The Olympics that never happened : Denver' 76 and the politics of growth
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The Olympics that never happened : Denver' 76 and the politics of growth
（Terry and Jan Todd series on physical culture and sports）
University of Texas Press, 2023
- : cloth
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
A look back at how powerful politicians, business leaders, and a diverse cast of activists used a thwarted Olympics to shape the state of Colorado and the city of Denver.
If you don't recall the 1976 Denver Olympic Games, it's because they never happened. The Mile-High City won the right to host the winter games and then was forced by Colorado citizens to back away from its successful Olympic bid through a statewide ballot initiative. Adam Berg details the powerful Colorado regime that gained the games for Denver and the grassroots activism that brought down its Olympic dreams, and he explores the legacy of this milestone moment for the games and politics in the United States.
The ink was hardly dry on Denver's host agreement when Mexican American and African American urbanites, white middle-class environmentalists, and fiscally concerned local politicians realized opposition to the Olympics provided them new political openings. The Olympics quickly became a platform for taking stands on a range of issues, from conservation to urban livability to the very idea of growth, which for decades had been unquestioned in Colorado. The Olympics That Never Happened argues that hostility to the Olympics galvanized and empowered diverse citizens in a major US city, with long-term ramifications for Colorado and political activism elsewhere. The Olympics themselves were changed forever, compelling organizers to take seriously competing interests from subgroups within their communities.
Table of Contents
Acronyms
Introduction: The Game behind the Games
Part I. The Bidders
Chapter 1. The Origins of Olympic Dreams
Chapter 2. Growth Crusaders
Chapter 3. Faking an Olympic City
Chapter 4. A Mass Soft Sell
Part II. The Opponents
Chapter 5. Post-Civil Rights Advocacy in the City
Chapter 6. Middle-Class Environmentalism in the Foothills
Chapter 7. A Liberal Tax Revolt and the Public Relations Battle
Chapter 8. Direct Democracy for Middle America
Part III. The Fate and Legacy of Denver '76
Chapter 9. The DOC'S Credibility and the Rhetoric of Olympism
Chapter 10. The Event Coalition and the Rights of Citizenship
Chapter 11. The Momentum of the Moment
Epilogue: The Games Go On
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
