Scripting the American Scripting the American Olympic Story-Telling Olympic Story-Telling

FormulaFormula

The 1924 Paris Olympic The 1924 Paris Olympic Games and the American Games and the American

MediaMedia

I. American Stories in the 1920’sI. American Stories in the 1920’s

Charles Lindbergh as Charles Lindbergh as cultural symbolcultural symbol

Parallels to the 1924 Parallels to the 1924 American Olympic American Olympic TeamTeam

The significance of The significance of nationalismnationalism

Media interpretation of Media interpretation of Olympic exploitsOlympic exploits-- “ballyhoo”-- “ballyhoo”

Translating the Translating the Olympics for an Olympics for an American audienceAmerican audience

II. Pre-Olympic Media InterpretationII. Pre-Olympic Media Interpretation

Olympism as an Olympism as an antidote to antidote to “realpolitik”“realpolitik”

Olympic preparations Olympic preparations in Parisin Paris

A French Olympic A French Olympic CrazeCraze

American Try-outsAmerican Try-outs

--Charles W. Paddock--Charles W. Paddock

III. A Winter InterludeIII. A Winter Interlude

First Winter First Winter Olympic games in Olympic games in January of 1924January of 1924

Charles Jewtraw Charles Jewtraw wins 500 meter wins 500 meter speed skating goldspeed skating gold

Media Media interpretation of interpretation of the American the American performanceperformance

IV. Olympic Sport and American IV. Olympic Sport and American Politics: A ContrastPolitics: A Contrast

The Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome ScandalScandal

Sport as an escape Sport as an escape from politicsfrom politics

Public donations Public donations for American team for American team expenses soughtexpenses sought

--$350,000 for a --$350,000 for a 350-member team350-member team

V. Setting the Stage: Olympic V. Setting the Stage: Olympic “Ballyhoo”“Ballyhoo”

American team American team seen as favoritesseen as favorites

Stiff competition Stiff competition expected from expected from FinlandFinland

A change in the A change in the scoring policyscoring policy

Special attention Special attention given to American given to American sprinterssprinters

VI. “Sex Appeal” at the Olympic VI. “Sex Appeal” at the Olympic SpectacleSpectacle

Media focus on Media focus on American women American women swimmersswimmers

The “ambiguous” role The “ambiguous” role of women at the of women at the Olympic gamesOlympic games

The sexual appeal of The sexual appeal of female swimmersfemale swimmers

Sportswomanship of Sportswomanship of female swimmersfemale swimmers

Sometimes women Sometimes women endorsed the male-endorsed the male-chauvinist views of chauvinist views of women’s sportwomen’s sport

VII. “Unbearable Americans”VII. “Unbearable Americans”

United States defeats United States defeats France in Rugby in France in Rugby in May of 1924May of 1924

French crowd French crowd responseresponse

Crowd response Crowd response denounced by French denounced by French presspress

American media American media interpretation of the interpretation of the “rugby wars”“rugby wars”

VIII. Defending America’s National VIII. Defending America’s National HonorHonor

Sport as an instrument Sport as an instrument of peaceof peace

The role of nationalism The role of nationalism in the Olympicsin the Olympics

American team sails American team sails for Francefor France

No media reports from No media reports from American athletesAmerican athletes

American Olympic American Olympic quartersquarters

““Americanizing” the Americanizing” the Olympic experienceOlympic experience

IX. The 1924 GamesIX. The 1924 Games

The Opening The Opening CeremonyCeremony

The entrance of the The entrance of the American teamAmerican team

12 New World Records12 New World Records U.S. faced tough U.S. faced tough

competitorscompetitors American resultsAmerican results Anti-American Anti-American

behavior of the French behavior of the French crowdscrowds

X. Counting Medals and X. Counting Medals and Confirming American SuperiorityConfirming American Superiority

U.S. won 45 gold medals, U.S. won 45 gold medals, 26 silver medals, and 27 26 silver medals, and 27 bronze medalsbronze medals

Nation-wide epidemic of Nation-wide epidemic of patriotic “back-slapping”patriotic “back-slapping”

Olympic performance as Olympic performance as an antidote to the fast an antidote to the fast living of the 20’sliving of the 20’s

Theories explaining the Theories explaining the American successAmerican success

The invisibility of Black The invisibility of Black OlympiansOlympians

Some criticism of the Some criticism of the American Olympic American Olympic performanceperformance

XI. Glorifying FinlandXI. Glorifying Finland Paavo Nurmi, The “Flying Paavo Nurmi, The “Flying

Finn”Finn” Proposed Reasons for Proposed Reasons for

Finnish excellence in Finnish excellence in Olympic sportsOlympic sports--climate and size--climate and size--superior moral athletes--superior moral athletes--long fight with the --long fight with the RussiansRussians--diet and training--diet and training--compulsory physical --compulsory physical educationeducation

Why did Americans Why did Americans celebrate Finland’s celebrate Finland’s Olympic successesOlympic successes

XII. Creating Foreign EnemiesXII. Creating Foreign Enemies Press created villains Press created villains

along with sidekicksalong with sidekicks British Criticism of British Criticism of

Olympism itselfOlympism itself American faith in the American faith in the

Olympic spiritOlympic spirit The Olympics as an The Olympics as an

arena to arena to “Americanize” the “Americanize” the worldworld

Sport as a way to Sport as a way to spread civilization and spread civilization and American idealsAmerican ideals

XIII. A Triumphant Return from XIII. A Triumphant Return from ParisParis

Ticker tape parade in New Ticker tape parade in New York CityYork City

New York City mayor New York City mayor attacks federal attacks federal government for lack of government for lack of support of American teamsupport of American team

Fact and Fiction in the Fact and Fiction in the Olympic Story-Telling Olympic Story-Telling ScriptsScripts

Traditional and modern Traditional and modern society might successfully society might successfully be mergedbe merged

““An Ethiopian Takes Notes”An Ethiopian Takes Notes” Difficulty of separating fact Difficulty of separating fact

from fictionfrom fiction

Marketing National Marketing National IdentityIdentity

The Olympic Games of The Olympic Games of 1932 and American 1932 and American

CultureCulture

I. Hollywood’s Olympic VillageI. Hollywood’s Olympic Village Means of producing Means of producing

cultural images and cultural images and mythsmyths

Residential pattern of Residential pattern of the Olympic Villagethe Olympic Village

The role of Hollywood The role of Hollywood starsstars

Special food for each Special food for each nationnation

The Tenth Olympiad The Tenth Olympiad headquartered in headquartered in “fantasyland”“fantasyland”

II. Advertising the Los Angeles II. Advertising the Los Angeles OlympicsOlympics

Marketed as the Marketed as the vacation of 1932vacation of 1932

Advertised as a Advertised as a “Depression-buster”“Depression-buster”

New American New American Olympic president Olympic president Avery BrundageAvery Brundage

Olympians as an Olympians as an example of the true example of the true American economic American economic ethosethos

III. Underwriting a Wholesome III. Underwriting a Wholesome OlympicsOlympics

Nation-wide Nation-wide campaign to campaign to finance the finance the American Olympic American Olympic TeamTeam

State and local State and local supportsupport

Enforcement of Enforcement of ProhibitionProhibition

IV. The Winter Games at Lake IV. The Winter Games at Lake PlacidPlacid

Third Winter Olympics Third Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New at Lake Placid, New York in February, 1932York in February, 1932

Governor Franklin Governor Franklin Roosevelt opens the Roosevelt opens the gamesgames

Media CoverageMedia Coverage Stunning American Stunning American

victoryvictory Financial Issues for Financial Issues for

the Winter Gamesthe Winter Games

V. Funding Issues for the Summer V. Funding Issues for the Summer GamesGames

Fears that African-Fears that African-American Athletes will American Athletes will be droppedbe dropped

--Ralph Metcalfe and --Ralph Metcalfe and Jesse OwensJesse Owens

German participation German participation in spite of economic in spite of economic woeswoes

AOC funding problemsAOC funding problems Local Fundraising Local Fundraising

ChallengesChallenges

VI. The 1932 GamesVI. The 1932 Games

The Anticipation of The Anticipation of American VictoriesAmerican Victories

Who would open Who would open the games?the games?

Visions of Olympic Visions of Olympic HarmonyHarmony

An Olympian An Olympian Publicity Machine—Publicity Machine—Hollywood StyleHollywood Style

VI. 1932 Games (cont)VI. 1932 Games (cont)

The Opening The Opening CeremoniesCeremonies

An Orgy of Self-An Orgy of Self-CongratulationCongratulation

Revelations of Revelations of National Character National Character and Statusand Status

The US and Japan The US and Japan at the 1932 Gamesat the 1932 Games

VII. Women and the 1932 Summer VII. Women and the 1932 Summer GamesGames

Continuing Continuing controversy over the controversy over the role of women in the role of women in the Olympic gamesOlympic games

A lack of grace among A lack of grace among female track and field female track and field starsstars

Still, the female Still, the female athletes were athletes were perceived as “fair”perceived as “fair”

““The Natural”—Babe The Natural”—Babe DidriksonDidrikson

VIII. Reflections on the 1932 VIII. Reflections on the 1932 GamesGames

The “Sable Cyclones”The “Sable Cyclones” The invisibility of The invisibility of

African-American African-American athletes in the 1930’sathletes in the 1930’s

The global politics of The global politics of the Olympic spirit—the Olympic spirit—Olympism as the Olympism as the recipe for world peacerecipe for world peace

A Dissenting VoiceA Dissenting Voice Appeals to Appeals to

American Athletic American Athletic NationalismNationalism