The Olympic experience as an NCAA sports fan
It goes something like this:
Doug (Cofounder): “Can we meet at 2 tomorrow?”
Me: “How about 2:30? Simone Biles will be competing in the All-Around at 2”
If you’re like me, every two years, your world stops to sit in front of the TV to watch the absolute best of the best compete at the Olympics. Usually, that involves early mornings, late nights, and lots of tears while watching someone accomplish their life’s goal. It’s the ultimate athletic competition paired with two and a half weeks of nonstop storytelling. What’s not to love?
I had a chance to be a very small part of the Paris 2024 Olympic story as a fan. It’s an experience that I have wanted to give myself since falling in love with the Olympics in Beijing 2008. So, in a last-minute decision, I hopped on a budget airline and found myself in France to watch a women’s volleyball semifinal match between Italy and Turkey, the women’s soccer gold medal match between the United States and Brazil, and the women’s gold medal volleyball match between the United States and Italy. Plus, I wanted to sip on espressos and spritzes and admire the architecture.
My first night I traveled to Arena Paris Sud for volleyball and quickly realized the scale of an Olympic match compared to regular season NCAA matches. I’ve been to a decent number of games, most of them at the Field House in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers play in front of a sellout crowd of 7,000 + at home and have the second-highest attendance record in the country. The student section shows up, the fans have traditions, and the city genuinely is invested in the success of the program.
Now, Big Ten volleyball seems very small compared to what I witnessed at the two Olympic volleyball matches I attended. First, I could tell that this wasn’t the first rodeo for the Italian and Turkish fans.
Between points, a French man and an American woman were very active emcees, playing music, and leading chants. All the fans were on the same page about actively contributing to the gimmicks of sporting events. I felt almost left out when I arrived, trying to catch up to the existing energy in the space.
On my second day, I saw how the Olympics truly took over the whole city, with the city center turning into an Olympic playground. Between The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, several venues hosted events in iconic Parisian spaces. Outside of the events, I saw people walking around, repping their country while taking in the sights and sounds. While visiting the Eiffel Tower, I could hear people cheering at a beach volleyball match in one of the most iconic venues of these games. I mean, who doesn’t want to watch Beach Volleyball and see the Eiffel Tower at the same time?
It's a novel concept, but it turns out that having a great public transport system and sports downtown is good for tourism, the economy, and fans!
On day three, I saw the United States women’s soccer team win a gold medal against Brazil at Parc des Princes. As an American, I felt a certain buzz being around others from the States who also traveled all this way to support our women’s team. With plenty of Brazilians in attendance, it was my first time experiencing a mixed sporting event where I felt like my identity as an American was central to the experience. I’ve never experienced anything similar at a local team’s games.
It’s a special experience to see a team play that has inspired so many women in girls to fight for equal pay and facilities. For many fans, women’s soccer was the gateway into women’s sports and the first time seeing a women’s team compete and win at the highest level. I felt a pride in sharing a space with people who were also, in a way, celebrating the fight for progress.
My note for US soccer fans: we need better chants and cheers. All we have is U-S-A, which is not my speed. Give me a song about Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson running down the pitch and I’m so there.
On my final full day in Paris, I returned to Arena Paris Sud for the women’s volleyball gold medal match. And as all vacations deserve a moment to process the events of the previous days, mine came here.
Italy steamrolled the United States, as predicted. But it didn’t feel like the USA lost; in fact, it felt like a win for the players and me. I was standing in the same place as players I have admired for years received their silver medals. There was an element of nostalgia as I reflected on the players' careers and how becoming fans of them and their sport eventually led me to cofound 5wins.
In 2013, I was on my high school volleyball team when, one day, I turned on the TV to see Wisconsin, the university my dad attended and my eventual alma mater, playing. I became hooked on college volleyball and women’s college sports.
I eventually watched most of the USA roster play in college. I knew their stories and how hard they had worked to get to this point. But the player with the story that has arguably had the most impact on the creation of 5wins is Lauren Carlini. In 2013, as a freshman, Carlini led the previously struggling Wisconsin Volleyball team to an eventual loss in the National Championship. As part of the story of this historic run, it came to light that she had an Olympic flag hanging up in her bedroom as a kid. Then, for Tokyo 2020, head coach Karch Kiraly left her off the roster. Then, 12 years after being introduced to women’s college sports via Lauren Carlini and Wisconsin Volleyball, I got to see her receive a silver medal in Paris. It was a full-circle moment for me.
It's why I cofounded 5wins. To give fans a chance to connect with their favorite players, teams, and sports and inspire more people to support and follow women’s college sports.