{"product_id":"before-the-eyes-of-the-world-mexico-and-the-1968-olympic-games-paperback-softback-9780875806969","title":"Before the Eyes of the World; Mexico and the 1968 Olympic Games (Paperback \/ softback) 9780875806969","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eBefore the Eyes of the World\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eMexico and the 1968 Olympic Games\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eKevin Witherspoon (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780875806969\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 14 January 2014\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e224 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.454 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWitherspoon's organization of the material is tight, his exposition rich, at times riveting, and always lucid. \u003ci\u003eBefore the Eyes of the World\u003c\/i\u003e is the best book I have ever read treating one specific Olympic Games.\u003c\/p\u003e (Olympika) \u003cp\u003eWitherspoon does a commendable job at delivering a cogently organized, very readable narrative of the history of sporting events in Mexico, culminating in the 1968 Games. The book's broader discussion of the politics of international Olympic sporting is both engaging and revealing.\u003c\/p\u003e (The Americas)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMexican leaders eagerly anticipated the attention that hosting the world's most visible sporting event would bring, yet they could not have predicted the array of conflicts that would play out before the eyes of the world during the notorious 1968 Mexico City Olympics.\u003c\/b\u003e Following twenty years of economic growth and political stability—known as the \"Mexican miracle\"—Mexican policy makers escaped their prior image of being economically underdeveloped to successfully craft an image of a nation that was both modern and cosmopolitan but also steeped in culture and tradition. Buoyed by this new image, they set their sights on the Olympic bid, and they not only won but also prepared impressive facilities.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrior to the opening ceremonies, several controversies emerged, the most glaring of which was a student protest movement that culminated in a public massacre, leaving several hundred students dead. Less dramatic were concerns that athletes would suffer harm in the high elevation and thin air, debates over the nature of amateurism, threats by nations opposing apartheid to boycott if South Africa was allowed to compete, and the introduction of drug and gender testing. Additionally the Olympics provided a forum for the United States and the Soviet Union to carry their Cold War rivalry to the playing field—a way to achieve victory without world destruction at stake.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the Games, one of the most significant controversies occurred when two African American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raised their fists in the Black Power salute while on the medal stand. This gesture brought worldwide attention to racism within the United States and remains a lasting image of both the Mexico City Olympics and the Civil Rights movement. Although the Olympics are intended to bring athletes of the world together for harmonious competition, the 1968 Games will long be remembered as fraught with discord. This ambitious and comprehensive study will appeal to those interested in US history, Latin American history, sports history, and Olympic history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable of Contents\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 1: How the Olympics Came to Mexico\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2: Image Preserved: Early Controversies and the Cultural Olympics\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 3: Image Tarnished: The Revolt of the Black Athlete\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 4: Image Shattered: Tlatelolco\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 5: The World Watches: October '68 \u003cbr\u003e Chapter 6: Settling the Score\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Northern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52584760901912,"sku":"9780875806969","price":18.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/before-the-eyes-of-the-world-mexico-and-the-1968-olympic-games-paperback-softback-9780875806969","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}