|  | Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World |
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 2008-12-29 - Overblown premis not supported by facts
In reading this book I found myself torn in several different directions. But then again so did David Maraniss. He seems to want to tell the story of why the 1960 Olympics were so important but he can not find out what means he wants to use to do so. On the one hand he wants us to believe this is when the Olympics went from being amateur to more professional, but yet doesn't. He also speaks of these games as the first ones where drugs were used but then speaks of how they were used before and came to their peak in the 1970's and 80's.
Maraniss's wants us to believe that these games were when politics took over the games but then gives examples from 1936,1956,1968,1972 and 1976 when the games faced greater political obstacles. Lastly, he wants to tell the stories of the great athletes who competed at these games. I believe that the last part is the books one and only bright spot and that Maraniss would have done a much better job of focusing on them.
Basically I found this a rather dull and confusing read and unless you have a great interest in this period, is probably not worth your time. There are much better sports books out there and somebody does need to write one about Mexico City in 1968 or Melbourne in 1956!
 2008-12-23 - For the Ages
Mr. Maraniss takes us back to the Rome Olympics in 1960. With loving detail he recreates that watershed moment when the Cold War first seriously collided with the sporting world. He reintroduces us to the sporting heroes of a bygone era. Greats like Wilma Rudolph, Ralph Bunch, Abebe Bikila and Rafer Johnson are recognized for their place in history. We meet the young Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)in all his brash insecurity. This is the moment when drugs first creeps onto the Olympic stage and when amateurism is being questioned. This a fascinating read.
2008-12-09 - Entertaining and Fun. Plus You Can Learn a Thing Or Two
Rafer Johnson was the first African American athlete to be the captain of a U.S. Olympic team. He carried the flag at the opening ceremony and won the gold medal for the decathlon. Wilma Rudolph was another African American Olympic contestant who overcame polio, poverty, and being a single mom to obtaining three gold medals and the admiration of the world. What do those two athletes ave in common? They both were participants in the Rome Olympics of 1960. New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winning author David Maraniss creates a vibrant look into the world of 1960, the political and social unrest the world was facing, and how those 18 summer days revealed tensions between world powers. This Olympics game was also the first to be publicized commercially, the first to have the problems of a doping scandal, and even athletes being paid to wear certain shoes.
This is an excellent narrative that anyone could get a kick out of reading.
2008-11-01 - Maraniss on top of his game
David Maraniss has written so many wonderful books that it isn't surprising to find "Rome 1960" to be such a great read. But it's still reassuring. Maraniss digs deep for his reporting, and writes with a clear eye and a genuine point of view. Good from beginning to end.
2008-09-20 - The Olympics that Changed the Olympics
Because the 1956 Olympics were in Melborne Australia few people got to see it or even hear it live. The 1960 Olympics was the first to be televised live in Europe and by tape in the States. The amount of TV was miniscule by today's standards but it helps to pay for a large amount of the costs. It was the first olympics that the Russians brought a full team to, and the last one that Europeans had any success at. It was the first fully integrated American team (Decathlete Rafer Johnson carried the flag) with a strong womans' contingent (runners and swimmers).
As important as anything else that happened was that there were fourteen new sub-Saharan states that participated for the first time and that won medallions. Abbe Bikela won a gold medal for Ethiopia and a Senegalese (running for France) also won. This Olympics was the first in which anyone but the European Nations (including the US and Australia/ New Zealand) had any world class athletes.
It was also the first Olympics where an athlete died from the use of drugs. A Danish cyclist overheated during his road race competition and was found to have been taking amphetamines. Other athletes had used testosterone/steroids but no one knew much about the long term effects of these drugs. Drug testing would be widespread in 1964 at Tokyo and testing began in 1968.
Maraniss does a great job making the case that while integration marches hadn't started yet, those blacks who were on the Olympic team were the precursors of what was to come when all sports and America was integrated. He does an especially good job on some of the individual biographies such as Johnson, the woman runners (led by Wilma Rudolph) and the decathletes. Muhammed Ali (as Cassius Clay) was there as a 19 year old (just as brash as he was later) light-heavyweight gold medal winner. Jim McKay was the in studio host for NBC which led to him being seen by Roone Arledge (and the rest is the Wide World of Sports).
Wonderfully written and a great read. Highly Recommended.
Zeb Kantrowitz
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