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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