Simone Biles won a staggering four medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But she says she didn’t feel any pressure while earning them. There was another moment that was way more nerve-wracking for the GOAT of gymnastics — handing off the Olympic flag to Tom Cruise.
I’m not kidding. That’s an actual sentence. Simone Biles was incredibly uneasy about the flag handoff with Tom Cruise because she didn’t want to botch it. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Simone recapped her fantastic Olympic run with Jimmy when he asked her about carrying the Olympic flag during closing ceremonies.
Jimmy mentioned that he thought it had to be a lot of pressure, including not tripping in front of the world, and Simone agreed. Then, she revealed why it was so much pressure, saying, “I’m always tripping, falling down stairs — like, bad for me. So, actually that’s like the most nervous I was for the whole entire Olympics. I was like, ‘Okay, I have to hand the flag off — like, don’t mess it up. Don’t mess it up.’ I was terrified.” (See the 1:23 mark of the YouTube video below.)
There are many truly phenomenal sports at the Paralympic Games in Paris, but few events might be more impressive than blind soccer.
Blind soccer — also known as blind football — has existed since 1996 and is an adaptation of soccer for athletes with vision impairment. It was first featured during the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, and it includes some unique differences to support athletes. Per the Paralympics’ site, teams consist of four outfield players and one goalkeeper. Outfield players are completely blind (with low visual acuity and/or no light perception), and goalkeepers are typically sighted or partially sighted.
To keep things fair, all outfield players must wear eyeshades when playing and can use off-field guides for assistance. The ball used in the field of play makes a noise that assists players with positioning and orientation. Considering all those facts, a penalty kick is all that much more incredible. You have to see this awesome shot during a France-Brazil matchup on Tuesday. It was awesome.
The Fever eventually won and they were rewarded with a locker room visit by Simone and Gabby. Unsurprisingly, nearly every player could hardly contain themselves as they posed for photos. The pure joy on their faces is spectacular.
EVERYONE WATCHES WOMENS SPORTS 🫶🏾 so happy to be able to go support! my first of many WNBA games 🤞🏾 https://t.co/TSLJQRAkRJ
#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes invoked 50 Cent in his reaction to comments made by a professional flag football player in a TMZ interview.
Professional flag football player Darrell Doucette issued a challenge to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, asserting he could beat the reigning Super Bowl MVP for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team when the sport is added for the 2028 games.
Doucette gave credit to Mahomes for being the best quarterback in the NFL but claimed that he could beat out Mahomes to be the Olympic team’s quarterback.
Mahomes responded to Doucette’s comments on Twitter with understandable confusion over the callout.
Using a famous reaction by five-time Grammy winner 50 Cent, Mahomes quickly moved on from the discourse about Doucette’s bold claim.
Judging from this interaction, Mahomes seems more than happy to let Doucette keep the title of champion flag footballer, and far more interested in Kansas City’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens game on September 5.
Stay tuned to see if Mahomes can prove Doucette wrong with a win in Week 1 of the regular season.
“They should have made them more sturdy, and honestly, I can’t be faulted for that.”
Olympian Lynn Williams actually broke the gold medal she won with the USWNT during the Paris Olympics, and the story of how it happened is hysterical.
Imagine going out to celebrate you being a total boss at the Olympics, and you break the thing that shows you were a total boss during the Olympics. I’d be so upset. I’m talking, “Nobody speak to me. I need a moment to dramatically cry,” upset. But not Lynn Williams.
She turned what would surely be a traumatic event for most people into an epic story. The soccer star recently turned to TikTok to share how she now has “the world’s most expensive” coaster, and the details did not disappoint. Here’s what Lynn said about her gold medal:
“Obviously, you guys all saw me swinging the thing around…ironically that’s not how it broke…we were dancing…I had it on my shoulder like a little purse, and I was just jumping — dancing, jumping — and I jumped down, and it just fell off.”
“So, everybody was dancing, and I was roaming around, trying to get my medal off the ground. It has a dent now. So, it’s definitely one-of-a-kind, and the little bar [inside the medal] is gone.”
“So, I don’t know what happened. The bar got loose, and it fell out. Probably, swinging it around didn’t help, but I just think they should have made these better. They should have made them more sturdy, and honestly, I can’t be faulted for that.”
Someone had the brilliant idea of casting Stephen Nedoroscik in the new season of Dancing with the Stars, and I’m so excited.
To be honest, I’m more than excited. I’m THRILLED. Starting September 17, Stephen and several other dancers, yet to be named, will be moving and grooving all over the dance floor in front of judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
Per Good Morning America, Steve is also super pumped about joining the cast and will bring his expert Olympian moves to his routine. He says, “I want to do some flares. I want to bring some of that gymnastics — maybe a backflip or handstand. I want to have fun with it.”
From the pommel horse to the dance floor, two-time bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik is hitting the ballroom floor on this season of #DWTS! 🕺🏅👏
Host George Stephanopoulos asked Steve how he would dance with his medals around his neck. “That’s a good question,” Steve said.” “Dangerously!”
If fans are wondering if he’ll dance the same way he competes — without his glasses — Steve explained that things might have to change.
“I’m scared they’ll fly off is the thing, but you know, maybe we could do a gadget — keep them on. Maybe a new pair of glasses. Match the theme, right?”
Joy Taylor and M.J. Acosta-Ruiz say there’s a reason why athletes like Simon Biles ruled the Olympics.
Media personalities Joy Taylor and M.J. Acosta-Ruiz watched the Olympics like millions of fans did at home, enamored by the phenomenal women making their mark on the Paris Games.
It was hard for Taylor not to be captivated by how Simone Biles made light work of her competition. The GOAT of women’s gymnastics would not be denied. Taylor’s best friend, Acosta-Ruiz, couldn’t get over how dominant Sha’Carri Richardson was for Team USA track and field.
Both Taylor and Acosta Ruiz admit that athlete stories like these deserve more coverage. As they host season 2 of Fuse TV’s Like A Girl, they’ve made it their mission to highlight how incredible women genuinely are and how many women across the sports spectrum, like LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and tennis star Taylor Townsend, deserve more recognition.
“The goal of the show for us was to really celebrate these athletes and tell their stories from their perspective, but also in a very positive way…” Taylor told For The Win. “The real energy of the show to me is obviously very educational and informative and what these athletes are — who they are, what they’re passionate about — but also why they’re successful and how successful they are.”
Ahead of the Like A Girl Season 2 premiere, For The Win sat down with Taylor and Acosta Ruiz to talk about why more people are leaning into women’s stories now, what the WNBA’s new media deal says about investing in women, and the viral moments led by women at the Olympics they can’t stop talking about.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What do you hope people learn when they watch Like A Girl?
(Photo courtesy of Fuse Media)
M.J.: One of the things that we continue to carry throughout our conversation is how much overlap there is among these women. There’s the achievement part of it. There’s the athleticism, the training. But also, there’s also these really beautiful layered stories, and I think it really highlights how alike we can be even in our differences.
Not just for these women as athletes in their particular sports but just in their lived experiences. So, it’s been really beautiful to have these conversations and to be unapolgetic about it and to be super transparent with them.
Could this show have come out five or even 10 years ago?
M.J.: I think the timing of this particular season in the story — it sort of has reached this apex where the culture of sports is — where the eyes of the sports world are on women’s sports in particular, and it’s all about timing with everything in life.
I’m really happy that it’s happening now, and the women that we were able to talk to are sort of in the middle of this beautiful, perfect storm that’s happening in women’s sports.
What do you believe the WNBA’s new $2.2.B media deal says about the league’s future and to investors who may be looking to branch into women’s sports?
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts in the second half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Joy: I think it’s important to recognize the growth that so many women did for so many years to build the league up to a place where it can now launch into this space and provide this platform for incredible athletes to go and compete and make a living doing not just what they love but what they’re great at, and I think that that needs to be acknowledged. Just like anything, things gotta come together.
The sports world is exploding. Sports and news are the last things that we, as consumers, watch live. So, sports rights are an absolute premium…because of that, women’s sports also are rising.
We’ve had that paired with the work the WNBA has done — and those athletes and advocates have done for so many years paired with an incredible rookie class of women who have done an amazing job to make themselves into loveable brands, controversial brands and interesting brands and “excellent at playing basketball” brands. All of those things have been put into this pot, and it is this moment that we have been able to witness and that the league is capitalizing on.
M.J.: When you ask what it means, you know it’s a good sign with the brass cuts the check…. follow the money. And we love to see it. It’s about time.
Women continue to defy expectations, especially on the Olympic stage. What moment from the 2024 Paris Games completely blew you away?
Aug 5, 2024; Paris, France; Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on the floor exercise on day three of the gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports
It was such a beautiful moment and to see the camaraderie amongst these women — by the way, we saw it all throughout the Games. They’ve been there for one another despite what flag they represented the entire time…
Joy: Obviously, Simone has been dominating the news cycle and dominating the coverage with her excellence. It feels really special to be able to watch a true great do what they do… There are these moments in your sports fan journey where you’re like, “Wow! I’m really watching something that is historic…”.
Just the attention that she’s getting, the coverage that she’s getting, the praise she’s getting — even just the acknowledgment of how difficult it is what she’s doing. And what I love most about what’s happening with Simone is there were so many people — and we don’t forget — that were extremely critical of her the last Olympics and her prioritizing herself and her mental health.
Now, for her to compete back and be competing at this level… these professional athletes are all doing one percent of one percent of things…. they are literally not like us.
We always ask a fun question. What would you choose if you could be elite at any summer Olympic sport?
Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won the silver in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event in Paris 2024 Olympics combined with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, is pictured during a training in Ankara, Turkey, August 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan)
M.J.: I would have to say swimming because I’m a terrible swimmer. I can splash around in the pool and be fine. But, if there’s an emergency, leave me me behind. It’s fine. Don’t throw a buoy. I’m not going.
But I was also watching Katie Ledecky rack up all of these records, and our girl is at the end catching her breath. Nobody’s even in camera view. I’m like that is so [expletive]. That’s a superpower.
Joy: Mine would be track… FloJo was like my hero growing up. She is an icon… most of my personality can be tracked back to FloJo. Being the fastest woman in the world and just the gravitas of standing at the 100-meter line like that and crossing the line, 100 percent track.
Track, gymnastics and swimming are my favorite events in the Olympics, and then, obviously, discovering some new sport that I hadn’t heard of or didn’t know was a thing. I will say, though, the [Olympic] shooter…
M.J.: Yo! That’s a vibe. That’s a whole vibe.
Joy: The shooter got me. I was like, hold on, though. I might have to tap into that… I need that shot of me. I need that pic of me. I need that pic for the — IG will go crazy.
M.J.: The only headshot we will be using going forward…
The U.S. somehow entered the 2024 Olympics with zero collective gold medals
Alyssa Naeher has said the U.S. women’s national team came together at the Olympics over the group’s collective lack of even a single gold medal.
The USWNT entered the 2024 Olympics on the back of two straight tournaments without a gold medal. In 2016, the U.S. was stunned in the quarterfinal by Sweden and exited with no medal, while in 2021 the team beat Australia in the bronze medal game after losing to Canada in the semifinal.
Two players from the 2012 gold medal-winning Olympic team, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn, were in the mix for the 2024 roster, but both were left at home by head coach Emma Hayes.
That meant all 22 players on the 2024 roster entered the Olympics with a collective total of zero gold medals — a rarity for a program as historically successful as the USWNT.
According to Naeher, who turned in an outstanding tournament at goalkeeper, the team bonded over their opportunity to do something special as a collective.
“For us specifically going into this one, something that we talked about as a group before was unlike any tournament team that I can remember for sure, nobody on this team had an Olympic gold medal,” Naeher said on SiriusXM FC.
“That’s really rare going into this kind of a tournament — you always have that one person that’s still around from 2012 or something. But I think that was something very unique to this group, and once we figured that out, it helped jell the group even more because we were kind of like, ‘Hey, this is something special and unique that we can do together as the 22 players in this room.'”
The USWNT now has a roster full of players with a gold medal, of course, as the team beat Brazil 1-0 in the Olympic final earlier this month.
It was the program’s fifth gold medal, having also won in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Carmelo Anthony doesn’t believe Team USA treated Jayson Tatum fairly at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Steve Kerr risked the wrath of Boston Celtics fans everywhere when he chose to sit Jayson Tatum for both of Team USA’s games against Serbia during the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also miscast Tatum’s role within the rotation, leading to some uncharacteristically poor performances from the recently-crowned NBA champion.
During a recent episode of his “7 PM In Brooklyn” podcast, Carmelo Anthony admitted that he wasn’t impressed with how Kerr treated Tatum throughout the tournament. The former New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets star accepted that Tatum was low in the rotation but believes Kerr failed to verbalize that role to the St. Louis native.
“I understand why Jayson Tatum may have not played. I don’t agree with how they went about it,” Anthony said. “…You have 40 minutes in the game, I’m cool with you saying he’s not going to play, just be honest, this is where we have a lack of communication, because we’ve been in Vegas this whole time, talk to me, you already know where you see me at on this depth chart. Talk with me private, let me get myself together, mentally and emotionally.”
Despite his struggles in Paris, Tatum still left with the second Olympic gold medal of his career. However, it’s fair to assume that he will be driven to prove himself once the new NBA season begins. After all, his reputation certainly took a hit due to his treatment by Kerr and the coaching staff.
New episode of Celtics Lab on YouTube via @CelticsCLNS
Chatting with @HowardBeck about the Celtics schedule and more
It will be interesting to see how Tatum approaches the upcoming season and what direction he takes to remind everyone that he’s still one of the 10 best players on the planet.
Everyone from his mother to Dick Vitale weighed in on the perceived snub, and now Kevin Garnett has as well.
If you just judged the importance of a player on the roster of the US National Team in their run to win the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics on the amount of press their presence generated, one would think that star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was far and away the team’s most important player.
But the sea of ink has been, by and large, more about what Tatum did NOT do at the Olympics, namely play in a few key elimination games. Everyone from his mother to Dick Vitale and then some weighed in on the perceived snub, and now Hall of Fame Boston big man Kevin Garnett has as well.
The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took a closer look at KG’s words on a recent episode. Check it out below!
