For decades, amateurism defined the ideals undergirding the Olympic
movement. No more. Today's Games present athletes who enjoy open
corporate sponsorship and unabashedly compete for lucrative
commercial endorsements. Â Matthew P. Llewellyn and John
Gleaves analyze how this astonishing transformation took place.
Drawing on Olympic archives and a wealth of research across media,
the authors examine how an elite--white, wealthy, often
Anglo-Saxon--controlled and shaped an enormously powerful myth of
amateurism. The myth assumed an air of naturalness that made it
seem unassailable and, not incidentally, served those in power.
Llewellyn and Gleaves trace professionalism's inroads into the
Olympics from tragic figures like Jim Thorpe through the shamateur
era of under-the-table cash and state-supported athletes. As they
show, the increasing acceptability of professionals went
hand-in-hand with the Games becoming a for-profit international
spectacle. Yet the myth of amateurism's purity remained a potent
force, influencing how people around the globe imagined and
understood sport. Â Timely and vivid with details, The Rise
and Fall of Olympic Amateurism is the first book-length examination
of the movement's foundational ideal. Â
General
Imprint: |
University of Illinois Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Sport and Society |
Release date: |
July 2016 |
Authors: |
Matthew P. Llewellyn
• John Gleaves
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-252-08184-2 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-252-08184-6 |
Barcode: |
9780252081842 |
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