Even to the passive or casual viewer, the 2024 Olympics have proven one thing: we are back, to borrow the phrase “we are back.”
The quadrennial event serves many functions—a celebration of sport, of course; a chance for the host city to show off to a global audience; a chance to check (by the way) where broadcast technology stands at a given moment in time. But it’s also a kind of weather check, a moment to pause and reflect on the state of things, defined as broadly as possible. After the Covid-delayed and Covid-restricted Tokyo Games, in which elite athletes performed to empty rooms and one of the world’s great cities sat spoiled and unable to show itself, Paris in 2024 will shine with something that Olympic fans have longed for in the past: possibility.
For the American viewer, the Olympic team had some heartening accomplishments, from Simone Biles cementing her place in history to Katie Ledecky’s dominance in the pool to the winning teams in men’s and women’s basketball and women’s soccer. It seemed striking how many sports narratives, for Americans, celebrated women’s achievements—so much so that Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who were both deliberate in how they used their voices, narrated videos celebrating the U.S. team. By the time Vice President Kamala Harris shouted the Olympians from the podium (by the way, the mood shifts!), it was clear that a certain strain of emotional patriotism suddenly felt in vogue.
Swift and Beyoncé, who helped broadcast the event on NBC, were a clear example of the Games’ deep cultural engagement. Just as the NFL increasingly relied on music to promote the Super Bowl even among those who don’t know how to play defensive back, the Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies were lively, elegant, and contemporary. They were staged in a spirit of showmanship that showcased French culture at its best (just as the Olympics were, with the Eiffel Tower being ubiquitous at the outdoor competitions), and they fueled conversations beyond the Games themselves.
At times, NBC’s broadcast leaned on celebrity culture to its detriment; the inclusion of Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Fallon in the proceedings sometimes felt awkward. But give them this—they’ve mastered the livestream experience, offering a kind of choose-your-own-adventure for the curious Olympics on Peacock. The memorable moments that arose organically, from French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati appearing to disqualify himself after part of his anatomy touched the bar to the Australian breaker known as “Raigan” making his breakdancing debut at the Games with more enthusiasm than skill, seemed to be delivered in a spirit of good fun. Even J.K. Rowling and Megyn Kelly (the latter, in a parallel universe, commentating on the Games as the host of the “Today” show) couldn’t dampen the bonhomie. The controversy over the misinformation spread about boxer Iman Khalif and the controversy over a Bacchanalian photo at the opening ceremony that was seen as an insult to “The Last Supper” has faded. Khalif won the gold medal; Surely more people remember Celine Dion's triumphant appearance at the opening of the Games than the spectacle.
After a downward spiral, the IOC is likely to look to the future with great enthusiasm: the 2028 Games in Los Angeles means that the possibilities for cultural leaders to be immersed in the proceedings are somehow greater than in Paris. Those who have spent two weeks immersed in sporting competition, continental expertise and a generally positive atmosphere are sure to be disappointed about one thing only: that the Los Angeles Games are still four years away.
