Screen Shots: Sunday, July 28th, 2024

Welcome to Screen Shots! This is where I tell you what you should watch on TV. It’s going to be a very sports-centric list since that’s really the only thing we have left that you simply must watch live. Speaking of watching things, you should watch me on YouTube! Have your own suggestions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

The Women’s Individual Time Trial is a road cycling event. I feel like I knew that, but I relearned it today. Bikers take off at 90-second intervals so they’re navigating the course on their own. There is no strategy involved other than “finish the course faster than everyone else.” It’s been raining les chats et les chiens in Paris, which added a degree of difficulty to the proceedings. For those of us who have ridden a bike, wet roads are a concern, but a minor one. Turns out, the faster you’re biking, the more of a concern it becomes!

American Taylor Knibb made the Olympic team in this event AND in the women’s triathlon. She knows how to ride a bicycle and ride it fast. However, the wet roads caused her to crash over and over and over! In fact, the roads were so slippery that when one of those falls broke her bike, the person bringing her a new one slipped and fell jogging to her. If the weather stinks and I fall off my bike once, I’m calling it a day. But Taylor kept getting back up and finished the event. It wasn’t her day today, but she is the favorite in the triathlon. On to Sunday’s events!

Men's & Women's Table Tennis: Singles Round of 64 at 4 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com 

Why you should watch: If you’re awake at this time to watch anything, you’re probably in the perfect state of mind to enjoy elite table tennis. Is there another sport with a larger aesthetic gap between what the pros look like versus what people who are playing for fun look like?

Women's Basketball: Spain vs. China at 7:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: China’s Han Xu is a fan favorite for the WNBA’s New York Liberty, and it’s easy to see why. She’s listed at 6’11,” making her the tallest player in the league, but can also rain 3s on your head. You haven’t gotten the chance to see her this season as she’s been busy preparing for this Olympic Games, so tune in and get your Han Xu fix! 

Women's Soccer: Brazil vs. Japan at 11 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: This is Brazilian legend Marta’s 6th and most likely final Olympic Games (unless she pulls a Taurasi!), which makes her matches a must-watch. She leads her squad against one of the most exciting teams in the competition in Japan. The Japanese women dropped a tough but wild match to defending World Cup champion Spain. Keep an eye on Aoba Fujino, who can do things like this.

Men's Basketball: Serbia vs. United States at 11:15 a.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid on the international stage! It would be funny if Embiid played into the “ducking” accusations and sat this one out, but he’s already on thin ice with US basketball fans based on his play in the tune-ups. Throughout my Olympic men’s hoops-watching experience, Serbia either doesn’t qualify or wins the silver medal (except for 2004), so this could be a Gold Medal game preview.

Men's Swimming: 400m Individual Medley Final Medal event at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Again, swimming relay finals always slap.

Women's Swimming: 100m Butterfly Final Medal event at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Slow-motion videos of this stroke are badass. I always get it confused with the breaststroke, but this is the stroke you use to intimidate others. 100 meters of this would kill me, but it’s a short distance for actual swimmers so it will most likely be a close race. At the Tokyo Games, the difference between Gold and 4th place was fourteen-hundredths of a second. They (Google) tell me that American Torri Huske is the favorite.

Women's Soccer: United States vs. Germany at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: In the history of women’s soccer, only 3 nations have won both the FIFA World Cup and an Olympic gold medal. These are 2 of them (Norway is the 3rd). Both are seeking to make their way back to the top of the soccer world. They both looked well on their way in their opening matches, but neither were tested the way they will be in this one. Striker Alexandra Popp is the only German on this year’s team that won gold in 2016. As her last name suggests, she’s got a cannon for a leg. Also, she’s a real-life zookeeper.

Women's Foil: Individual Gold Medal Bout at 3:45 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com 

Men's Épée: Individual Gold Medal Bout at 4:15 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Long for the days before online anonymity when an insult led to a duel? This is the event for you! Gold medal bout to take things up a notch. Unlike the old days, nobody gets slapped with a glove to start things. The words “foil” and “épée” refer to the weapon being used. The foil weighs slightly less and is rectangular while the épée is triangular.

Men's Swimming: 100m Breaststroke Final Medal event at 3:54 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: This is the stroke you use when you don’t really care about going anywhere but want everyone else at the pool to know that you know how to swim. These swimmers are somehow able to do it fast. Adam Peaty, representing Great Britain, is going for his 3rd straight gold medal. Here’s his YouTube channel.

Happy watching!