Here are some observations from the first week of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Field hockey is totally different from ice hockey, and it’s not just the playing surface. I have very little knowledge of field hockey rules, and after watching a match between South Africa and Netherlands, I didn’t know any more than I did before. So, I did a little research.

The sport is simply called hockey in most countries, except in the U.S., Canada, and other countries where ice hockey is popular. The playing surface used for international competition is now an synthetic surface, with the preferred surface being a water-based artificial turf with fibers that are densely packed for stabilization, and requiring irrigation or watering to avoid pitch wear. You will notice that when the players strike the ball a spray of water follows.

Like soccer, field hockey is played with 11 players and a goalkeeper. Unlike ice hockey, in field hockey if you barely touch a player, it’s called a foul. In other words, no checking allowed. Players are not permitted to touch the ball with their feet.

Those are the basics of hockey, but I still have one question about the sport, however. Why are the sticks so short that you must spend the entire game bending over?

Handball is not your father’s handball. It’s not the game where you whack a black rubber ball off a wall with the palm of your hand, like in a racquetball court. This handball is more like soccer, but instead of using your feet to play the ball, you use your hands to pass and throw the ball into the goal and the game is played on an indoor court, like basketball.

It’s not a sport that is very popular in the U.S., but it is in Europe. In fact, when I was traveling around France with the Harlem Globetrotters, I arrived at our basketball venue early one day, and on the adjacent court was a handball game being played. Since I had a lot of time to kill, I went over to the other side and watched the handball game until it was time for me to go to work.

I was very intrigued by the sport and how fast they can throw that ball into the goal. Also, it is a very high scoring game. I was watching Denmark play France in the Olympics last weekend and the score was Denmark 37 France 29. I wonder if this sport will ever become popular in the U.S. like pickleball has.

Another sport I was intrigued by during the opening weekend of the Olympics was table tennis. This is nothing like when we played ping pong in my friend’s garage when I was teenager.

This is a much faster game than I remember. These players keep the ball low, and it just barely clears the net. I learned how to put a spin on a ping pong ball, but these players take that skill to a whole other level. That little white plastic ball spins and dives off the end of the table, causing the opponent to swing and miss.

I haven’t been watching just the obscure sports, but I have watched a little bit of everything. It was nice to see the U.S. women’s soccer team take an early 2-0 record into a mid-week match against Australia. The U.S. team defeated Zambia 3-0 and Germany 4-1.

The men’s soccer team was 1-1 heading into the match against Guinea on Tuesday.

I also watched the U.S. men’s basketball team beat Serbia, I watched a few boxing matches, and yes, I watched a little bit of the U.S. gymnastics team.

Overall, I’ve been a fan of the Olympics, both summer and winter games, since I was a kid. It was always an event our house to get to sit with my parents and cheer on the U.S.A. teams. For my father’s sake, we also rooted for Italy.

SALT LAKE CITY TO HOST

Just prior to the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee announced that Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Olympics. I hope in ten years from now I’ll still be able to travel, and maybe afford a ticket to go see the U.S. men’s hockey team compete, in person.

I have been to the arena just outside of Salt Lake City where some of the hockey matches were played the last time that city hosted in 2002. The Utah Grizzlies in the East Coast Hockey League play their games at the Maverick Center in West Valley City, Utah. During the 2002 Olympics it was called the E Center. When I was doing the Tulsa Oilers broadcasts, we visited that arena, and I listened intently as an usher told me the history of the arena and what it was like to host the Olympics hockey there.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national level guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guest will be local political pundit Chris Medlock. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.