The Sportsletter - Let The Games Begin 🏅

BY JEFF YODER

JULY 26, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

The long-awaited event of the summer is finally here. Yesterday saw the MLB’s second no-hitter of the year, a barrage of NFL training camp news, and an opening-match win for the USWNT. Today? Well, today is special. It’s the first-ever outdoor parade-style opening ceremony at the Olympics (1:30 pm ET, NBC).

Let the Games Begin! 🏅

  OLYMPICS   🏅

Let the Games Begin 🔥

Photo: Chesnot / Getty Images

Over 1 Billion People Worldwide Expected to Watch Athletes Sail Down the Seine River in Bold Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

It’s finally time. On any given day, you can watch the news or read the headlines that divide nations and people, but sport’s ultimate unifier is upon us. In just a few short hours, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 10,000 athletes sailing down the Seine River in a bold and never-before-seen spectacle. NBC estimates that over 1 billion viewers will tune in worldwide to see the best athletes on Earth in today’s showcase. Let’s run through some fun facts about the one-of-a-kind boat parade we’re about to see.

Opening Ceremony of Firsts

Not only is it the first outdoor, parade-style opening ceremony in Olympic history, but it’ll have more live spectators than any before. The six-kilometer route runs through the center of Paris past the Eiffel Tower and many of the official sports venues before ending at the Trocadero where the Olympic torch will be lit. Cameras on each boat will give close-ups of each nation’s athletes while 80 giant screens will broadcast along the route. It’s the first time the Olympic opening ceremony won’t be held in a fixed-capacity stadium. And despite all of those cool facts, there are still a lot of behind-the-scenes features we still don’t know about. Prepare to be surprised.

Paris 101 — 100 Years in Waiting

The last time Paris played host to the Olympic Games was 1924 — exactly a century ago. The Games looked a lot different then. Just look at the photos from 1924 of track, swimming and running events. In 1924, there were 17 sports and just over 3,000 athletes. This year, there are 32 sports (40 total event classifications), 206 countries, and roughly 10,500 athletes in total. The 1924 Paris Olympics were also the first ever to be broadcast over the radio. How far we’ve come…

🔥 Lighting the Torch

In a usual Olympic custom, the torch will be lit and carried through Paris in a series of hand-offs designed to showcase the city and the world coming together. A long list of torch-bearers from various nations are involved, but American icon and rapper, Snoop Dogg, will deliver it on the final leg before the Eiffel Tower.

🇺🇸 Team USA Flag Bearers

LeBron James & Coco Gauff

🏅 History of the Medal Count

The Olympics may be a bigger deal for athletes in the United States compared to many other places in the world, and it shows in the preparation and overall domination of the Games over time. The U.S. boasts the most gold medals in Olympic history with 1,179. The Soviet Union (473) and Germany (342) are second and third. Not even close.

They’re gassing up the boats. Get ready for one epic display of sport and pageantry this afternoon.

🏅 Olympics Opening Ceremony

1:30 pm ET (Encore at 7:30 pm ET)

Streaming on NBC & Peacock

Read More

NBC: Olympics Opening Ceremony: Everything You Need to Know

TIME: Photos From the Last Paris Olympics — 100 Years Ago

ESPN: A List of All Team USA Flag Bearers in Olympic History

WIRED: The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Will Be Unlike Any Before It

  OLYMPICS   🏅

Highlights From Day 2

Photo: Brad Smith / ISI / Getty Images

USWNT Launches Gold Medal Quest With Breezy 3-0 Win

Day 2 of early-round action in Paris featured one of the must-see squads for Team USA — women’s soccer. It was Match 1, but there was plenty to like. On the flip side, the U.S. men’s rugby team has been eliminated before the opening ceremonies even began. We also got a world record (in women's archery!), and a first glimpse of Simone Biles. Here’s the best from Day 2:

⚽️ Women’s Soccer

🇺🇸 USA Makes Light Work of 🇿🇲 Zambia (3-0)

Thursday marked USWNT manager Emma Hayes’ first competitive match, and it was anything but competitive. The U.S. put three on the board against Zambia in the first half hour. Trinity Rodman (17’) started the scoring before Mallory Swanson (24’ & 25’) scored two goals in less than 100 seconds. Hayes’ offense was held without a goal in the second half, but the U.S. coasted to a Game 1 win.

🏉 Men’s Rugby

🇦🇺 Australia Eliminates 🇺🇸 USA (18-0)

The men’s rugby team won their final “pool play” game yesterday morning against Uruguay (33-17) to notch a 1-1-1 record in Pool C, but that’s where the run ended. They landed a date with Australia in the quarterfinals and got blanked (18-0). The four remaining teams in the semifinals are France, South Africa, Australia and Fiji.

Other Olympics Highlights

Simone Biles Brings A-Game at Podium Training

France Women’s Handball Opens With a Win

🎯 South Korea’s Lim Si-Hyeon Sets World Record in Women’s Archery

  MLB   

Cease & Desist (With Those Hits)

Photo: Matt Thomas / Getty Images

Padres’ Dylan Cease Twirls 2nd No-Hitter in Padres History to Beat Nationals (3-0)

Cease and desist with those hits! The Padres’ ace with the perfect name for halting batters delivered his first career no-hitter yesterday afternoon against the Nationals in a 3-0 win. San Diego put three runs on the board in the first inning, then it became the Cease show. It was only the second no-no in Padres history and just the second of the 2024 MLB season (Astros’ Ronel Blanco, Apr. 1). Cease went the distance with 114 pitches, nine strikeouts and three walks to earn San Diego’s fifth straight win in a post-All-Star break surge. The Padres (55-50) are momentarily back in the final NL Wild Card spot. Take a bow (and a Gatorade bath), Dylan Cease!

Watch: Dylan Cease Throws 2nd No-Hitter in Padres History

MLB Quick-Hitters

Kershaw’s Debut Dub: Clayton Kershaw made his ’24 debut last night in California after working his way back from the IL. It wasn’t a great start, but he went four innings (6H, 6Ks, 2ER) and claimed a win for the Dodgers over the Giants (6-4).

Max Makes History: Max Scherzer passed Justin Verlander for 10th place on the MLB’s all-time strikeout list yesterday with a season-high nine Ks in the Rangers’ 2-1 win over the White Sox. Texas swept the four-game series.

More Mets Magic: Less than 24 hours after sweeping the Yankees (again), the Mets pulled off an extra-inning walk-off thriller over the Braves (3-2, 10 innings). Jeff McNeil slapped an RBI single with two outs, and the Mets have won four straight.

  NFL   

Camp Confidential: Week 1 Buzz

Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

Week 1 Takeaways From the Start of NFL Training Camps

It’s the end of Week 1 at NFL training camps. We’ll call it the first quarter of the NFL preseason news generator. A lot has happened with holdouts, injuries, and new faces settling into new buildings. From Caleb Williams to Dak Prescott and rookies to roster spots, here’s a handful of the storylines buzzing at the end of Week 1.

Training Camp Buzz

• Colts Teammates Raving About QB Anthony Richardson
• Caleb Williams’ Throws Have Bears Camp Buzzing
• Rams CB Derion Kendrick Suffers Torn ACL on 1st Day of Camp
• Jacoby Brissett Strongly in QB1 Position at Patriots Camp
• Trevor Lawrence Plagued by Turnovers at Jaguars Camp
• Raiders Have Laugh With Mahomes Doll at Camp
• Saquon Barkley Relishing Eagles Training Camp With Hard Knocks in Rearview
• Are Dak Prescott & Jerry Jones Preparing for Cowboys Breakup?

  STORYLINES  

🏈 Fantasy Football Rankings

It’s never too early to start getting ready for football season. From sleepers to busts, we’ve projected every player in your upcoming fantasy draft. Dominate your league with a cheat sheet of player rankings, comparison tools, and a draft tracker. (The Ringer)

⚾️ 5 Must-Sell Teams at the Deadline

The expanded playoffs have allowed too many teams to believe there's a chance they could be in serious contention with just around 80 wins. That's a trap. There’s a better option that involves fading teams selling their best assets. (FOX Sports)

📃 The 70th Anniversary of Sports Illustrated

You don’t make it to 70 by blindly following every piece of advice you get, even if it comes from one of the great media visionaries of the 20th century. Read the story of SI, an iconic magazine during a year (or many) in turmoil, thriving beyond Year 70. (Sports Illustrated)

  NEWS   📰 

⚾️ Brewers’ Christian Yelich Might Need Season-Ending Back Surgery (B/R)

🏒 Flyers & Travis Kocecny Agree to 8-Year, $70 Million Extension (ESPN)

⚽️ Argentina Files FIFA Complaint Following Pitch Invasion in Olympic Opener (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Ohio State Football Players Receive CFB Best ‘Around $20 Million’ in NIL Money (CBS Sports)

🥊 Canelo Alvarez Reportedly Stripped of IBF Title Belt (USA Today)

⚾️ Diamondbacks Acquire Reliever A.J. Puk From Marlins (SI)

⚾️ Athletics All-Star Closer Mason Miller Breaks Pinky Finger Pounding Table in Frustration (FOX Sports)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️

The Olympic Must-Watch List

🏅 The 2024 Paris Olympics

🔥 Opening Ceremony (Fri. 1:30 pm ET, NBC/Peacock)

Pre-Show Starts at Noon ET

Prime-Time Encore at 7:30 pm ET

Team USA (Marquee Events)

⚽️ MSOC: 🇺🇸 USA vs. 🇳🇿 New Zealand (Sat. 1:00 pm)

🎾 WTEN: 🇺🇸 USA vs. 🇦🇺 Australia (Sat. TBD) *Doubles

🏀 MBB: 🇺🇸 USA vs. 🇷🇸 Serbia (Sun. 11:15 am)

⚽️ WSOC: 🇺🇸 USA vs. 🇩🇪 Germany (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Other Sports in Action This Weekend: Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Handball, Rowing, Rugby, Shooting, Skateboarding, Surfing, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo

More than a dozen events won’t begin until next week, including 3x3 basketball, break dancing, golf, sport climbing, triathlon, weightlifting and more. *All Times ET / Coverage on NBC & Peacock.

Other Sports to Watch

⚾️ MLB

Guardians-Phillies Series

Yankees-Red Sox Series

Dodgers-Astros Series

Full MLB Schedule

⛳️ PGA Tour

3M Open (All Weekend, ESPN+/Peacock)

🥊 UFC 304

L. Edwards vs. B. Muhammad (Sat. 10:00 pm ET, PPV)

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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