Final Act: High-Stakes Olympic Showdowns, Nike’s Redemption

The Olympics come to a close on Sunday, but several major competitions this weekend have ramifications in the medal tally—and for brands.

The men’s basketball final Sunday is the most high-profile of the remaining contests. The U.S. will look to secure its fifth straight gold medal after escaping a scare from Serbia in the semifinals. A subplot in its championship game against France is that LeBron James (above), Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry—three of basketball’s brightest stars this century—face Victor Wembanyama, 20, a top candidate to be the sport’s next torch-bearer. 

The U.S. women’s basketball team plays its semifinal game on Friday, but barring an upset from Australia, it should be competing for its eighth consecutive gold on Saturday.

The U.S. women’s soccer team faces Brazil for gold on Saturday morning as it looks to reclaim its dominance after falling short in the last two Olympics. On the men’s side, Spain looks to beat the French team to win gold less than a month after it won the UEFA Euro 2024.

Other major events during the final Olympic weekend include women’s golf, men’s and women’s volleyball, and the men’s and women’s marathon.

Nike’s Winning Formula

The Swoosh has had a rough year, dealing with job cuts and a stock decline of more than 30%. 

Nike is banking on its Olympic athletes to reinvigorate brand value, and it launched the “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign before the Olympics to highlight its biggest stars. The Games didn’t start flawlessly for the brand, with names like Sha’Carri Richardson and Carlos Alcaraz falling just short of winning gold.

But Nike could be in store for a massive weekend. It’s already secured the men’s basketball crown—with either James and Durant or Wembanyama taking home the gold. A win for the U.S. women’s basketball team will highlight A’ja Wilson, who has been its best player so far, and is set to launch her signature shoe in 2025. 

Other Nike athletes who could be in line for gold include U.S. women’s soccer’s Sophia Smith, World No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda, who is chasing a second consecutive gold medal, and Eliud Kipchoge, who, at 39, is looking to be the first marathoner to win three consecutive gold medals.

NBCU Wins, Too

Viewership for the Paris Olympics has been stellar for NBCUniversal, even with the caveat of its new format for measuring viewership, which combines the prime-time viewership in France and the U.S.

The first weekend of the Olympics had an average of 34.5 million viewers during prime time, which NBC said is up 79% from the Tokyo Games. And with the number of U.S. teams and athletes still in competition this weekend—and the closing ceremony on Sunday—NBCU should expect another strong weekend of viewership.

In 2014, NBCU renewed its rights deal for both the Summer and Winter Games through 2032 for $7.65 billion.