a no-brainer decision to maximize viewing pleasure?

It's like 7 bucks for the month. Absolutely woth it for the Olympics and then I imagine there has gotta be a couple good shows/movies on there

 

[Brew Swillis]

I'm not biased, but the American girls synchronized diving looked better than PRC.

Judges need to be investigated.

I just can never get quite as excited for judged events precisely because of this. It’s just human nature to have even unconscious bias towards someone if they’ve been dominant for a long time.

Gojira doesn't have any unconscious bias towards anyone.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

Some people will complain about anything. It was not a total mess.

Except for Clarkson. They may have as well gotten a Valley Girl.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

How do I watch this without spoilers? I watched the women's beach volleyball match earlier today and it was scrolling results at the bottom for the swimming events that are going to be aired on NBC later.

I record everything that looks like fun to watch and then watch in chronological order. There are lots of things I don't need to watch.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Fun game between Greece and Canada.
Nice to have while we wait for for the real basketball to get started. I appreciate that the Olympics gives men's basketball a platform though. Maybe it'll catch on one day.

Still a little confused how the US picked Lebron as the flag-bearer. His 2 Gold Medals is an awesome accomplishment. Good for him.

Diana Taurasi would have 2 basketball Gold Medals leftover if she lost the other 3 in the bottom of her purse.

Coco was an even worse decision. Biles should have been the female selection.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

I've got FB friends who are livid. I'm guessing the French did some very French things?

Some kind of ménage a trois at one point. Not sure if that is what they would be livid about.

Lotta enraged face book moms about some sort of trans mockery of the last supper. But it may not have even been the last supper. Let’s not forget that our country was founded by people that thought the English were way too laissez faire and uptight.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

One of the Canada ladies…

 

[boilerdave]

Watching the opening ceremony and I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what Kelly Clarkson is supposed to add here. She's painful.

This is already my favorite opening ceremony of all time. But Kelly is almost ruining it.

I fell asleep about 10 minutes after posting this and today I’m reading that the opening ceremony was a total mess? For the bit I watched it seemed quirky and fun - the dancers on the bendy poles were cool.

How did they get on top of the poles is the question I had.
Air lifted by Canadian drones perhaps?

 

[BlackCrowes]

I don’t understand how more fights don’t break out in water polo

 

[the moops]

Mountain biking is cool to watch, especially when they are battling in the woods. Best finish ever for US, silver!

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Two events Im trying to watch live today in between yard work, work work, and making pizzas for the fam:
US men v Serbia in basketball tips off in one hour
US women soccer v Germany later this aft

 

[ChiefD]

I'm not biased, but the American girls synchronized diving looked better than PRC.

Judges need to be investigated.

Agree 100%.

That was the perfect time for me to break out my traditional expert Olympic shtick to my wife:

“Geez, honey. Yiwen was at least one meter down pool from Yani. Her rotation was at least a half twist off when she executed her jump from the board!!!”

 

[Desert_Power]

These American flag fencing helmets or whatever they're called are supremely badass.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Watching the big, burly USA women's rugby team just steamroll over the much smaller, diminutive Japanese women's team is hilarious and a bit embarrassing all at the same time.

I just saw one poor Japanese player just get trucked by a US fullback (that's probably not the positional term, but damn, it was brutal).

I turned it on just before halftime, and Japan was up 7-5. Since the second half started 4 minutes ago, the US ladies outscored them 31-0. And keep in mind that they play 7-minute halves.

Edit: I just checked; it was 22-7 at halftime. Regardless, they pretty much dominated everything except for the first possession.

 

[FarFromHome]

I'll admit. I've never actually watched rugby. I have no idea what the rules are. My goodness. This is the most physical sport I have ever seen. Power. Speed. It's damn entertaining. Makes NFL seem so soft. America!!!

 

[FarFromHome]

Watching the big, burly USA women's rugby team just steamroll over the much smaller, diminutive Japanese women's team is hilarious and a bit embarrassing all at the same time.

I just saw one poor Japanese player just get trucked by a US fullback (that's probably not the positional term, but damn, it was brutal).

I just watched that. That small Japanese girl had ZERO chance and was tossed like a rag doll.

 

[TripItUp]

Can’t wait for break dancing,

I just hope OZone has something left in the tank for the USA

 

[TripItUp]

Watching these young girls shred on the skateboarding was pretty fun .

 

[FarFromHome]

Can’t wait for break dancing,

I just hope OZone has something left in the tank for the USA

Turbo was only an alternate. Crazy. Must not allow props because no one can beat him with a broom.. ha ha

 

[heckmanm]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

A bit surprised to see Brazil in baggy shorts earlier today

 

[3C's]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

A bit surprised to see Brazil in baggy shorts earlier today

Surprised is not the word I was thinking.

 

[heckmanm]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

A bit surprised to see Brazil in baggy shorts earlier today

Surprised is not the word I was thinking.

Watching the ITA/ESP replay on Peacock is fine consolation

 

[3C's]

Just watched the women's beach volleyball match between Italy & Spain. Good Lord........ I was hoping for OT, penalty kicks, extra time......whatever...... to keep that match going.

A bit surprised to see Brazil in baggy shorts earlier today

Surprised is not the word I was thinking.

Watching the ITA/ESP replay on Peacock is fine consolation

Damnit man, I was just about to head outside to mow the weeds. Guess that'll have to wait.

 

[falguy]

Men's beach vb is hard to get into. Almost no rallys.

 

[dickey moe]

Team USA better get their **** together.

 

[Zow]

Team USA better get their **** together.

Gonna be a game of runs.

 

[the moops]

Kevin ****ing Durant!

Holy moly

 

[Don Quixote]

Kevin ****ing Durant!

Holy moly

Was waiting for Wade to pull out some “pronouns” reference for the fourth time.

 

[boilerdave]

Why won't Kerr play Haliburton?

 

[-OZ-]

Watching surfing. I don’t understand the scoring, but I am glued.

Surfing looks awesome but way too dependent on things outside the athlete’s control. I can’t think of another sport that conditions can change so much between athletes

 

[the moops]

Watching surfing. I don’t understand the scoring, but I am glued.

Surfing looks awesome but way too dependent on things outside the athlete’s control. I can’t think of another sport that conditions can change so much between athletes

I don't surf, so this may be off. But isn't there a skill in being able to find the right/good wave?

 

[Steve Tasker]

Lee Kiefer takes down Volpi, and it'll be an all-American final in women's individual Foil fencing. Kiefer also won the gold in 2020, looking to repeat.