“Tom Cruise’s Stunt at Paris Olympics & the Games’ Triumph Amid Controversies: Highlights and Reflections”
At some point, did Tom Cruise decide that he was not satisfied with just playing the death-defying secret agent Ethan Hunt and would instead try to live out Hunt’s extraordinary adventures?
Last night in Paris, the actor repelled down from the roof of the Stade de France stadium as part of the Olympic closing ceremony. The next Summer Olympics will be in Los Angeles in 2028, so the ceremony of passing the torch naturally included some Hollywood spectacle.
I know that many conservatives saw the offensive performance by drag queens parodying Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games and decided not to watch the games at all. Without a question, that was an awful, offensive, and inflammatory decision. But the Olympics aren’t really about what some avant-garde, Christian-bashing, nose-wrinkling thugs decide to include in the opening ceremony. It’s not like anyone on Team USA had any say in what would be shown in that opening performance.
After the embarrassment of Sochi and the corrupt debacle in Beijing, watching the Olympics in a non-dictatorial country was a relief, and clearly, the athletes took advantage of the crowds, now that they weren’t kept away as part of COVID precautions. Paris is in a better time zone for American viewers, and NBC’s ratings have surged.
America has won the most medals so far, Simone Biles has solidified her position as the greatest gymnast of all time, Katie Ledecky made a splash in every swimming event, Steph Curry ended the French basketball team’s golden dreams with a brilliant three-pointer, and Brittney Griner cried during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Somewhere, Snoop Dogg turned into America’s fun, enthusiastic, and cheerful grandpa mascot.
Oh, and the Russians were mostly kept out.
When the Paris Games started, our Jack Butler wrote, “The Olympic Games are a testing ground for the capabilities of humankind. The journey of each athlete to the starting line, diving board, or gym mat involves the highs and lows of trial and error, success and failure, excitement and sadness.”
The Paris Games were magnificent, they were fun, and once the opening ceremony was over, the sheer joy of achievement on display was both healthy and inspiring. God knows the International Olympic Committee has earned its share of legitimate criticism, but sometimes it’s a joy to see people achieving something wonderful and enjoying every moment.
National: https://www.nationalreview.com/