Screen Shots: Saturday, August 10th, 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]!

I cannot believe this is winding down! A lot of information today so no time to waste. To the events!

Women's Water Polo: United States vs. Netherlands Bronze Medal Match at 4:35 a.m. ET on E!, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Okay, on a much lighter note, it’s been great to see society rediscover Flavor Flav through his role of sponsoring the US women’s water polo team. The world has taught me to be incredibly cynical when it comes to philanthropy, but Flav seems to genuinely want to help these athletes succeed. There’s something about going out of your way to help others achieve their dreams that gives my cynicism an exclusion. While the US women's quest for a 4th straight gold medal ended in a brutal fashion, they still have a chance at a medal. So tune in and give them your best “YEAHHH BOYYY!”

Men's Volleyball: France vs. Poland Gold Medal Match at 7 a.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: The host country in a final makes this a must-watch, but there are plenty of other reasons too. France is defending their gold medal from Tokyo. They would be the 1st country to do so since the US pulled it off in 1988. Their outside hitter, Earvin N’Gapeth, was named after Magic Johnson, so you know his dad is a man with taste. Imagine if they had Gobert and Wemby.

They might need them because Poland is ranked #1 in the world. They took down the US to make their first men’s volleyball final since winning gold in 1976. I don’t know much about volleyball, but during that match, it was obvious that the best player on the court was Wilfredo León. Originally from Cuba, he’s built like a power forward and his spikes sound like a cannon going off. Keep an eye out for him. You’ll, uh, know him when you see him.

Women's Handball: Norway vs. France Gold Medal Match at 9 a.m. ET on CNBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: These French teams understood the assignment, huh? They made it interesting though, needing OT to beat Sweden in the semifinals. Like the men’s volleyball team, they are also the defending Olympic gold medalists. I can’t tell you anything about strategy, but handball is fun to watch and I haven’t watched nearly as much as I should have so it’s time to tap in.

Women's Soccer: United States vs. Brazil: Gold Medal Match at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: What? Are you too good to tune in and see if we can reclaim our spot on top of the women’s soccer world after a whole entire 5 years?

Men's Track & Field: High Jump Final at 1:10 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: The “Fosbury Flop” technique used by today’s competitors was created by Dick Fosbury when he was just 16 years old. It was made possible by a shifting in landing materials around the same time period. As you can imagine, people weren’t too keen on landing on their backs when forced to land on wood chips, sawdust, or a small layer of sand. Credit goes to Fosbury’s college coach, Bernie Wagner, for having enough sense to leave well enough alone. Initially, he planned to change Fosbury’s technique, but a school-record-breaking leap as a freshman made Wagner reconsider. Dick Fosbury went on to win the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics. 

Men's Track & Field: 800m Final at 1:25 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Before this year, we hadn’t seen a men’s 800m runner post a sub-1:42 time since 2019. With 3 different runners reaching that mark in the past month, we’re on pace (HEYYYOOO!) for quite a showdown. Algerian Djamel Sedjati’s season-leading time of 1:41.46 is the fastest time since David Rudisha set the world record by dropping a 1:40.91 in 2012. Will such a highly competitive field push Sedjati to the world record? Or will it be the young gun, Emmanuel Wanyonyi? No 20-year-old has clocked the times he has. Can he pick up where his countryman, Rudisha, left off? Or will the crowd push one of their own, Gabriel Taul, to the top of the podium? We’ve also seen plenty of surprises on the track so far, and there’s more than enough talent within striking distance of this trio to pull off one of their own.

Women's Track & Field: Javelin Throw Final at 1:40 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: The 1st gold medalist ever in the women’s javelin was Babe Didrikson Zaharias. She is one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of the world. In addition to her javelin gold, she also took home gold in the 80m hurdles and silver in the high jump at the 1932 Olympic Games. She was also a star basketball player, golfer, baseball player, and pool player. How do you even find the time?

Women's Track & Field: 100m Hurdles Final at 1:45 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Forget about predicting a winner, you’d have a hard time guessing the podium. Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won gold in Tokyo with a time of 12.37. There are currently 10 athletes who have run that time or faster since the end of June. Every analyst I’ve paid attention to says that it’s impossible to parse this one objectively. I agree. However, if I look at it with extreme bias, it’s actually pretty easy. I like Camacho-Quinn to defend her title. She’s certainly talented enough but was also born and raised right down the road from where I’m typing in North Charleston, SC. Masai Russell is representing the US. She also has the fastest time in the world this year AND went to an SEC school. It just means more. And then there’s the other American, Alaysha Johnson, who had the fastest time in qualifying. Alright, that was a breeze.

Men's Track & Field: 5000m Final at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s strategy of trying to burn up everyone in the 1500m fell 100m short. If he’s recovered mentally and physically from that disappointment, he should be the favorite here as the back-to-back world champ. His path got a bit easier as defending Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, Joshua Cheptegei, withdrew after winning gold in the 10,000m. His toughest competitor should be Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, owner of the 2nd fastest time ever. Gebrhiwet posted that time of 12:36.73 in May. Keep an eye on the pace. Ingebrigtsen’s 2 world titles came from using the opposite strategy that he used in the 1500m. In this one, he’s the king of the kick, so if it’s slower look for him to do his thing. 

Women's Track & Field: 1500m Final at 2:25 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: A rematch of the Faith Kipyegon-Gudaf Tsegay 5000m battle! An underrated aspect of distance races is how close runners get since they don’t have to stay in designated lanes. Sometimes, this leads to things getting physical. Often, when things do get physical, Tsegay is in the middle of it. Even without fighting, this is set up to be a good one between these two. Kipyegon is the favorite. She’s going for her 3rd straight Olympic gold and set lowered her world record time last month. Tsegay is even more talented as a runner than she is as an irritant and ran the 4th fastest time ever in April. Plus, as we saw in the men’s version, two competitors hyperfocused on each other can lead to plenty of surprises! 

Men's Track & Field: 4 x 400m Relay Final at 3:12 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: My word count is nuts, so all I’ll say is track relays slap the hardest.

Women's Track & Field: 4 x 400m Relay Final at 3:22 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: See above.

B-Boys Gold Medal Battle at 3:23 p.m. ET on E!, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: I can’t see “B-Boys” without thinking of this song.

Men's Basketball: United States vs. France Gold Medal Game at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Why you should watch: If you watched Team USA’s comeback win against Serbia, you can probably just skip ahead. I’ve never felt more alive. From the mid-3rd quarter on, I was in a textbook defensive stance a foot away from my TV screaming at Steve Kerr to do something. My yelling and Melo’s coaching eventually paid off, but holy shit.

This one has even more potential. The most talented team in the world versus the host nation with the gold medal on the line. Team USA has been carried by the legends who have defined this era of the NBA in KD, Steph, and LeBron. They take on a team led by the player who may very well define the next one in Victor Wembanyama. Will our megastars get one last moment before passing the torch or will Big Vic take it now? I’m already in my defensive stance.

Happy Watching!