Renowned sportscaster and analyst Pat McAfee shared his thoughts on the controversial 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, which featured performances that sparked considerable backlash due to religious associations.
The opening ceremony was a grand display of French culture, highlighting music, dance, art, and fashion. Lady Gaga played a key role in the performance, and several nations made their entrance by sailing down the River Seine to her vocals as their names were officially announced as participants in the global competition.
One distinct setting provoked discussion by featuring drag queens and dancers at a long table, which some diagnosed as a spoof of the famous biblical scene "The Last Supper." The variation ignited complaints from religious communities, including the Catholic Church of France and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker .
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The imagery also drew the attention of McAfee , who commented on the situation."There’s a lot of people that are saying, ‘What [show designer] Thomas Jolly put together was incredibly disrespectful.’ And I think that is certainly a way to view things. That is a way to take it. And there’s a lot of people that have said that and for good reason," McAfee remarked.
"I have no idea how any of these things are the start of the Olympics or to announce that the Olympics are taking place. It was a form of artistic expression that was paying tribute, whatever," he continued. "We just want it to revolve around sport."
McAfee emphasized the importance of focusing on the athletes, stating, "We can’t have the opening ceremony be a reason why people won’t watch these athletes who have sacrificed everything about their lives to be great at something and only get to experience and celebrate once every four years."
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42-year-old queer artistic director Thomas Jolly , who was honored as the show's designer , defended his creation, explaining that it was intended to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French cuisine. He clarified that no intention was to mock or denigrate any religious group.
Jolly wrote through an Instagram story on Monday: "This ceremony took place in a cloud of tolerance. There are more of us who want to live well together, but we are less noisy... Except Friday evening."
The organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics also issued apologies for any offense caused by the scene, reiterating that it was not meant to disrespect any religious beliefs. As the Games progress, efforts are being made to ensure that the Olympics respect the diversity of participants and viewers.
The controversy led to C Spire, the sixth-largest wireless provider in the United States, pulling their advertisements from the Olympics . "We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics," the company stated online.
Social media users expressed their sentiments, some supporting the criticisms and others defending the artistic choices. One fan commented, "France literally gathered and made a list of everything that would get under the skin of conservatives and said, 'Let’s open the Olympics with all of it.'" Another predicted, "After all of this, this will go down as the worst opening ever."
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