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When Peter Ueberroth began recruiting Olympic volunteers in a meeting before the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, he made a harsh promise to the Americans vying for an opportunity to assist in the ascension of the U.S. as a sports business powerhouse. 

“He said ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you three things: long hours, no pay and guaranteed termination,’” said U.S. Olympic Committee board member John Naber. “At that time in the Olympic movement, that was the message we needed to bring.” 

Ueberroth proved to be the catalyst in setting a precedent for the future of the Games and reinvigorated the Olympic movement with the ascendance of Los Angeles as an international sports hub of endless possibilities. The acquiring and financing of the Games coupled with the surplus of revenue produced through sponsorships proved vital in the elevation of the 1984 Games as a staple in modern American sports history. 

Now 86, Ueberroth was unable to be interviewed, a spokesman said. But an innovator in the international Olympic evolution, Ueberroth organized the first-ever privately funded operation of the Games in Los Angeles, allowing for new infrastructure, new relationships with major sponsors and attractive television deals to galvanize a new era in the Los Angeles sports realm. 

“Essentially, Los Angeles didn’t have to pay for any of the very few new facilities. Los Angeles was clearly 40 years ahead of its time,” said Olympic sports specialist Philip Hersh. “Despite the fact that the International Olympic Committee never gave [Peter] Ueberroth enough credit for it, he came up with a plan that led to private financing of the Olympics.” 

Ueberroth placed increased importance on surplus revenue and created the patron program, an initiative designed for wealthy donors to pick the finest events, seats and venues to spectate the Games for an expensive price. 

The program allowed for Ueberroth to use that additional revenue to purchase tickets for underprivileged children who couldn’t afford to buy passes due to expensive rates. 

“The kids who couldn’t afford to buy tickets were given free passes courtesy of the generosity of the wealthy who wanted to sit in the luxury box,” Naber said. 

In an effort to directly connect athletes with sponsors, Ueberroth, who became the sixth Major League Baseball commissioner in October of 1984, believed in the notion of athletes amplifying their profiles via television news stations such as ABC, allowing for more reach in competitors obtaining sponsorships and notoriety throughout the games.

“That was a big turning point in the world of sports, period,” said Edwin Moses, gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles in the ’76 and ‘84 Olympic Games. “If you look at basketball, football, soccer, all of those sports today really have followed that model. That was one of the big off-the-track enterprises that [Peter] Ueberroth really made possible. 

“An athlete’s athlete, he believed in the power of sports and the power of sports melded with business.” 

It’s wing-and-a-prayer season in Major League Baseball and for that, we can thank the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Eight National League teams are bunched within 3 ½ games of each other and very much in the running for two of the three wild-card playoff spots available. And all of them harbor visions of replicating the 2022 Philadelphia Phillies and ’23 Arizona Diamondbacks, who won 87 and 83 games, respectively, yet parlayed increased playoff access into NL pennants and unlikely World Series appearances.

This year, the NL is a land where nobody’s dead and everybody’s grateful for that third wild card.

“For sure. I think everybody is,” says St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. “There’s eight teams fighting for two spots right now.”

For now, we’ll elevate the Atlanta Braves from this mess and consider them highly likely to snag one of the three wild-card berths; they’re four games clear of the pack and, given their track record as six-time champions, rightfully focused on hacking into the Phillies’ 8 ½ game division lead.

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We’ll let you know if they get pulled down into this quagmire. But for now, here’s the eight clubs shooting for two spots – and the characters making the case for why they’ll be still standing come October:

St. Louis Cardinals

Standing: 50-46, half-game ahead of New York for No. 2 wild card

Why they’ll be there: They’re less reliant on old warhorses Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt thanks to the emergence of younger players like Alec Burleson and shortstop Masyn Winn. Burleson hit 17 home runs, drove in 53 runs and had a 126 adjusted OPS in the first half. Winn has been an offensive revelation after he was pegged as an all-glove shortstop; he’s already banked 3.7 WAR and is batting .284 with a .739 OPS.

Why they may fade: Despite the addition of Sonny Gray and vets Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn, the pitching staff has a middling 4.02 ERA and in this era of power doesn’t miss many bats, its 8.19 strikeouts per nine ranking 12th in the NL.

Stating their case: “I think our big bats are getting hot. Nolan and Goldy will probably tell you they didn’t play the way they wanted in the first half. But I think they’ve made some strides the last few weeks. If we get those guys going our lineup gets a lot deeper, a lot tougher.”  – Helsley

New York Mets

Standing: 49-46, one game ahead of Arizona and San Diego for No. 3 wild card.

Why they’ll be there: Vibes. They’ve been immaculate since Jose Iglesias was recalled from Class AAA to serve as equal parts sage, utility infielder and hitmaker. Mark Vientos’ breakout year and a mix of youth (Christian Scott) and vets (Luis Severino) on the pitching staff has created a surprisingly potent bunch that’s been on a 25-13 run since June.

Why they may fade: The ninth inning remains a problem, as Edwin Diaz continues to struggle, and the health and performance of vets like Starling Marte (35), J.D. Martinez (36) and yes, the 34-year-old Iglesias may be questionable as the season gets deeper.

Stating their case: “That perpetual self-belief, not just with the leadership but with every single guy in the clubhouse, despite all the games we were down and underneath. A lot of people wrote us off. And I think that we have a really close-knit group and the way we responded– we stuck together and we’ve been playing our best baseball and showcasing who we are. We’re really excited for earning to be buyers at the deadline. A lot of stuff can happen the next two weeks, but we wanna keep putting our best foot forward and make it happen.” – First baseman Pete Alonso

Arizona Diamondbacks

Standing: 49-48, tied with San Diego a game behind New York for the final wild card spot.

Why they’ll be there: They won eight of 12 to steam into the break and now have a significant pitching cavalry on the way, as prized free agent Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly and Jordan Montgomery are all nearing a return.

Why they may fade: A bullpen that ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.30 ERA and has converted just 21 of 38 save opportunities shrinks the margin for error in a crowded race.

Stating their case: “This last stretch has been great. The confidence is high, for sure.” – First baseman Christian Walker

San Diego Padres

Standing: 50-49, tied with Arizona a game behind New York for the final wild card spot

Why they’ll be there: The May trade for Luis Arraez established a solid two-year window of contention pairing Arraez and staff ace Dylan Cease before they’re eligible for free agency. Aggressive GM A.J. Preller will be sure to fill in around them come July 30.

Why they may fade: The second half begins with a challenging nine-game trip to Cleveland, Washington and Baltimore and a home series with the Dodgers. It ends with nine of their final 12 games against Houston, L.A. and Arizona. Better make hay in between all that.  

Stating their case: “We’re going to be there in the end. We got a couple new pieces that have gelled really fast and that’s been good for us. Arraez will rub off on you and so will Donovan Solano and David Peralta. Every guy serves a purpose.” – Center fielder Jackson Merrill

Pittsburgh Pirates

Standing: 48-48, 1 ½ games behind New York for final wild card spot

Why they’ll be there: Well, there is this 6-6 beast named Paul Skenes who comes as close as possible to guaranteed win day every time he takes the mound. Lest we forget, Mitch Keller has also significantly helped the rotation post a 3.52 ERA, second in the NL.

Why they may fade: Alas, a lineup that ranks 14th in NL OPS and in the bottom third in slugging and runs scored will ruin a fair amount of pitching gems.

Stating their case: “You gotta do it, but we got really good starting pitching. We got good arms in the bullpen. And if we can just hit enough, our starters are right up there with just about everybody. We started off hot and were bad for a little bit and been clawing back to get to .500. I think we’ve got what it takes. We’ve got the talent. We’ve just got to do it.” – Outfielder Bryan Reynolds

Cincinnati Reds

Standing: 47-50, three games behind New York for final wild card spot

Why they’ll be there: Slug and speed are tough to beat. The Reds’ 134 steals lead the NL and they’re sixth in home runs, all of that potency wrapped up in dynamic shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who took 17 homers, 46 steals and an .846 OPS into the break.

Why they may fade: Because that’s what they do. Cincy was 59-49 with a 1 ½-game NL Central lead last July 31, and then lost 10 of its next 13 and faded to 82-80. Time to prove otherwise.

Stating their case: “We’re young, we’re hungry because we were almost there last year and we still have that sour taste in our mouths. We have that extra motivation after last year. I think it’s really important to start the push now and start that winning culture and consistency as early as possible so we can continue to do it for as long as we can. It’s being able to learn from the past and trying to be as proactive as possible to stay out of those situations.” – Starting pitcher Hunter Greene

San Francisco Giants

Standing: 47-50, three games behind New York for final wild card spot

Why they’ll be there: The pitching cavalry is on its way. Injured starters Alex Cobb and former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray are almost ready to make their season debuts, and Blake Snell’s late surge before the half – he took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start – gives them a potentially daunting look from the mound.

Why they may fade: The offense continues to be an arrhythmic mess, continuing a three-year pattern of droughts and reliance on the home run ball since their 107-win season in 2021.

Stating their case: “I was on the team that had the best record in baseball. And then I’ve been on teams where in the beginning of August we were a game out of the division, right? And ended up, you know, we’re (messing) the bed. That’s kind of what happened. You can’t really pinpoint what went wrong, but just not letting little things affect you every day. That’s what causes six-game losing streaks or multiple series losses in a row. Staying away from that is the biggest thing.” – Starting pitcher Logan Webb

Chicago Cubs

Standing: 47-51, 3 ½ games behind New York for final wild card spot

Why they’ll be there: A trio of pitchers with ERAs of 3.10 or less is a great foundation for not just a playoff team, but a World Series contender. And Shota Imanaga (2.97), Justin Steele (2.71) and Jameson Taillon (3.10) give them a chance to consistently pick off series wins, the best route to methodically emerging from the wild card morass.

Why they may fade: More potholes in the lineup than you’d find in the 46th Ward in spring. Shortstop Dansby Swanson remains valuable defensively and as an all-around presence, but a .282 OBP and nine home runs won’t cut it. Will Pete Crow-Armstrong hit? Christopher Morel? Anybody?

Stating their case: “Focus on each day. Stack up the wins. Don’t go too far in the future.” – Imanaga

Imagine, for a moment, being an Olympic athlete from Israel. 

Imagine living your whole life knowing that the dream you train every day to achieve is inexorably linked to one of the most traumatic events in your country’s history when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team lost their lives during a terror attack at the 1972 Munich Games. 

Imagine trying to prepare for an Olympics while grief and chaos has gripped your country for the past nine months since Hamas terrorists breached the border with Gaza and killed approximately 1,200 Israelis while taking 250 hostages in the surprise attack last Oct. 7. 

Imagine watching so many people around the world turn against your country for responding to an existential threat with forceful military action. 

And then imagine preparing to go to France, a country rife with antisemitism against the 500,000 or so Jews still remaining in the country, and knowing that any success you might have will be viewed as controversial because of your government’s excesses and the terrible humanitarian toll of the war it is waging in Gaza. In some circles, their mere presence at the world’s biggest sporting event will make them pariahs — and potentially targets.  

Israeli athletes at the Paris Games are going to have it hard enough. They don’t need one of the most iconic brands in sports joining the antisemitism pile-on. 

What Adidas did this week in launching its SL 72 sneaker — and putting a famous anti-Israel propagandist at the front of its marketing campaign — is an outrage. 

It was also a choice, and one that neither Israelis nor Jews around the world should ever forgive.

Mistakes happen in marketing, even in large conglomerates with layers of public relations experts. But this kind of corporate provocation is so bizarre and so obviously inappropriate that the logical conclusion to be drawn is that Adidas wanted to make some kind of sick, twisted statement that flies in the face of everything the Olympics are supposed to represent. 

First of all, Adidas relaunching the original SL 72 sneaker, which debuted at the 1972 Olympics, is not something that should have happened in the first place.

Yes, the Munich Games were a significant moment for the German company because that’s where it launched the trefoil logo that became associated with Adidas until the 1990s when it rebranded with three stripes.

But for the rest of the world, the 1972 Olympics are mostly associated with one thing: The massacre that took place when eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village, killed two victims and took nine hostages, who were all killed during a failed rescue attempt. 

It’s by far the worst moment in the history of the Olympics. More than five decades later, it remains an outrage. 

Adidas may be a German company that is proud of its Olympic heritage, but the 1972 Games do not need to be commemorated with a retro marketing campaign linking Munich to Paris. They shouldn’t be commoditized for Adidas’ profits. They should be remembered as the historic security failure that they were and a horrible but necessary reminder that the dangers faced by Israelis do not necessarily end at their borders. 

Second, it’s completely outrageous that Adidas chose model Bella Hadid to be the face of their advertisements for the shoe. Hadid, 27, is an American whose father, Mohamed, was born in Nazareth but whose family fled to Syria during the war that immediately followed Israel’s statehood. 

That history informs Hadid’s pro-Palestinian views and her anger at the current situation in Gaza, which is both understandable and her right. But social media posts to her 61 million Instagram followers have also been filled with anti-Israel invective, false claims and antisemitic tropes. Last year, Bella’s sister Gigi Hadid − also a model and social media influencer − was named one of three finalists for the Antisemite of the Year “award’ by the StopAntisemitism watchdog group.

In other words, choosing someone who is famous on social media for being anti-Israel, at a time when much of the world is simmering in antisemitism and anti-Israel hate, to represent an ad campaign that reminds many people of the time when 11 Israelis were killed by terrorists at the Olympics … well, it just doesn’t really seem like a coincidence. 

Oh, and by the way, Adidas was founded by Adolf Dassler − who joined the Nazi party in 1933 when Hitler rose to power. The modern-day company ended its association with Kanye West in 2022 after he made a raft of antisemitic comments, saying “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.”

Given the issues with West and Adidas’ understanding that its historic Nazi associations would put the company under an even greater antisemitic microscope, you’d think its executives would be hyper-sensitive to any associations that could be construed as antisemitic. 

But, at least in this case, you’d be wrong.

Adidas’ statement to media outlets acknowledged “that connections have been made to tragic historical events − though these are completely unintentional − and we apologize for any upset or distress caused.’ The company promised to adjust the campaign moving forward. 

As we head into an Olympics where the vulnerability of Israeli athletes is going to be impossible to ignore given the context of world events and France’s unfortunate reality as a cauldron of antisemitism, the better move would be to drop it entirely. 

On your mark, get set … press send? More than a showcase of the world’s greatest athletes, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles saw muscles flex in a different way – through technology and innovation.

Led by its president Peter Ueberroth, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee’s revolutionary approach to running the Games relied on state-of-the-art technology. In effect, the L.A. Committee created an event that doubled as both a sports competition and a quasi-World’s Fair for the U.S. The result was a resounding economic and cultural success for the host country – at a time when it was desperately needed.

“The success that Ueberroth and the ’84 Olympics produced reinvigorated the international Olympic movement,” said John Naber, a four-time gold medal-winning swimmer in 1976 who served on the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee in 1984. “It jump-started the new Olympic movement in my mind.”

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Given the economic failures of Montreal’s 1976 Olympics and the Moscow Games in 1980, which was boycotted by the U.S. and 66 other countries, the architects of the 1984 Olympics recognized their Games would have to create a new legacy and be something much more than sports.

On the field of competition, L. Jon Wertheim, in his book “Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever” pointed out that before the ‘84 Games, technology was at a premium. 

“At Montreal in 1976—the previous Summer Games held in North America—the distances of discus throws were determined with tape measures,” Wertheim wrote. “Boxing scores were tabulated by hand. An army of messengers hand-delivered memos and sheets of information from venue to venue.”

To help create a watershed Olympics, the L.A. Committee used novel contributions from multiple American tech giants – AT&T, IBM and Motorola, among others – to enhance everything from interpersonal communication to news dissemination to results tabulation.

The biggest star of the various technology systems used at the Games was the Electronic Messaging System introduced by AT&T. Though equipped with multiple important functions, its electronic mail feature shined brightest. This early version of email was the first of its kind used at an Olympics.

“We used it quite a bit for the U.S. Olympic Committee,” said Bob Condron, a committee member in 1984. “Alerting people, getting athletes at a time and place where they could do media work and just communicating – it was really the first time we were able to do that other than (with) a telephone.”

Forty years later and now living in a world where the Electronic Messaging System is a distant anachronism, athletes from the Games of the XXIII Olympiad reflect on it with amusement,  amnesia or wonder.

“Back then, being able to message like that was like magic,” said Kathy Johnson Clarke, a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in 1984. 

In addition to the unprecedented abilities afforded by the Electronic Messaging System, computers courtesy of IBM, pagers courtesy of Motorola and the Olympic Message System, also from IBM, allowed communication at the Games to run smoothly in other ways.

The Olympic Message System, for instance, offered what was then a relatively new technology – voicemail that allowed users to receive and send recorded voice messages. Like the Electronic Messaging System, it was widely used among the many personnel at the Games – and both left indelible marks on American society.  

“Those two things – email and voicemail – were the most important in terms of consumers seeing it a few years later, a change in their lives,” said Barry Sanders, the chief outside counsel for the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee who negotiated the contracts with the tech entities who created them. “And they were introduced at the Games.”  

Alicia Garcia, Abigail Hirshbein and Trevor Junt contributed to this report.

Including breakdancing, surfing and soccer, a total of 32 sports will be contested at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, showcasing a diverse range of global athletic talent. However, the possibilities for future additions to the Olympic program are endless, with many sports vying for a spot on the world’s biggest stage.

Six more sports — flag football, squash, baseball, softball, lacrosse and cricket —  are set to join the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Team USA’s athletes got creative about the future of Olympic programming. Read below what they told USA TODAY about which sports they would like to see included at future Olympic Games and watch the video above to see the athletes answer.

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Crystal Dunn, soccer

Lacrosse

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Kenny Bednarek, track and field

Dodgeball 

Ben Hallock, water polo

UFC

Hannah Roberts, BMX Freestyle

Wakeboarding: “It’s scary to me but it looks really cool.”

Brody Malone, gymnastics

Rodeo: “I grew up doing [rodeo] so I’m kind of biased.”

Bobby Finke, swimming

Competitive eating

Jourdan Delacruz, weightlifting

Competitive cheerleading

John Tolkin, soccer

Darts

Jeffrey Louis, breaking 

Laser tag

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The global technology outage that disrupted airlines and banks around the world Friday has also impacted the 2024 Paris Olympics, albeit minimally.

Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement that the outage had a ‘limited’ impact on some of its IT services Friday morning, specifically the delivery of uniforms and accreditations to various stakeholders who were arriving in the city ahead of the opening ceremony next week.

The organizing committee said ticketing systems, venue preparations and the Olympic torch relay have not been impacted. The Summer Olympics will run from July 26 to August 11.

‘Our teams have been fully mobilized to ensure the continuity of operations at optimum levels,’ Paris 2024 said in its statement.

U.S. cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike said in a statement that the technology outage was the result of a defect in a recent content update to Microsoft’s Windows Operating System. The firm said the issue − which also disrupted media companies, medical facilities and other services around the world − did not stem from a cyberattack or security incident.

Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Paris 2024 organizers said Friday’s outage did not impact the operations at the city’s airports, though the arrival of some of countries’ delegations was impacted by flight delays.

Many athletes, coaches and officials already arrived in Paris earlier this week − including athletes and staff from Team USA. Other groups of U.S. athletes have gathered at training camps, either in the U.S. or in Europe, before continuing on to Paris. The U.S. men’s and women’s gymnastics teams departed Thursday night, according to social media posts, and landed in Paris at around the same time the outage first surfaced.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Team USA is working through potential issues related to the outage.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.

The second round of the 2024 British Open will start in earnest with several names still in the hunt for the Claret Jug.

A congested leaderboard is topped by Englander Daniel Brown, who sits at 6 under, one stroke ahead of Shane Lowry of Ireland and two ahead of American Justin Thomas. There are seven more golfers (including PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele) within four strokes of Brown, and another seven (including Masters winner Scottie Scheffler) who are one stroke behind them.

Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is much further down that list and in desperate need of a miracle round to avoid missing the cut. Woods shot 8 over par during a first round that included two double bogeys. Woods hasn’t finished higher than a tie for 37th in any major since winning the 2019 Masters and has withdrawn from or missed the cut in five of the past six majors he’s played.

Here are the tee times and more information to know for the second round of The Open:

British Open tee times for second round

All times Eastern

1:35 a.m. — Ewen Ferguson, Marcel Siem

1:46 a.m. — CT Pan, Romain Langasque, Yuto Katsuragawa

1;57 a.m. — Rikuya Hoshino, Angel Hidalgo, Richard Mansell

2:08 a.m. — Corey Conners, Ryan Fox, Jorge Campillo

2:19 a.m. — Ernie Els, Gary Woodland, Altin van der Merwe (a)

2:30 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jacob Skov Olesen (a)

2:41 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, Billy Horschel, Victor Perez

2:52 a.m. — Sepp Straka, Brendon Todd, Jordan Smith

3:03 a.m. — Denny McCarthy, Taylor Moore, Adrian Meronk

3:14 a.m. — Jason Day, Byeong Hun An, Rickie Fowler

3:25 a.m. — Alex Cejka, Eric Cole, Kurt Kitayama

3:36 a.m. — Darren Clarke, JT Poston, Dean Burmester

3:47 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Joost Luiten, Dustin Johnson

4:03 a.m. — Padraig Harrington, Davis Thompson, Matthew Jordan

4:14 a.m. — Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka

4:25 a.m. — Tiger Woods, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay

4:36 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim

4:47 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Cameron Smith, Matt Fitzpatrick

4:58 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young

5:09 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Tom Hoge, Sami Valimaki

5:20 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Ben Griffin, Mackenzie Hughes

5:31 a.m. — Yannik Paul, Joe Dean, Andy Ogletree

5:42 a.m. — Ryan van Velzen, Charlie Lindh, Luis Masaveu (a)

5:53 a.m. — Kazuma Kobori, Jaime Montojo Fernandez (a), Liam Nolan (a)

6:04 a.m. — Daniel Brown, Denwit David Boriboonsub, Matthew Dodd-Berry (a)

6:15 a.m. — Jeunghun Wang, Aguri Iwasaki, Sam Horsfield

6:26 a.m. — Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, Jack McDonald

6:47 a.m. — Tom McKibbin, Alex Noren, Calum Scott (a)

6:58 a.m. — Jesper Svensson, Vincent Norrman, Michael Hendry

7:09 a.m. — Younghan Song, Daniel Hillier, Ryosuke Kinoshita

7:20 a.m. — Min Woo Lee, Ryo Hisatsune, Abraham Ancer

7:31 a.m. — Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Scott, Keita Nakajima

7:42 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Jasper Stubbs (a)

7:53 a.m. — Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im, Matthew Southgate

8:04 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Matt Wallace, Laurie Canter

8:15 a.m. — Sebastian Soderberg, Matteo Manassero, Shubhankar Sharma

8:26 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Austin Eckroat, Thorbjorn Olesen

8:37 a.m. — John Daly, Santiago de la Fuente (a), Aaron Rai

8:48 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Chris Kirk, Dominic Clemons (a)

9:04 a.m. — Stephan Jaeger, Adam Schenk, Joaquin Niemann

9:15 a.m. — Adam Hadwin, Lucas Glover, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

9:26 a.m. — Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Matthieu Pavon

9:37 a.m. — Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre

9:48 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Kim

9:59 a.m. — Brian Harman, Viktor Hovland, Sahith Theegala

10:10 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Tyrrell Hatton

10:21 a.m. — Keegan Bradley, Will Zalatoris, Gordon Sargent (a)

10:32 a.m. — Harris English, Maverick McNealy, Alexander Bjork

10:43 a.m. — Guido Migliozzi, Sean Crocker, Tommy Morrison (a)

10:54 a.m. — David Puig, John Catlin, Guntaek Koh

11:05 a.m. — Thriston Lawrence, Daniel Bradbury, Elvis Smylie

11:16 a.m. — Nacho Elvira, Minkyu Kim, Darren Fichardt

11:27 a.m. – Mason Andersen, Masahiro Kawamura, Sam Hutsby

How to watch British Open on TV

The Open will be broadcast live on NBC and on USA Network, with coverage also on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The broadcast schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

Round 2: Friday, July 19

1:30 a.m.- 4 a.m.: Peacock4 a.m.-3 p.m.: USA Network3 p.m.-4:15 p.m.: Peacock

Round 3: Saturday, July 20

5 a.m.-7 a.m.: Peacock7 a.m.- 3 p.m.: NBC/Peacock

Round 4: Sunday, July 21

4 a.m.-7 a.m.: Peacock7 a.m.- 2 p.m.: NBC/Peacock

How to stream British Open

Live coverage and featured groups can be followed on the live stream on Peacock.

British Open leaderboard

1. Daniel Brown -62. Shane Lowry -53. Justin Thomas -3T4. Justin Rose -2T4. Joe Dean -2T4. Russell Henley -2T4. Nicolai Hojgaard -2T4. Xander Schauffele -2T4. Alex Noren -2T4. Mackenzie Hughes -27 others tied at -1

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Smart and athletic? There must be something these Olympians aren’t good at.  

In all seriousness, of the 592 athletes representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, there are some truly bright minds. The collection of names below is by no means meant to be an exhaustive one. 

They are, however, Stanford engineers and aspiring dieticians. They own businesses and command board rooms. There are multiple, literal, rocket scientists. Their résumés would make them valedictorian at any high school in the United States except their classroom is now the real world – and the Olympic stage.

They are the big-brained Olympians of Team USA. 

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Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from

Gabby Thomas (track and field)

Individual bronze medal? Check. Team silver medal? Check. Harvard undergraduate degree in neurobiology? Check. Master’s degree from the University of Texas in public health? Check. 

Thomas grew up in a family encouraged to do whatever they loved with a focus on academics. “I found a love for track and field because I felt like it wasn’t something I was pressured to do or forced to do and it was something I could grow in,” Thomas said. 

In Texas, Thomas volunteered at a health care clinic for individuals lacking insurance. She was inspired by a class she took at Harvard that focused on disparities in the health care system. 

“When I’m thinking about my education and whatever else I want to pursue, I feel confident that I can do it because I do have those values instilled in me,” Thomas told Olympics.com recently. “I know that if I work really hard, I can achieve what I want to. I have that confidence and resilience that you really gain through the sport experience.”

She also wants to be an example for young women of color. 

‘Just know that the world might try to put you down, but the sky is the limit for you,” she told Olympics.com. “You can achieve anything that you want to do – so just keep going.’

Canyon Barry (3×3 basketball)

Zoom calls at 2 a.m. local time in Mongolia are part of the tradeoff for Canyon Barry to live out his Olympic dream. 

The son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry, Canyon Barry played collegiately at the College of Charleston and the University of Florida – and made the most of the academic offerings at both institutions. He graduated summa cum laude with a physics degree from Charleston. At Florida, he left with a master’s in nuclear engineering. 

Now he’s an engineer with L3Harris, the aerospace and defense company. And as the 3×3 men’s basketball team competed around the world to qualify and prep for the Paris Olympics, Barry maintained his presence with his day job. 

“I think a lot of athletics parallels engineering or high achievement,” Barry said. “Just what drives you to be a great athlete, I think drives you to succeed in the professional workplace, whether it’s time management, leadership skills, being a part of a team, having drive, working through adversity, all those are very applicable to other aspects of life.” 

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Sunny Choi (breaking)

In the business world, Sunny Choi has one of the most valuable currencies: A degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. At Penn, Choi first discovered breaking but never considered that her passion would become a career.

Out into the corporate world Choi went. She rose all the way to the role of the director of global creative operations for Estée Lauder – the type of job that is not a typical 9 to 5. Then she faced her personal crossroads once breaking was included in the Paris 2024 sport program. 

“Do I go with the dream that I’ve always had since I was a kid to go to the Olympics?” Choi said. “Or, do I just continue this life where I’m really, truly not very happy?” 

The demands of office life had burnt her out and trying to juggle work with training for Olympic qualification became too much. 

Choi “took the shot” and became the first “b-girl” on Team USA to qualify for the Games.

Hans Henken (sailing)

Growing up, Hans Henken had the classic American childhood dream of becoming an astronaut one day. 

Then he went about achieving it. 

Henken studied aerospace engineering, specifically rocket propulsion, at Stanford as an undergrad. He earned a Master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, also from Stanford. 

Applying his academic background of studying space to sailing on the water – Henken competes in the men’s 49er – isn’t always straightforward. But it does help. 

“There’s a lot of crossover when it comes to the equations that you use to study the analysis of the sail design and the boat design,” Henken said. “So being able to transfer that into sailing and get a competitive edge has been really cool.” 

LeBron James (basketball)

Beyond his basketball genius, LeBron James’ smarts have made him one of the most influential members of the sporting world. He became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire last year, according to Forbes, thanks to his decades of endorsements and a suited business sense. James has a partnership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which makes him a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox (MLB), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) and Liverpool FC of the English Premier League. In 2020, James founded SpringHill Company, an entertainment and production company. He was an early investor in the Blaze Pizza chain and has said he intends on owning the NBA’s eventual expansion team in Las Vegas. 

Kelsey Bing (women’s field hockey)

Kelsey Bing considers herself “a busy bee to begin with.” She spends 30 hours per week as a GNC (guidance, navigation, control) engineer at Joby Aviation and also find time to be the goaltender of the US women’s field hockey team. 

“It’s all about time management, prioritization. Obviously it’s not entirely perfect,’ she said.

The key is making sure the two sides of her life – Joby and the national team – are on the same page and that she is clearly communicating her plans. 

“Can I commit to everything? No, not all the time. But that’s life, right? You got to make your decisions,” said Bing, who is one of the more excited members of Team USA to be in France, her croissant necklace serving as proof. 

At Joby, an autonomous technology startup focuses on creating systems for cargo airplanes to fly without human assistance, Bing helped on a recent contract project with the US Air Force. The work centered around developing a system to help determine which airport to land at while moving cargo. 

“I was proud to help in such a little way,” Bing said. 

Quincy Wilson (track and field)

Quincy Wilson became the breakout start of Team USA’s track and field trials last month. The 16-year-old entered that meet fresh off his All-Met selection in the Washington D.C. area as the Male Athlete of the Year, awarded by The Washington Post. Wilson just completed his sophomore year – and his report card had straight A’s on it. 

Wilson will be a part of the men’s 4×400-relay pool for Team USA’s track and field squad. Even if he doesn’t run in Paris, Wilson seems primed for the ever-important junior academic year. 

Jourdan Delacruz (weightlifting)

Jourdan Delacruz wanted to do something about the gap female athletes face when it comes to supporting their needs. The registered dietician student flexed her entrepreneurial skills and started “Her Athlete,” an evidence-based sports nutrition and performance research brand, in July 2023. 

“The reason why I decided to go towards focusing more on the female experience is because that’s something that I’m very familiar with and I recognize that there’s a need,” said Delacrus, a two-time Olympian who earned her Bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado. 

She’s now completing her Masters in nutritional science, with an emphasis in sports nutrition, from the University of Georgia and is expected to graduate next year. 

“Her Athlete” may focus on women but Delacruz doesn’t want the platform to be exclusive. 

“Nutrition food is for everyone,” Delacruz said. “But I do try to focus on the female experience.”

Jesse Grupper (climbing)

Two years ago, Jesse Grupper was working full time in a robotics lab. 

To walk away from a steady paycheck and benefits and pursue his dream of climbing in Paris involved a lot of sacrifice, Grupper said. He had to – temporarily, at least – walk away from his career. He moved away from family and friends on the East Coast to train at better facilities and prepare for the Games. 

“There’s definitely been a lot of sacrifice and it’s been a lot of hard work to get here, but I’m super excited about it,” Grupper said. 

Michelle Sechser (rowing)

For Michelle Sechser, the work-life balance actually made her a better rower. In her first few years on the national team, Sechser was hesitant to begin her professional career outside of the water. If she was all-in on rowing, she thought, all of her time had to be spent training or recovering. 

The lightweight women’s double sculls competitor found that working full time on the client success team for Broadridge Financial Solutions helped her compartmentalize what was important. 

“It means that I can go and have a great, focused practice in the morning. If it doesn’t go well and we have a bad set of pieces, or just wasn’t my best performance for the day, there’s not really time to sit around and sulk about it,” Sechser said, “because we’ve got to change outfits and clock in for work.”

An increase in appreciation for her sport has come with that mindset. 

“When we shove off the dock to start practice, I’m quite literally just shoving that entire world and lifestyle away,” Sechser said.