14 Most Entertaining Olympic Games You Should Pay Attention To
Now that outrage over the Olympics’ most bizarre opening ceremony is subsiding. Hopefully, viewers can forgive and…watch some sports.
The Summer Olympics are a hallowed tradition affiliated with names like Spitz, Jordan, Biles, and Bolt. Will this year’s Games bolster the legacy of seasoned Olympians or open the door for emerging stars?
Time will tell. For now, let’s just enjoy some high-level competition before the Premier League and the NFL kick-off. There are 15 matches that casuals and veteran Olympian watchers will want to tune into.
1. Football/Soccer
Anytime you have the chance to watch high-level international soccer, you take it.
International soccer federations have a way of spacing out competitions to keep the fan base as rabid as possible. The World Cup and Olympics happen every four years, meaning the competitors are playing for high stakes. France is this year’s favorite, but Spain and Argentina aren’t far behind in the odds books.
2. Table Tennis
The average viewer can’t relate to many Olympic sports, like fencing, sailing, and marathon swimming. Who hasn’t picked up a ping-pong paddle, though?
The feeling of whooping your niece or dad in a game of ping pong is what makes the Olympic sport so mesmerizing. It’s the same sport (in name, at least), but the competitors are standing yards behind the table and smacking the ball like their life depends on it—and somehow keeping it on the table. And just wait until the doubles matches start…
3. BMX Freestyle
Americans aren’t generally tuning into the Olympics to see a star like Michael Phelps or Bruce Jenner claim glory. While there are long-term Olympians like Simone Biles that command eyeballs, the casual viewer wants something new and genuinely entertaining.
BMX freestyle cycling is as new as your two-year-old toddler. The Urban Park at Place de la Concorde will host Paris’ 2024 competitors, with reigning Gold Medalists Charlotte Worthington and Logan Martin looking to flip and twirl their way into supremacy once again.
4. Badminton
No, this isn’t a joke. If your heart rate has been depressed lately, find Olympic badminton in your TV Guide.
The sport has a tempo and aesthetic similar to pickleball. Considering how popular pickleball has become, it’s a wonder that Olympic badminton hasn’t become more of a thing among American viewing audiences.
5. Surfing
How do you say, “Shred some gnar, brah!” in French? We aren’t sure, but we do know that Olympic surfing is in its second year, and we’re tuning in.
Given a choice between gazing at the lap pool to see Katie Ledecky and her ilk do the butterfly for the umpteenth time or watching world-class surfers catch waves in Tahiti, it’s a no-brainer. The Tahitian break where surfers are performing, Teahupo’o, has claimed the life of at least one surfer. The most dangerous thing about Olympic swimming is a potential ear infection.
6. Weightlifting
It’s difficult to watch Olympic weightlifting without thinking a speaker-rattling “Snap!” or “Pop!” is inevitable. Thankfully, it hasn’t come—at least not while we’ve been watching.
What has come is a boatload of motivation to finally cut out the Oreos, hire the personal trainer, and get serious about getting jacked. We only have four years until the 2028 Olympics, and the muscles aren’t going to inflate themselves.
7. Boxing
For many, boxing is an acquired taste that they’ll never be able to acquire. For others, primal combat between combatants with Usain Bolt-caliber fast-twitch muscles is the height of Olympic entertainment.
American legends like Joe Frazier and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. made their bones sparring at the Olympics. While the sport has waned in popularity significantly, it’s still a nice change of pace at an otherwise tame Olympic games.
8. Basketball
A bit of familiarity never hurts when you’re trying to get into the Olympics. With the NBA Finals recently concluding, withdrawals have set in for hardcore basketball fans.
The 2024 iteration of USA Basketball has already proven that it won’t live up to Dream Team-level expectations. Still, seeing stars like LeBron James and Anthony Edwards compete against opponents from Eastern Europe and Africa is quite a novelty.
Mountain biking is one of those sports that becomes entirely different and daredevil-ish when done in a competitive setting.
Be warned: Not every second of Olympic mountain biking is high-octane. There are uphill portions. However, the sport’s relatability (we’ve all tried going uphill on a bike; it stinks) and the eye-catching outdoor courses and foliage make it worth watching.
9. Rugby Sevens
Does anyone who hasn’t played rugby or grown up in Europe know the rules of rugby? Of course not. Is the sport any less exciting? No.
In fact, rugby sevens is a hyper-exciting iteration of rugby where the pitch is wide open due to fewer players. Whether you are betting on the matches or watching the Olympics for fun, the sheer brutality and speed of rugby sevens will get you going.
10. Fencing
When else do you have the opportunity to watch fencing on television? We’ll wait.
Actually, there’s a good reason why fencing isn’t on TV. There’s a lot of standing between attacks, creating a sort of water-torture effect for the audience. Like two timid boxers afraid to go on the offensive, fencers can be a conservative bunch. Even so, the sport has a comic quality that’s worth tuning in for.
11. Judo
Those looking for self-defense tips or simply a leg-up the next time they get in a fight with a family member at Thanksgiving should watch judo for some practical advice.
As an added bonus, judo audiences are raucous. They might even give the rugby sevens audiences a run for their money, and that’s saying a whole lot.
12. Canoe Slalom
Did you know that they had white water rafting in the Olympics? Well, they have something close.
Canoe slalom requires contestants to navigate an artificial, rapid-like water feature, traversing through checkpoints as quickly as possible. It’s not quite as exciting as the YouTube videos of death-defying kayakers you’ll find sponsored by Red Bull, but it’s pretty intriguing fare by Olympics standards.
13. Cycling BMX Racing
When it comes to the 2024 Olympics, get in as many BMX competitions as you possibly can. The sport is a newcomer to the Games, and it has not disappointed.
BMX racing involves riders hurtling over hills and up the sides of luge-like ramp-walls. The concept is pretty simple: First one to the finish line wins. The execution, on the other hand, is complex controlled chaos.
14. Golf
We didn’t title this list “the most exciting Olympic sports” for a reason. Golf is always worth watching, especially when it’s being played in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, within a stone’s throw of Versailles.
The truth is, you’re bound to have a brutal hangover at some point during the Olympics. When you do, you’ll be grateful to have the headache-soothing drone of a golf commentator to put you to sleep.
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