The Olympic Games

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The Olympic Games

• The Postmodern Olympics and Prolympism

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Postmodernism

• A depthlessness in which appearances are all, in
  which anchored meanings and permanent principles
  are absent.

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PoMo Theory

• The Olympic rings operate as an open-ended
  signifier enabling their continued symbolic
  consumption as both affective cultural icon whose
  meaning emerges out of the links between
  products and everyday life.

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Postmodernism in Modernism

• The Olympic Rings were the first sign of the PoMo
  Olympic within the Mo Olympics
• Introduced, 1914
• First appearance at Olympic Games, 1920

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Postmodernism in Modernism
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PoMo Logo
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PoMo Logo
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Ambush Marketing
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Subtle Ambush Marketing
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Subtle Ambush Marketing
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Peter Donnellys Thesis

• Between 1896 and 2002, the ideologies of Olympism
  and Professionalism have merged in one dominant
  ideology that is epitomized in the Olympic Games.
  The emergent sport monoculture (Prolympism)
  represents a crisis for the development of sport
  in general.

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Prolympism Premise 1

• In form and function, modern Sports derive from
  Western European traditions
• Amateurism provides a social utilitarian view of
  sport
• Sport is meaningful as social and educational
  benefits
• More meaningful if amateur/disinterested
  participation

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Prolympism Premise 2

• In form and function, modern Sports derive from
  Western European traditions
• Professional provides a distinct and separate
  function
• True Excellence is only achieved when extrinsic
  reward is at state
• Play to be excellent
• Play to win

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Prolympism Premise 3

• Amateurism and Professional are only meaningful
  when both exist and challenge the other.
  Prolympism suggests that these institutions of
  sport have disappeared.

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Prolympism
Why do professionals want to participate in the
Olympic Games?