Selling the five rings : the International Olympic Committee and the rise of Olympic commercialism

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Title:

Author:

Barney, Robert Knight, 1932-

ISBN:

9780874807134

Personal Author:

Barney, Robert Knight, 1932-

Publication Information:

Salt Lake City : The University of Utah Press, c2002.

Physical Description:

xvi, 384 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

An Epilogue as Prologue: Sydney 2000, "The Greatest Games Ever" -- Pt. I. The Evolution of Olympic Commercialism -- 1. Establishing a Prospective Gold Mine: The Early Years -- 2. Avery Brundage and the Great Bread War: An Olympian Precedent -- 3. Showdown in Melbourne, 1956: Evolution of the Olympic Television Rights Concept -- 4. Conflict in the Olympic Movement: Avery Brundage, Television Money, and the Rome Formula in the 1960s -- 5. Television and the 1970s: Munich and Montreal -- 6. Confrontations Galore: Lake Placid, Moscow, and the 1980 Olympic Festivals -- Pt. II. The IOC Becomes a Corporate Entity -- 7. Protecting and Exploiting the Olympic Mystique: The Emergence of TOP -- 8. Monique Berlioux's Zenith: Sarajevo and Los Angeles Television Negotiations -- 9. The Guard Changes in Lausanne: Richard Pound, Television Negotiations, and the 1988 Olympic Festivals -- 10. The IOC's New Corporate Face: The Rise of Meridian Management.

Abstract:

"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 such as minutes of the IOC General Sessions, minutes and reports of various IOC subcommittees and commissions concerned with finance, reports of key marketing agencies, and the letters and memoranda written to and by the major figures in Olympic history, the authors track the history of a fascinating global institution."--BOOK JACKET.

Corporate Subject:

International Olympic Committee.

Subject Term:

Olympics -- Economic aspects.

Television and sports.

Added Author:

Martyn, Scott G., 1966-

Wenn, Stephen R., 1964-

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168015709385	796.48 B261S 2002	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

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 good business. Advertising during the Olympic Games guarantees a global audience unmatched in size by any other sports audience in the world. However, if the image begins to tarnish and the corporate sector loses interest, television companies can't sell advertising to business interests. This was the greatest threat posed by the scandal surrounding Salt Lake City's bid.

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 such as minutes of the IOC General Sessions, minutes and reports of various IOC sub-committees and commissions concerned with finance, reports of key marketing agencies, and the letters and memoranda written to and by the major figures in Olympic history, the authors track the history of a fascinating global institution.