Selling the Five Rings: The International Olympic Committee and the Rise of Olympic Commercialism
The original scheme for the modern Olympic Games was hatched at an international sports conference at the Sorbonne in June 1894. At the time, few provisions were made for the financial underwriting of the project—providence and the beneficence of host cities would somehow take care of the costs. For much of the first century of modern Olympic history, this was the case, until the advent of television and corporate sponsorship transformed that idealism.\ Now, linking with the five-ring logo is...
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Selling the Five Rings outlines the rise of the Olympic movement from an envisioned instrument of peace and brotherhood to a transnational commercial giant of imposing power and influence. Using primary source documents spanning the modern Olympic record, the authors track the history of a fascinating global institution. Booknews Using International Olympic Committee meeting minutes, reports, letters, memoranda, and other primary source documents, the authors trace the rise of the Olympic games from what was meant to be an instrument of international peace to a transnational marketing giant. It was a transformation of idealism into commercialism by television and corporate sponsorship that led to bribery, corruption, scandal, and the tarnishing of the Salt Lake City games. The three authors are Canadian academics in kinesiology and human kinetics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
An epilogue as prologue : Sydney 2000, "the greatest games ever"11Establishing a prospective gold mine : the early years172Avery Brundage and the great bread war : an Olympian precedent313Showdown in Melbourne, 1956 : evolution of the Olympic television rights concept514Conflict in the Olympic movement : Avery Brundage, television money, and the Rome formula in the 1960s795Television and the 1970s : Munich and Montreal1036Confrontations galore : Lake Placid, Moscow, and the 1980 Olympic festivals1277Protecting and exploiting the Olympic mystique : the emergence of TOP1538Monique Berlioux's zenith : Sarajevo and Los Angeles television negotiations1819The guard changes in Lausanne : Richard Pound, television negotiations, and the 1988 Olympic festivals20310The IOC's new corporate face : the rise of meridian management23111Turf war : the USOC, IOC, and Olympic television in the 1990s24312Protecting American dollars : Mr. Samaranch goes to Washington26713"Light the fire within" : winning back brand equity and the 2002 Salt Lake City winter games27914Reflections : commercial revenue, the Samaranch presidency, and Jacques Rogge's Challenge289
\ BooknewsUsing International Olympic Committee meeting minutes, reports, letters, memoranda, and other primary source documents, the authors trace the rise of the Olympic games from what was meant to be an instrument of international peace to a transnational marketing giant. It was a transformation of idealism into commercialism by television and corporate sponsorship that led to bribery, corruption, scandal, and the tarnishing of the Salt Lake City games. The three authors are Canadian academics in kinesiology and human kinetics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
