When it comes to worldwide attention, it’s hard to top the spectacle that comes from the Summer Olympics. The 2024 Paris Games begin this week in the City of Love, with the capital of France hosting the games for the first time in 100 years.
When the Opening Ceremony kicks off on Friday night, the 592 members of Team USA will take center stage at the Games, which run through Aug. 11, in Olympic sport options ranging from soccer to surfing.
Team USA is coming to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ready to compete in 34 different sports, so Virginia sports betting opportunities abound. BetVirginia.com used Google Trends to see which Olympic sport Americans are anticipating the most. We compared search interest scores for each sport Team USA has qualified for and ranked them from highest search interest score to lowest. The search period was from June 16 to July 16, 2024.
USA’s Most Anticipated Olympic Sport
Rank | Olympic Sport | Search Interest Score |
1 | Soccer | 71 |
2 | Gymnastics | 64 |
3 | Basketball | 62 |
4 | Wrestling | 52 |
5 | Triathlon | 25 |
6 | Volleyball | 24 |
7 | Weightlifting | 23 |
8 | Surfing | 19 |
9 | Tennis | 12 |
10 | Water Polo | 9 |
Team USA as a whole is a -500 favorite at Caesars Virginia Sportsbook to capture the most gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. China is second at +375.
Soccer Tops List In Virginia
The Olympic sport with the highest search interest score overall in America was soccer. That’s not much of a surprise given the women’s national team’s four gold medals, in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012. And the U.S. men’s team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Men’s soccer is different in that, by FIFA rules, it is an under-23 tournament (with each team allowed three overage exemptions). This is a chance for young American male players to get big international tournament experience after Team USA missed out on the Games in the three previous cycles.
The American men have +1800 odds to win the Olympic tournament at BetRivers Virginia Sportsbook, with France the favorite at +225. Team USA is the favorite at +175 in the operator’s odds for the Paris Games, followed closely by reigning Women’s World Cup champion Spain at +200.
Other Olympic Sports Americans Want To Watch
With a score of 71, soccer beat out other American-dominated Olympic sports like gymnastics (64 search interest score), basketball (62), wrestling (52) and triathlon (25).
Rounding out the list of the sports that Americans are most interested in ahead of Friday’s Opening Ceremony were volleyball (24 search interest score), weightlifting (23), surfing (19), tennis (12) and water polo (nine).
Regardless of which sport they prefer, Americans will have plenty of opportunities to watch their countrymen take home a medal in Paris, and Virginia sportsbook apps offer plenty of chances to wager as well. Team USA is looking to one-up their performance in the 2020 Games, when the country won 113 medals, the most of any country competing in Tokyo.
USA Today photo by Vincent Carchietta
