{"product_id":"the-rise-and-fall-of-matthew-p-llewellyn-9780252040351","title":"The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism","description":"For decades, amateurism defined the ideals undergirding the Olympic movement. No more. Today's Games present athletes who enjoy open corporate sponsorship and unabashedly compete for lucrative commercial endorsements. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Matthew P. Llewellyn and John Gleaves analyze how this astonishing transformation took place. Drawing on Olympic archives and a wealth of research across media, the authors examine how an elite--white, wealthy, often Anglo-Saxon--controlled and shaped an enormously powerful myth of amateurism. The myth assumed an air of naturalness that made it seem unassailable and, not incidentally, served those in power. Llewellyn and Gleaves trace professionalism's inroads into the Olympics from tragic figures like Jim Thorpe through the shamateur era of under-the-table cash and state-supported athletes. As they show, the increasing acceptability of professionals went hand-in-hand with the Games becoming a for-profit international spectacle. Yet the myth of amateurism's purity remained a potent force, influencing how people around the globe imagined and understood sport. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Timely and vivid with details, \u003ci\u003eThe Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism\u003c\/i\u003e is the first book-length examination of the movement's foundational ideal. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Matthew P. Llewellyn,John Gleaves\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 025204035X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780252040351\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Illinois Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/15\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2017","brand":"Matthew P. Llewellyn","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086444900607,"sku":"9780252040351","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_99f392a1-6e8d-41f8-8b7f-cc834f5987cb.jpg?v=1769094711","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-rise-and-fall-of-matthew-p-llewellyn-9780252040351","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}