Media, Politics, and the Olympic Games
Abstract:
In my Senior Project, I examined the historical relationship between media and politics in the Olympics. I argue that the Olympic Games developed into the global mega-event that they are today as a result of technological innovations in transportation and media. Increased media coverage allowed the Games to be followed by wider audiences. There is a direct correlation between increased media coverage of the Olympics and the international political climate. It was during times of intense international political tensions that the media began covering the Olympics more, as they became an important means of international politics. As a result of the increased media coverage, the Olympics gained popularity among the masses and became a major source of nationalism.