The new year brings tons of excitement to the sporting world, including the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The City of Lights is making epic preparations for the event, including cleaning up the Seine River for some of the games’ swimming events. However, viewers at home will get a treat as NBC announced that Snoop Dogg will serve as a reporter for primetime coverage for this year’s summer games. In a statement, he confirmed the news, saying, “I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris … We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked.”

Last year marked one of high highs and low lows for Hollywood, but amid the multiple strikes, the domestic box office boomed. Between billion-dollar blockbusters like Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie and star-driven hits like Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer, the U.S. box office brought in over $9 billion, up nearly 22% from the previous year’s total of $7.4 billion. Wonka rounded out the year at the top of the box office, bringing in $22.7 million to bring its grand total in the U.S. to $140.2 million and over $400 million worldwide.

After years of ratings struggles, Monday Night Football is back. Last week’s battle between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys brought in 25.7 million viewers. The most recent installment drove the season to record-setting numbers with its 20-game slate. Overall, 2023 viewership averaged 17.1 million, a boost of 33% from last year.

The merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour may not be dead yet. The two golf superpowers had set a deadline for Dec. 31. However, even though the date has come and gone, the two sides continue to negotiate, led by Fenway Sports Group. The PGA Tour’s commissioner Jay Monahan sent out an update to its members over the weekend to confirm that the deal is still in process and making what he called, “meaningful progress.” If the proposed merger does go through, Strategic Sports Group, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and DP World Tour will join the PGA Tour as minority investors.

The next phase of the XFL and the USFL is coming this March. The two professional football leagues merged to form the United Football League in September and will kick off their first joint season in 2024. The new league unveiled its markets, which include four former XFL cities, three former USFL cities, and one shared venue. The eight teams are the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, and St. Louis Battlehawks. The season kicks off on March 30 with the inaugural game between the Birmingham Stallions (a former USFL team) and the Arlington Renegades (a former XFL team).

The year is off to a good start for crypto enthusiasts. Bitcoin broke the $45,000 mark on Tuesday, making it the first time it has reached such a value since April 2022. The boost can be attributed to the impending Bitcoin ETF, which is expected to occur this quarter, and the corresponding halving that is expected to follow.