Fact Check: Is the Paris Olympics 2024 the lowest-rated games of all time? Viral post debunked

On July 30, in the wake of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, a rumor arose that the Games were the “lowest-rated” of all time. The post was first shared on Facebook by the account America’s Last Line of Defense (ALLOD).

“The stands are half-empty, and the ratings are in the toilet. The IOC says the games will lose more than $300 million over the blasphemous opening they allowed to happen. Go woke go broke,” the caption read.

The post, which garnered severe traction and was reposted several times, also carried a meme featuring the Olympics logo in front of the Eiffel Tower with the image of the controversial inaugural act placed on one of the five rings.

However, the viral post has turned out to be fake as ALLOD is a page dedicated to satirical content with no factual basis.

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The 2024 Paris Olympics is not the “lowest-rated” games in the history of the event

Earlier this week, America’s Last Line of Defense page on Facebook posted a picture, the text inside which read, "Paris Now Has the Lowest-Rated Olympic Games in Modern History: 'People Want Sports, Not Blasphemy.'"

Its caption further claimed that the International Olympics Committee announced that the Games were on their way to losing over $300 million for the alleged “woke” opening ceremony act, which many viewers deemed as the parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s historical painting The Last Supper.

As per Snopes, the post earned over 90,000 reactions before it was taken down alongside nearly 16,000 comments, with Facebook users appearing to believe the rumor.

However, the claim has turned out to be false and factually incorrect, as ALLOD is a social media page focused on satires, meant for entertainment. Its bio even states, “Nothing on this page is real.” Besides, the particular post in this case too had a “satire” badge at the down right corner, if closely observed.

A glimpse at the rumored article regarding Paris Olympics viewership. (Image via The Dunning-Kruger Times)

Meanwhile, in its comment sections, the ALLOD post also shared a link to its affiliated website Dunning-Kruger Times. The article headlined, “The Paris Olympics Are Paying Dearly for the Blasphemous Opening Act” began by claiming:

“Dozens of reports across the internet say that the Paris Olympics are losing both advertising revenue and the support of the people after the blasphemous opening ceremony that mocked Jesus Christ and the Last Supper.”

While the article noted that the online reports are not “credible,” it went on to question whether the backlash of the 2024 Paris Olympics would have any effect on the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

It also expressed doubt about the connection of Olympics with the Greek mythology, but asked people not to “boycott” the Games as it would mean not giving the athletes the deserving “moment of glory.”

However, this too has turned out to be fake as the “About Us” page on the website states that everything on it is “fiction.” Moreover, the author Flagg Eagleton, who is a self-proclaimed “patriot” is also known for his parody-centric articles.

Notably, the ALLOD post’s claim about the $300 million revenue loss is also misinformed as the 2024 Paris Olympics earned 79 percent more viewership than the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

As per an NBC News report, the Tokyo Olympics had 19.3 million people watch in the first three days of the Games, while the Paris Olympics had 34.5 million viewers, Peacock app and TV viewership combined. Additionally, the IOC has also not declared any revenue loss in light of the recent events.

The opening ceremony at this year’s Paris Olympics itself earned 28.6 million viewers on Friday night, becoming the most-watched inaugural ceremony since the 2012 London Olympics.