Why these Olympics feel so different

it's the memes... plus what surprised us this week

The IOC has lost control of the Olympic Games—in the best way possible.

Historically, the Olympics have been consumed as a single, fortnight-long story pieced together by TV producers for every American to watch the same way. On occasion, unforeseen events (Ryan Lochte’s arrest, Bob Costas’ pink eye) have disrupted plans, but they were the exceptions that showed just how predictable the flow of each Olympiad otherwise was.

Until this year.

While NBC continues elevating the Games’ biggest stars—Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Noah Lyles—internet commenters have selected their own main characters of the day in Paris. “Olympic Muffin Man” Henrik Christiansen has been profiled in The New York Times for making an athlete’s village breakfast staple (or is it a dessert?) go viral on TikTok. The Washington Post is reporting on a boys’ gymnastics boom driven by the online love for “Pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik. “Turkish John Wick” Yusuf Dikec has added 250,000 followers on X within five days of launching his account there, as his nonchalant shooting stance inspires celebrations from other athletes, including world record-holding pole vaulter Armand Duplantis.

We’re nearing the end of the 2024 Olympics, and Paris is still getting overwhelmingly positive reviews for its hosting. Ratings are up, and the typical stories of the downsides of holding sports’ biggest event have been almost non-existent.

Why the change in vibe?

The City of Lights’ unique backdrop has been credited with the good feelings, as has the post-pandemic return of crowds and the time zone difference that allows Americans to watch live events all day long. 

But I think the Olympics’ success is more replicable than that. It isn’t mainly the result of where the Olympics are, or who’s there or when they’re happening. 

The biggest change has been how we watch the Olympics today. Organizers and broadcasters no longer solely decide what fans see. Instead, video-first social media platforms are distributing clips to massive audiences, relying on algorithms to surface the most compelling moments. Fortunately, NBC and the IOC have embraced the change too, even sending their own digital content creators to capture behind-the-scenes moments. 

Importantly, athletes are seizing the opportunity. Many of them grew up with social media, or at least became addicted to the platforms during the pandemic like the rest of us. So when they arrived in Paris, they recognized the Olympics were not the culmination of a lifetime of work—but rather the beginning of a new opportunity.

I laughed when American swimmer Alex Walsh jokingly described teammate Abbey Weitzeil as a “wannabe influencer.” With 35,000 followers on Instagram now, I think she can safely drop the “wannabe” title. “It’s a job,” gymnast Fred Richard recently told ESPN of his decision to stay in Paris after the end of his events to keep making content. Rugby player Ilona Maher is doing the same. 

Suddenly, viewers at home feel like they are a part of the Olympics. They’re seeing what athletes see, talking to them in the comments, and making the same memes. As much as the events are happening in France, the Games are playing out online.

On the same feed where athletes are posting, non-competitors have gone viral too for posting clips of their athletic fails with captions along the lines of “sad to announce I didn’t make the cut for the Paris Olympics.” Then six-time medalist Suni Lee posted her own twist on the trend, turning a moment of bitter disappointment into a video that now has 34 million views (her gold medal celebration has even more). 

Individual athletes—rather than teams, broadcasters, and organizers—are the stars of the show more than ever. It turns out that, on TV or on TikTok, that’s what people want to watch.

Now turning it over to Eben for his Six Pack…

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Story of the Week 🏀: I’m not sure what runs faster, Noah Lyles’ feet or his mouth, but I’ll happily watch either. The brash American sprinter made headlines this week for demanding a shoe deal after winning gold in the men’s 100M race, but I’m more interested in his ongoing feud with some of the NBA’s most prominent players. Lyles said last year that NBA champions can’t call themselves “world champions” and basketball stars like Devin Booker are still talking about. My colleague Eric Jackson wrote about the latest battle in Noah Lyles vs. the NBA.

Story of the Week (Non-Sportico Division) 🏃‍♀️: It’s not a written piece, but I devoured the Tested podcast from BBC, which dives deep into the fairness and science of intersex athletes competing in women’s sports. The six-part series uses two African runners as its narrative arc, but it’s especially relevant given the controversy last week in Olympic boxing. There’s a lot of un-serious and uniformed opinions out there on this topic; this podcast is the primer that you want.