After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a strict no-spectator rule in place barring the normal fervor and sense of global community these games are typically associated with, this year’s events in Paris proved a much-needed salve for a world otherwise gripped by multiple wars and conflicts that continue to pull us apart. In serving as hosts to the five continents who participate in the Olympics every four years, the French people showed us that there are things worth coming together for, worth cheering for, and worth celebrating with all our might and sense of showmanship. But at the same time, from an American perspective and from the perspective of all those who are chronically online, one couldn’t help but notice the celebrity presence throughout these games, whether it was Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav cheering on athletes at multiple competitions or Tom Cruise and David Zaslav trying to keep a low profile in their luxury boxes.
Even Steven Spielberg and Beyoncé got involved in the festivities by recording videos promoting the games and hyping up Team USA. Then to top it all off, during this weekend’s closing ceremony, Los Angeles pulled off one of the most Hollywood endings of all time with Cruise rappelling into Stad de France , collecting the Olympic flag, and personally transporting it across the world via pre-recorded segment. If these appearances say anything, it’s that the City of Angels is ready to put o.