The Saints could play a regular season game in Paris as soon as 2025. The black and gold have held exclusive marketing rights in France since 2023:
Who Dat Nation ⚜️ If you watched #Olympics closing ceremony, saw @TomCruise amazing stunt in Stade de France… You may be there soon! As we reported weeks ago, #NFL sources confirm league + #Saints working to stage regular-season game in @Paris Could be 2025, probably 2026. pic.twitter.com/l2fZilrLoy
New Orleans Saints fans supporting their team from overseas may have another opportunity to see the black and gold in person coming up soon. The Saints have held exclusive marketing rights in France since 2023, and plans are beginning to take shape that could have them kicking off a regular season from Paris in the near future.
Per WDSU sports director Fletcher Mackel, it could be in the works for as soon as 2025, though Mackel says “probably 2026” is more likely. NFL rules won’t force the Saints to give up a home game until 2030, but it’s possible the team could volunteer for this unique opportunity. Still, you’d like to see them keep all of their home games in New Orleans to show off the extensively remodeled Caesars Superdome.
So where could they be playing that game in France? Mackel points to the 81,000-seat Stade de France as an obvious fit, having recently hosted the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but there are a number of venues the NFL could choose.
The league office is scheduling more and more games to be played abroad as the NFL seeks to expand its international influence with several matchups this year kicking off from London, Munich, and São Paulo in Brazil. Another European game is planned for 2025 from Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, so it could make sense to schedule a Saints game across the board in France to go along with it. Stay tuned.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris had only one event left in which to give out medals. That was the women’s basketball competition, and the U.S. was a heavy favorite for its eighth straight gold medal. It turned out winning the gold was easier said than done as the U.S. squeaked by France, 67-66, in a game that nearly went into overtime but for a foot on the 3-point line on the final basket.
Though two former Notre Dame standouts were on the U.S. roster, only one played in the final game. That was [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag], who made a single basket on seven field-goal attempts. [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] was left on the bench. However, both will leave Paris with their second Olympic gold medals each.
In six Olympic contests, Young averaged 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals a game. Over five games, Loyd had averages of 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Here’s how these two Irish legends enjoyed their latest moment of Olympic glory:
Breanna Stewart knew Gabby Williams made a big mistake right away.
In a twist almost no one saw coming, France was this close to upsetting Team USA women’s basketball in the gold medal game on Sunday.
In fact, both teams’ woeful shooting performances opened the door for the French, making the Americans really uncomfortable down the stretch. If not for Kahleah Copper’s heroics, we might have been talking about France’s first gold medal ever instead of a nail-biting 67-66 USA win.
But even in the flash of chaos, one person on Team USA knew right away that Williams had fallen just short of forcing overtime. That was Breanna Stewart, who was seen pointing at the line without hesitation in a wonderfully animated photo of the superstar:
Breanna Stewart knew 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 that Gabby Williams' game-tying bid was a two-point basket, not a three.
That is tremendous confidence right there. Look at Stewart’s face. That’s of an athlete who knows they’re about to add another gold medal to their collection.
Should OKC Thunder fans root for Team USA or France?
As the international tournament dwindles to two teams, the 2024 Olympics will conclude with a gold medal winner between either Team USA or France.
Canada failed to reach this stage after an upset loss to France in the quarterfinals. Its struggles to score outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led to its downfall.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans were likely split in their allegiances throughout the summer. Sure, most who lived locally likely cheered on the USA for obvious reasons, but Canada became the unofficial second squad to root for.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort were starters for Canada. Both have been fixtures in OKC since 2019. It’s only normal for Thunder fans to root for their neighbors up north.
Considering the USA and Canada never matched up in group play and were on opposite sides of the bracket, being a double fan was easier for the Thunder faithful.
But heading into the knockout stage, it felt like a collision course between the USA and Canada was within the realm of possibility. Both went a perfect 3-0 in group play and were arguably the two best squads of the 2024 Olympics.
Gilgeous-Alexander talked about the possibility and sounded excited. He said it would’ve been a fun matchup and could stress test how far Canada’s program has progressed after historically struggling.
Instead, Canada fell in the opening round while the USA advanced to the championship contest against host country France.
Entering the semifinals post-Canada exit, the reasons to root for the USA are obvious. It represents this country and has been the most dominant program in basketball history. It’s only patriotic to hope LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry bring home the gold in their likely final run together at this stage.
But should Thunder fans consider playing devil’s advocate and root for France to make Canada’s loss look a bit prettier? It may be tempting, but the answer is probably not.
The sole reason Thunder fans followed Canada’s journey was Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort. Neither was assigned blame for its early exit against France.
Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal throughout the 2024 Olympics and graded out as one of the best players. Dort helped Canada overcome a disastrous run by Jamal Murray, who looked like a shell of his former self.
Canada’s early demise had more to do with the rest of the roster than those two. Its inability to have other scorers and true centers reared its ugly head in the final moments of its loss to France.
Thunder fans can root for whoever they want in this USA vs. France contest. Policing fandoms is unnecessary and sucks the joy out of sports. It should be an exciting matchup with compelling storylines. Can the former cap off a dominant run? Can the latter pull off the massive upset in its home crowd?
Either way, the result will not affect how productive the individual Olympic runs were for the Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort.
Despite the premature finish, it was a step in the right direction for Canada’s ambitions. Both should be back at this stage in 2028.
Wemby said his bloody neck reminded him of the French national anthem.
During the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament, Team France had a huge upset over Team Germany.
By winning the game, the French national team will have a chance to play for a gold medal. They will face the winner of the United States and Serbia in the other semifinal match.
During the game, while it is currently unclear when it occured, France’s Victor Wembanyama suffered a cut on his neck that made him bleed. The big man then spoke to reporters after the contest, and he shared such an amazing quote (evoking the French national anthem) about the injury.
France’s Victor Wembanyama bleeding from the neck after semifinal win over Germany: “In our national anthem, we talk about blood, too. We’re willing to spill blood on the court. It’s no big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I’m all for it.” pic.twitter.com/f7O9pW6dXd
“In our national anthem, we talk about blood, too. We’re willing to spill blood on the court. It’s no big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I’m all for it.”
Wembanyama said that his injury reminded him about the French national anthem (“La Marseillaise”) and for good reason.
The song includes the line “L’étendard sanglant est levé” which translates to “the bloody banner is raised” in English.
It also includes “Égorger vos fils et vos compagnes!” which means “cut the throats of your sons and your companions!” when translated.
France entered as heavy favorites but the game went into overtime largely due to a stellar performance from Japan’s Rui Hachimura, who is a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. He looked like a star for his country during the game against the host nation of France.
After hitting multiple 3-pointers to bring his scoring total to 24 points with around nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Hachimura was called for his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game after making contact with France’s Rudy Gobert.
Unsportsmanlike for that and throwing Rui out of the game for that is some of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. Refs just took the game from Japan.
There needs to be an inquiry into the 3 refs for this France vs Japan game. The Hachimura ejection for a normal foul is wild. Then the given 4 point play at the end of the game? Refs really making sure the home team doesn't flame out. #OlympicGames
During group play for the French national team, Wembanyama had a thrilling matchup against Japan. While on the court, the Spurs big man briefly stood at close proximity to Japanese guard Yuki Togashi.
He and Wembanyama reportedly have the largest height difference of any two basketball players competing in the Olympics. Wembanyama is listed as 55 centimeters taller than Togashi, per FIBA’s website:
Itkin, who won a bronze medal with the U.S. for the team foil during the pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, has his first individual Olympic medal. He claimed the bronze with a 15-12 defeat of Japan’s Kazuki Iimura in the men’s individual foil. That made him the first American to medal in the event since Alexander Massialas won silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Cheung Ka Long of Hong Kong successfully defended his gold medal in this event, defeating 2016 gold medalist Daniele Garozzo of Italy. Meanwhile, [autotag]Gerek Meinhardt[/autotag], another former Irish fencer in the event and Kiefer’s husband, bowed out in the round of 16, 15-10, to Enzo Lefort of France.
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Stick another pin in the global map for Cabot, the Canadian-based golf resort operator that in recent years has expanded to properties in Scotland, the Caribbean, the U.S. and soon to western Canada.
This week, Cabot co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar will announce the company’s expansion to France with the purchase of Golf Du Médoc Resort in Bordeaux. The resort, home to two golf courses designed by Bill Coore and Rod Whitman, will be rebranded Cabot Bordeaux.
Those course designers’ names are extremely familiar to Cowan-Dewar, who employed Whitman then the team of Coore and Ben Crenshaw to build the 36 holes at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. It was there the company got the off the ground with the introduction of Cabot Links in 2012 and Cabot Cliffs in 2015. Both those courses have achieved high acclaim with rankings among the best courses in the world – Cliffs is No. 11 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses outside the U.S., and Links ties for No. 43.
The Rod Whitman-designed Vignes Course at Golf Du Médoc Resort in France, which will be rebranded as Cabot Bordeaux (Courtesy of Cabot)
Cabot Cape Breton was not the first example of Whitman and Coore design layouts at the same site, however. Before partnering with Crenshaw, Coore opened the Chateaux (Castle) Course in 1989 at Golf Du Médoc Resort. Whitman’s Vignes (Vines) Course followed in 1991.
“Both courses are just really, really wonderful golf,” Cowan-Dewar said. “It’s just a beautiful, idyllic setting. …
“The courses are really quite even, so we’re pretty excited about that. People will debate, as they do in Cape Breton, over which is their favorite course. And that’s a mighty good problem for us. There’s nothing better than people finishing their trip and trying to decide which one they liked better when there is no obvious choice.”
The Bill Coore-designed Chateau Course at Golf Du Médoc Resort in France, which will be rebranded as Cabot Bordeaux (Courtesy of Cabot)
The resort sits less than a half hour’s drive northwest of Bordeaux, considered the wine capital of the world and around which live some 1.4 million people. Not far inland from the Bay of Biscay, Bordeaux is some 320 miles south of Paris.
Cowan-Dewar said he had traveled to France several times but never the Bordeaux region until visiting Golf Du Médoc Resort last year. It was the golf that caught his attention.
“It’s entirely site specific,” he said when asked about the move into France. “I’ve long heard about it, and Rod and Bill would talk about it a fair bit. So you think how small a world it is, this is the only place in the world they worked side by side before Cabot. And with 36 holes of Ben and Rod’s work, it just seemed a little like fate, right?”
The hotel at Golf Du Médoc Resort in France, which will be rebranded as Cabot Bordeaux (Courtesy of Cabot)
Cowan-Dewar explained that Golf Du Médoc Resort was founded by two French titans of industry, one of whom has passed away. The other turns 90 years old this year and is still friends with Coore and Whitman. The opportunity to take the reins at such a property was too great to pass up, Cowan-Dewar said.
“As you can imagine, with Bill and Rod the golf architecture was terrific, as was the entire destination,” he said. “I think the city, the destination and the region were all amazing.”
Cabot Bordeaux will include a preexisting 79-room hotel, an upscale restaurant showcasing regional cuisine and a world-class spa. Cowan-Dewar said additions to the 400-acre property might include the two- and four-bedroom style of cabins and cottages that have proved popular at other Cabot properties. The hotel was built in 2007 and was recently updated, and Cabot will undertake various projects to ensure the property remains fresh with updated location-specific activities and expanded amenities.
The spa pool at Golf Du Médoc Resort in France, which will be rebranded as Cabot Bordeaux (Courtesy of Cabot)
The courses will receive polishing as Cabot takes its cues from Coore and Whitman, with the work most likely focused on the typical updates needed for drainage and playing surfaces at any 35-year-old courses. The resort also has two driving ranges, one of which includes the Bernard Pascassio Training Center. Cowan-Dewar said one of the ranges will be converted to a par-3 course, a move that has become a staple at top resorts in recent years as players look for more golf than 18 holes a day.
“It’s almost impossible to have a property like that now without a par-3 course,” he said. “They’ve become such demand drivers that converting a driving range into a par-3 course seems like a win right off the bat.”
It’s all part of a rapid expansion for Cabot, which has gone from 36 full-size holes of golf to 90 in recent years, with another 54 on the books to open soon.
In 2022 Cabot purchased the Scottish Castle Stuart and its 18-hole links course designed by Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen. That property was rebranded as Cabot Highlands with plans to add 18 new holes by Tom Doak next year.
The company then completed Cabot Saint Lucia’s Point Hardy Golf Club to great acclaim in 2023, including several of the most scenic golf holes in the world designed by Coore and Crenshaw on cliffs above the Atlantic Ocean.
Later in 2023 the first 18-hole course, named the Karoo and designed by Kyle Franz, opened at Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida, with another 18 slated to open this year. That property is a rethink of the sandy site’s former World Woods Golf Club, and it also includes two short courses.
Also in the works is Cabot Revelstoke in western Canada, with Whitman designing the mountainous 18-hole layout there.
“It’s a little overwhelming to think about, you know, but it’s very exciting,” Cowan-Dewar said of the expansions. “It’s all driven by the golf. We have found that if we focus on great golf, the rest just follows naturally.”
In the span of three years, Cabot will have gone from a famous but regional player to a worldwide force in the golf industry, and more additions to the brand are likely. Cabot Bordeaux will certainly add a French sophistication to the company’s newfound international flavor.
“Anyone playing Cabot Bordeaux is going to enjoy a distinctly French experience,” Coore said in a media release that will be released to announce the news. “Going from Cabot Cape Breton to Cabot Highlands to Cabot Saint Lucia to Cabot Bordeaux offers experiences that are as different and as varied as you could ever imagine.”
Canada’s squad may be facing a six-point penalty, but a late winner vs. France showed how hard they can fight
The Olympics women’s soccer tournament has seen Canada go through one of the most bizarre major competitions any team has experienced in recent times, and the latest development in the saga was nothing if not dramatic.
Canada staged a late comeback against host nation France on Sunday, claiming a cathartic 2-1 win thanks to Vanessa Gilles’ goal 12 minutes into second-half stoppage time.
The bigger-picture story starts back on Tuesday, when New Zealand alleged that Canada used a drone to spy on a training session before the two sides contested the first match of the entire women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Olympics.
That turned out to be the tip of the iceberg, as Canada’s attempts to contain the scandal went completely awry. Head coach Bev Priestman initially offered to not coach against New Zealand before being sent home by the Canadian Olympic Committee, while the scandal extended to the men’s side of the Canadian national team program.
While several threads remain unresolved, the Olympics required a quick resolution for the women’s tournament. The result? Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander, and staffer Joseph Lombardi were banned from all soccer activities for a year by FIFA, and Canada was handed a six-point penalty for the group stage.
All of that set the stage for a strange situation: the defending gold medalists struggled with New Zealand before ultimately winning the opener 2-1, only for the point penalty to push them back to a minus-3 total in Group A.
With Canada’s point total effectively capped at three, any sort of advancement would essentially require running the table in a strong group that included hosts France and budding South American power Colombia.
Things were looking grim on Sunday, as France took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s 42nd minute strike. Even a draw would mean Canada’s best possible point total in the group would be one, and would likely result in a fourth-place finish in the group and an early flight home.
The host nation seemed confident in pushing on for a victory, but Portland Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming pounced on a 58th minute rebound resulting from a collision between France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and defender Griedge Mbock Bathy.
It was, in other words, the first good news Canada had gotten since arriving in France, and it spurred the team to fight for its Olympic life.
While France created a handful of good looks at one end, Canada might have thought the opportunity had slipped away as Evelyne Viens’ 96th minute shot skipped wide.
Katoto probably should have ended Canada’s hopes only for Kailen Sheridan to conjure a magical save deeper in stoppage time, setting the stage for an emotional winner.
Jordyn Huitema’s powerful shot was denied by Constance Picaud (who replaced Peyraud-Magnin, who didn’t recover from the collision on Fleming’s goal), but Gilles — a center back who stayed forward in desperation — was on hand to steer the rebound over the line.
The Canadian players, who at this point appear to be blameless victims in the drone scandal, celebrated as if this were a gold-medal-clinching strike. With the game clock reading 90:00 + 11:16, Canada was somehow still afloat at the Paris Olympics.
It wasn’t just a purely cathartic goal, either. By defeating France, Canada is now in position to advance despite the six-point penalty.
A win over Colombia on Wednesday would guarantee the Canadians no worse than a third-place finish in the group. If France were to draw or beat New Zealand in the group’s other game, Canada would finish in second place, which comes with a sure place in the quarterfinals.
Watch Canada’s dramatic late goal vs. France
CANADA SCORE IN 112TH MINUTE TO BEAT HOST NATION & KEEP SCANDAL-MIRED OLYMPIC TITLE DEFENSE ALIVE! 😱
Don’t need a head coach when you’ve got no quit. What resilience from this Canadian team 🇨🇦
