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E-book
Author Berg, Adam, author.

Title The Olympics that never happened : Denver '76 and the politics of growth / Adam Berg
Edition First edition
Published Austin : University of Texas Press, 2023

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Description 1 online resource (vii, 293 pages)
Series Terry and Jan Todd series on physical culture and sports
Terry and Jan Todd series on physical culture and sports.
Contents Introduction. The game behind the Games -- Part I. The bidders. The origins of Olympic dreams -- Growth crusaders -- Faking an Olympic city -- A mass soft sell -- Part II. The opponents. Post-civil rights advocacy in the city -- Middle-class environmentalism in the foothills -- A liberal tax revolt and the public relations battle -- Direct democracy for middle America -- Part III. The fate and legacy of Denver 1976 -- The DOCS credibility and the rhetoric of Olympism -- The event coalition and the rights of citizenship -- The momentum of the moment -- Epilogue. The games go on
Summary Chronicles the campaigns for and against holding the 1976 Olympic Games at Denver, which became the first city to reject having the event, opposition having arisen among wealthier residents looking to protect their communities' natural beauty, young activists hoping to expand civic participation in the name of liberal causes, and Denver's excluded minority communities-- Provided by publisher
"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 referendum. 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"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on print version record
SUBJECT Olympic Winter Games (12th : 1976 : Denver, Colo.) -- Political aspects
Olympic Winter Games. fast (OCoLC)fst01410622
Subject Olympic host city selection -- Political aspects -- Colorado -- Denver
Olympics -- Planning -- Political aspects
City planning -- Political aspects -- Colorado -- Denver
Political participation -- Colorado -- Denver -- History
HISTORY / General.
City planning -- Political aspects.
Political participation.
Colorado -- Denver.
Genre/Form History.
Form Electronic book
ISBN 1477326464
9781477326466