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wescovington's review against another edition
4.0
This review came from an advance reading copy from Edelweiss.
Goldblatt shows how the Olympics came to be in all their gory, yet fascinating details in this comprehensive look at the Olympics. From rather scattershot organization in 1896 to a scope so big that it overwhelms almost all countries, the Olympics has become a world force that is surprisingly powerful. But it may have outgrown or outlived its usefulness. The upcoming Rio games will be quite interesting to see.
Goldblatt shows how the Olympics came to be in all their gory, yet fascinating details in this comprehensive look at the Olympics. From rather scattershot organization in 1896 to a scope so big that it overwhelms almost all countries, the Olympics has become a world force that is surprisingly powerful. But it may have outgrown or outlived its usefulness. The upcoming Rio games will be quite interesting to see.
eldaaurora97's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
"It was not quite Coubertin's intention to create a global stage on which battles for equality and inclusion along the line of class, ethnicity, gender, disability and sexuality might be fought out. Nor, even in his most ebullient moments, did he imagine the Olympic movement and its games as a place for collective delirium, reflection, or laughter, but despite everything the Olympics continues to offer both"
David Goldblatt discusses how the Olympics evolved in "The Games", a wide-ranging history of how the Olympics turned from a simple revival of ancient rituals to a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Over the course of 100+ years, the Olympics faced global warfare, boycotts, and the day-to-day politics which afflicts the host cities and how they approach the games. Goldblatt also covers the social movements which influence who's included, such as women, the disabled, and the working class.
Each part delves with a different time period of the games, and how they evolved in that subset. With the first part, one thing which surprised me was how there were already other attempts to revive the ancient Olympics--"Soustos was the first to call for a revival fo the gamers, Coubertin was the first to bind that notion to some form of internationalism and make it happen, but both ideas emerged from a long and bizarre encounter between European modernity and an ancient religious festival..." Even the ending of the first Olympics was something I've never heard about--having faded away rather than be fully banned in 392 AD. The behind the scenes of the first Olympics was a bit chaotic, but showed what could be done.
What had surprised me was how bourgeois were the first games--the question of amateurism aside, the new Olympic movement was born out of the upper classes and had a particular rooting in the elite. "In a world more connected than ever before, there was imperial expansion abroad, yet peace between the major powers..." (55) It played into the worlds' fairs (which made the Olympics themselves expand through several months!), but it was more emphasized after the First World War, where social movements entangled with sports to form their own athletic federations, and sport would be used "as the international language of peace and solidarity" (134). With these alternatives, I wondered about what if the IOC was based on working class ideals--would they reflect society in all its forms?
One thing which always stood out to me was how the Olympics were intertwined with the politics of the day, which always defies its "apolitical nature", and at the same time, tries to make itself an ideal. A notable example is with the Berlin Games in 1936, in which the IOC is assured that German Jews would be able to compete, but that Olympic truce wasn't able to hold after that. Before those games were held, boycotts were held, though in the end, they were ultimately smothered. What also didn't help was the spectacle in which the German show emerged, notably with Olympia. On the other hand, the Seoul games, which was initially tied with its regime, it "marked the beginning of a new, more democratic and open era in South Korean life" (324)
I love how Goldblatt delves into the different social aspects; what also stood out were how those themes also influenced how the games evolved. For the 1932 and 1936 games, we see the Olympics become more of a spectacle; in the 1960s, we see countries use them to showcase a new vision of themselves. In the 1990s, we see the end of amateurism, which allowed for tennis players and the Dream Team to compete; with the turn of the 21st century, we see further bribery to host the games. It feels all kaleidoscopic and surreal, and while the Olympics are primarily focused on sports, its evolution is just as intriguing.
As we get to the end, including the darker parts of the modern-day Olympics, I wonder how Goldblatt would comment on the 2020 games. It seemed peaceful at first, but plans changed because of Covid-19; the fact that many Japanese people wanted the games canceled despite the initial postponement was telling in where it was going to go. Over time, we also see hosting the games become less lucrative, to the point where they decided on the 2024 and 2028 hosts simultaneously and there are more anti-Olympic rallies. How do we approach this spectacle in the future? And how could it be a symbol of something better?
"The Games" are not a play-by-play on the different sports involved, but is something deeper, in that its an ideal pushing back against reality. It's a world onto itself, filled with interesting twists and turns, as well as evolution. Sometimes, the prose is a bit dry, but it's clear Goldblatt does his research, and it shows.
David Goldblatt discusses how the Olympics evolved in "The Games", a wide-ranging history of how the Olympics turned from a simple revival of ancient rituals to a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Over the course of 100+ years, the Olympics faced global warfare, boycotts, and the day-to-day politics which afflicts the host cities and how they approach the games. Goldblatt also covers the social movements which influence who's included, such as women, the disabled, and the working class.
Each part delves with a different time period of the games, and how they evolved in that subset. With the first part, one thing which surprised me was how there were already other attempts to revive the ancient Olympics--"Soustos was the first to call for a revival fo the gamers, Coubertin was the first to bind that notion to some form of internationalism and make it happen, but both ideas emerged from a long and bizarre encounter between European modernity and an ancient religious festival..." Even the ending of the first Olympics was something I've never heard about--having faded away rather than be fully banned in 392 AD. The behind the scenes of the first Olympics was a bit chaotic, but showed what could be done.
What had surprised me was how bourgeois were the first games--the question of amateurism aside, the new Olympic movement was born out of the upper classes and had a particular rooting in the elite. "In a world more connected than ever before, there was imperial expansion abroad, yet peace between the major powers..." (55) It played into the worlds' fairs (which made the Olympics themselves expand through several months!), but it was more emphasized after the First World War, where social movements entangled with sports to form their own athletic federations, and sport would be used "as the international language of peace and solidarity" (134). With these alternatives, I wondered about what if the IOC was based on working class ideals--would they reflect society in all its forms?
One thing which always stood out to me was how the Olympics were intertwined with the politics of the day, which always defies its "apolitical nature", and at the same time, tries to make itself an ideal. A notable example is with the Berlin Games in 1936, in which the IOC is assured that German Jews would be able to compete, but that Olympic truce wasn't able to hold after that. Before those games were held, boycotts were held, though in the end, they were ultimately smothered. What also didn't help was the spectacle in which the German show emerged, notably with Olympia. On the other hand, the Seoul games, which was initially tied with its regime, it "marked the beginning of a new, more democratic and open era in South Korean life" (324)
I love how Goldblatt delves into the different social aspects; what also stood out were how those themes also influenced how the games evolved. For the 1932 and 1936 games, we see the Olympics become more of a spectacle; in the 1960s, we see countries use them to showcase a new vision of themselves. In the 1990s, we see the end of amateurism, which allowed for tennis players and the Dream Team to compete; with the turn of the 21st century, we see further bribery to host the games. It feels all kaleidoscopic and surreal, and while the Olympics are primarily focused on sports, its evolution is just as intriguing.
As we get to the end, including the darker parts of the modern-day Olympics, I wonder how Goldblatt would comment on the 2020 games. It seemed peaceful at first, but plans changed because of Covid-19; the fact that many Japanese people wanted the games canceled despite the initial postponement was telling in where it was going to go. Over time, we also see hosting the games become less lucrative, to the point where they decided on the 2024 and 2028 hosts simultaneously and there are more anti-Olympic rallies. How do we approach this spectacle in the future? And how could it be a symbol of something better?
"The Games" are not a play-by-play on the different sports involved, but is something deeper, in that its an ideal pushing back against reality. It's a world onto itself, filled with interesting twists and turns, as well as evolution. Sometimes, the prose is a bit dry, but it's clear Goldblatt does his research, and it shows.
murph_the_serf's review against another edition
2.0
I hope you're not thirsty because this book is DRY. It feels more like a textbook with a "this happened, then this happened, then this happened" structure with very little narrative thread. Whilst he goes into exhaustive detail and clearly loves the Olympic Games, the matter-of-fact structure left a lot to be desired for me.
katescholastica's review against another edition
5.0
Really well written, great academic resource that doesn’t feel too dense
jensteerswell's review against another edition
4.0
I used to love the Olympics, probably right up until the time when I realised that the figure skating competition was hopelessly biased and Canadian athletes never really stood a chance.
allisonsbeautifullife's review against another edition
2.0
I love history and historical books, but this book wasn't exactly the history that I was expecting/hoping for. It was very detailed, but didn't really keep me interested. I would have liked more about the highlights that one would expect from a book about the olympics and a little bit less about the committees and the Baron de Coubertin!