The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will be the biggest single sporting event in the UK in our lifetimes. The memories of that summer of sport will remain with us forever, but what did those four weeks tell us about ourselves, our society's values and its possibilities? This collection of critical reflections is not anti-Olympics nor against sport. The writers instead imaginatively address the reality of the Games' impact, question what the ceremonies and Team GB represented, and deconstruct the organisers' claims of economic regeneration and boosting participation. This an essential and exciting read for all who understand and appreciate that London 2012 meant something, but are unsure what. Contributors include world-class experts in Olympism, writers and journalists who reported on and were inspired by the Games, social and cultural critics, sports policy consultants and sport campaigners.
Arvustused
Praise for Why The Olympics Aren't Good For Us "Mark Perryman's clear and concise outline of what the London 2012 games could have been is enthralling, enticing and will make the reader feel the same passion and the same outrage for the games that we could have had this summer." LSE Review of Books
| Acknowledgements |
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7 | (2) |
| Introduction |
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9 | (4) |
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How was it for us? keynote essay |
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The good, the bad and the orbit |
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13 | (30) |
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43 | (4) |
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The meaning of the London Games |
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47 | (15) |
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62 | (7) |
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69 | (7) |
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Wearing Team GB's colours |
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76 | (6) |
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The power and promise of 2012 |
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Turning Super Saturdays into Happy Mondays |
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82 | (15) |
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Streets of flames summer games |
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97 | (20) |
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117 | (10) |
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127 | (3) |
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The politics of Olympic sport |
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Supercrips cyborgs the unreal Paralympian |
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130 | (12) |
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142 | (6) |
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148 | (13) |
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A utopian moment of beauty and becoming |
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161 | (3) |
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164 | (13) |
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177 | (12) |
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We have nothing to lose but our medals |
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189 | (12) |
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201 | (7) |
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| London 2012 reading and resources |
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208 | (5) |
| Notes on contributors |
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213 | (4) |
| Index |
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217 | |
Mark Perryman is the author of the widely acclaimed Why the Olympics Aren't Good For Us And How They Can Be. During London 2012 he was a frequent media commentator on the politics of the Games. Mark is a Research Fellow in sport and leisure culture at the University of Brighton and author of a number of books on football, Englishness and national identity. He is also co-founder of the self-styled 'sporting outfitters of intellectual distinction' aka www.philosophyfootball.com. Contributors: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Barbara Bell, Billy Bragg, Ben Carrington, Anne Coddington, Gareth Edwards, Bob Gilbert, Eliane Glaser, David Howe, Kate Hughes, Suzanne Moore, Mark Perryman, Gavin Poynter, David Renton, Andrew Simms, Mark Steel, Alan Tomlinson, Zoe Williams.
