Global sporting events involve the creation, management and
mediation of cultural meanings for consumption by massive media
audiences. The apotheosis of this cultural form is the Olympic
Games. This challenging and provocative new book explores the
Olympic spectacle, from the multi-media bidding process and the
branding and imaging of the Games, to security, surveillance and
control of the Olympic product across all of its levels.
The book argues that the process of commercialization, directed
by the IOC itself, has enabled audiences to interpret its
traditional objects in non-reverential ways and to develop
oppositional interpretations of Olympism. The Olympics have become
multi-voiced and many themed, and the spectacle of the contemporary
Games raises important questions about institutionalization, the
doctrine of individualism, the advance of market capitalism,
performance, consumption and the consolidation of global
society.
With particular focus on the London Games in 2012, the book
casts a critical eye over the bidding process, Olympic finance,
promises of legacy and development, and the consequences of hosting
the Games for the civil rights and liberties of those living in
their shadow. Few studies have offered such close scrutiny of the
inner workings of Olympism s political and economic network, and,
therefore, this book is indispensible reading for any student or
researcher with an interest in the Olympics, sport's multiple
impacts, or sporting mega-events.
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