Forum Sport and Economy: The Commercialization of Olympic Sport by the Media
In: International review for the sociology of sport: irss ; a quarterly edited on behalf of the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA), Band 19, Heft 3-4, S. 305-316
ISSN: 1461-7218
The Los Angeles Olympics 1984 showed a culmination in the interrelationship of sport and economy. The "commodity" sport was marketed and exploited. American enterprises spent almost US $900 million on sponsoring and television advertising. The private organizers made a surplus of $162 million. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) received about $650 million from advertising. The economic instrumentalization of sport leads to a new identity and interdependence of athletes, reporters, promoters, sponsors and the media. Major sporting events can no longer be staged without financial support from television and inevitably become part of the advertising for the "McDonald's mass culture"
