Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Wednesday, July 24.

OLYMPICS

The first scheduled competition of the 2024 Olympics was a soccer game between Argentina and Morocco. Somehow, the matchup was more controversial and hard to understand than any soccer game in recent memory. Let’s break it down:

• The score is 2-1 late in the second half. Morocco is leading after two scoring two early goals.

• The referee awards an incredible 15 minutes of stoppage time, keeping in line with recent international trends to get rid of time-wasting.

• In the 16th minute of stoppage time– minute 106– it appears Argentina scores a stunning equalizer.

• Fans start to throw things in protest, and a few rushed onto the field. The players are escorted off the field, and most everyone believes the game is over. A well-contested 2-2 draw.

• 90 minutes later, it is announced that Argentina was offsides, and the goal is disallowed. The player was indeed offsides, so it’s a correct decision. But no one is exactly sure what took so long.

• After a short warm-up and with no fans left in the stadium, the teams resume play for a few minutes. Morocco eventually wins the game 2-1. Even now, everyone is still a bit baffled by the lengthy delay, the supposed safety threats, and how it all became such a big mess.

Plenty of other games were played yesterday, with much less controversy. Although they fought hard, the US men’s soccer team lost to France 3-0. The host country were clear favorites to beat the Americans, but the loss is still a tough blow to open the group stage. The two countries tied in rugby, however– you can watch the highlights here.

MLB

Baseball isn’t in the Olympics until the Los Angeles games in 2028. Don’t worry– we’ve still got plenty of Major League action until then. Here are the top stories from yesterday’s games:

• We begin with the Red Sox taking on the Rockies in Colorado. The benches cleared as tensions were high between these two teams. When the dust settled, it was clear who won the shouting match. The Rockies scored a whopping 20 runs and won the game 20-7.

• My favorite game of the day was the Padres vs the Nationals. San Diego went up big in this one after a five-run fourth inning. With the score 12-3 and the game out of hand, the Nationals sent infielder Ildemaro Vargas to the mound to finish the game. Always entertaining to see a position player pitching! 

• In his first appearance since March of 2023, Giants starter Robbie Ray pitched five no-hit innings. San Francisco beat the Dodgers 8-3.

• I think the Mets are having more fun than the other baseball teams. Francisco Lindor hit two home runs (again) and the Mets beat the Yankees (again). The team from Queens swept the subway series for the first time 2013.

• A couple guys with great individual efforts in their team’s wins: Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a home run and stole his league-leading 51st base. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte homered in this third straight game. And Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his fifth home run in the last six games.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Ahead of tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony, Coco Gauff has been selected as the women’s flag bearer for the USA. A pretty special moment for the young tennis star, who joins LeBron James as the two Americans with this great honor. Coco is also the first tennis player to be the US flag bearer.

NIL money has officially infiltrated college softball. 2024 collegiate player of the year NiJaree Canady has transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech for a deal worth seven figures. Click the link, it will answer all your questions better than I can.

Tennis players Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune have withdrawn from the Olympic games due to tonsillitis and a wrist injury, respectively. Sinner was supposed to be the top seed, and Rune is one of the brightest young talents in the sport.

An update on the NBA media rights deal– NBC has announced their plans for “Sunday Night Basketball” to air at the conclusion of the NFL season. Mike Tirico will be the lead play-by-play broadcaster, plus NBC is bringing back one of the greatest sports theme songs ever: Roundball Rock.

In case you forgot, UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington have joined the Big 10 conference for athletics. It’s been a bit awkward so far for the new schools at football media days. First, a giant, inflatable Oregon duck was spotted floating down the river in Indianapolis. Then, UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster gave a very strange opening statement before his press conference. Personally, I’m excited to see another classic edition of the Rutgers-Washington rivalry.

And finally, if you really want to start planning ahead, the Winter Olympics locations for 2030 and 2034 have been announced as the French Alps and Salt Lake City. Two very different but very snowy destinations.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Daulton Varsho! You have to see this catch:

Another fantastic play of the day, and an important one– the Blue Jays won 6-3. But wait! There’s more!

In case you missed it earlier, Ildemaro Vargas gets the rare Remix double-link. No matter the score, baseball is fun!

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MLB: Giants @ Dodgers, 4:10 on MLB.TV (free game of the day)

• After offseason shoulder surgery, legendary Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw makes his season debut. It’s perfect timing for Los Angeles, who need reinforcements in their rotation. All eyes will be on the veteran Kershaw to see if he’s still got it.

OLYMPICS: USA vs Zambia, women’s soccer at 3 PM on USA/Peacock

• Team USA expects nothing less than a gold medal, and they look to start off their campaign with a win over Zambia. Germany and Australia are the other two teams in America’s group.

OLYMPICS DAY TWO

All Olympic events are on NBC, USA and/or Peacock.

“This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.” –The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy