Austin Speaks: Why Olympics Viewership Is Still Falling

By Minsong Ha and Jenny Marquez, JCamp 2024 — Austin

With Olympic ratings struggling to rebound after dismal viewership during the pandemic, Austin weighs in on individual viewing habits and reasons behind the trend.

“When the whole world is on fire, it isn’t easy to keep up with the Olympics,” said Travis Taylor, an employee at Limbo Jewelry, a store along the famous South Congress strip of Austin.

Taylor isn’t alone. The Paris 2024 Olympics, which began July 26, have not captured the public’s attention as they once did, according to Gallup polling. As the torch is passed, many are debating if the Olympic flame is starting to burn out.

We interviewed citizens of Texas’s capitol city about their experiences and opinions on the Olympics. The comments are reflective of broader trends in….

No one has the time.

Taylor used to keep up with the Olympics 10 or 15 years ago. But not anymore:

“Years ago, I used to watch the niche, bizarre sports, like the ones where they ski and then shoot a gun. I would gather with friends to watch the weird competitions together.

The younger generations aren’t as interested in the games because they didn’t grow up with them and the atmosphere of the games. They didn’t see it when it was fun, crazy and relevant… so the Olympics just got lost in the wind. It was just the fact that everybody had a little less stress on their plate. We’re able to enjoy the games and the life of the event, whereas now, we all have our own problems. Nobody cares.”

A family tradition for us, a Used-to-be for many.

Mother and daughter pair Lisa and Megan Brua are one of the many families for whom the Olympics had been a special occasion shared together but they recognize they are one of a few.

“There used to be a big spirit of ‘Yay U.S.A.’ But we don’t have a lot of ‘Yay U.S.A.’going on right now because of the political climate in our country. The political events definitely do affect the spirit and national pride we need for the Olympics.

These athletes, especially young athletes, have worked their entire life for these few seconds. In that moment, they deserve our attention and our support. It’s exciting–you put yourself there in the arena and you’re just rooting for them.

I’ve been watching for my whole life… which is a lot of years. It’s a tradition now.

We have absolutely been loving Snoop Dogg. He’s been so good, his involvement is just complete joy.”

• Lisa Brua

“Even if I don’t like the game, I like watching people win. I get so emotional and I don’t even know who they are.

Whatever sport is on, we instantly become obsessed. We’ve been keeping up with gymnastics, track and field, ping pong, volleyball or pretty much whatever’s on at the moment.

A lot of friends, people on social media are now less interested in the Olympics. I wonder if it’s because there are so many sports on TV all the time, whereas years ago, there weren’t a lot of sports constantly on. So back then, when people gathered for the Olympics, it was a “Wow” event–there’s all these unique people performing all these unique things. But now you can turn on the TV and there are so many divisions, teams, sports playing all at once. We become desensitized to the games, like everything else always going on in the media.”

• Megan Brua

Irrelevant Online

Austinite Elliot Davis spends most of his time on social media feed where the Olympics content shows up but not enough to get him engaged.

“I don’t know, I mean I see stuff online about the Olympics but I don’t watch it. Yeah the most stuff I see is on social media or Reddit sometimes. As far as I remember, I don’t remember seeing anything related to the Olympics.

When I was a kid, I remember my parents would have it on for us to watch but I don’t really watch it now. If anything, I just watch certain sports and events from the Olympics but it’s random.”

• Elliot Davis

The viewing habits of Miriam Ramos, a friend of Davis, speaks to the declining trend in television viewership. According to Forbes, in 2023, only three cable networks averaged over one million viewers, down from five in 2022 and 19 in 2013.

“I don’t watch television. If it’s at a bar, I’ll watch but I don’t seek out watching tv. I don’t pay much attention to the Olympics since it’s not something I would do to relax as a pastime.

The only Olympics I do enjoy watching are running events but I don’t seek it out to watch. My friends also watch the running events from the Olympics, but I don’t know if they’re actually invested in it, we don’t really talk about it since it’s not something interesting to bring up.”

• Miriam Ramos

Overshadowed by other interests.

Jwan Ardalan of Houston, visiting Austin with her family, mentioned that her time is now occupied by other interests, like Formula 1, which has become increasingly popular among Gen Z.

“I usually keep up with the Olympics more, but not so much this year. I just have other interests and hobbies now, so I haven’t gotten the time to watch it fully. I am really interested in Formula One now so I mainly keep up with that. My friends are also more interested in Formula One.

I see a lot of the general Olympics stuff. A lot of it is swimming and gymnastics, but I don’t think my friends are really into it.”