Product Description

With a thorough exploration of the political climate of the time and the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, this book describes the repercussions of Jimmy Carter’s American boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Despite missing the games they had trained relentlessly to compete in, many U.S. athletes went on to achieve remarkable successes in sports and overcame the bitter disappointment of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity dashed by geopolitics.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88446 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review

"The strength of Boycott is in the Caraccioli brothers' methodical presentation of the complicated events leading up to boycott." —Wall Street Journal

"The book also serves as a poignant tribute to hundreds of American athletes caught in the middle of a geopolitical chess match between superpowers." —Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"Uniquely and poignantly captures the impact of American athletes denied the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games. This book . . . becomes their belated, but deserved, Olympic salute." —Dick Enberg, CBS Sports

"It is reassuring that the Caracciolis decided to tackle this story about America and American athletes in a challenging time." —Anita DeFrantz, International Olympic Committee

About the Author

Tom Caraccioli is the president of Lions Roar, LLC, a communications and public relations firm, and a former executive for NBC and USA networks. Jerry Caraccioli is a television network executive in the CBS sports division. They are the coauthors of Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team.

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Customer Reviews

Olympics, Politics, and the Summer of 1980
Competing in the Olympics is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is something for which many promising athletes train and prepare for a good deal of their young lives. But back in 1980, the Olympic hopes of the entire United States Summer Games team were dashed when former president Carter made the decision to withdraw, a direct response in protest to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Hopes of Olympic glory were, for many, an impossible dream since there was little or no chance to ever compete again.

Boycott is a book written about some of the athletes who lost their once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Olympics and wear the coveted Olympic medals. It was a very tough decision, and the politics of the situation are presented several times in the book. Former president Carter felt it was the right thing to do and he had the support of most of the U.S. Congress, as well as the support of a large percentage of the population. But the Olympic hopefuls on the United States team felt otherwise. Many had trained and fought hard for many years to qualify for the Olympics, only to see their Olympic dreams go up in smoke, and all because of politics.

Eighteen different athletes are profiled in this book and each has his/her own story to share, expressing their feelings both then and now. For some, the feelings of bitterness were very real back in 1980 and they were extremely angry at Carter for allowing politics to influence sports. The Olympics were supposed to be free from political influence and while politics certainly played a role in past Olympic events, these athletes did not want to see history repeat itself. They knew they would likely never get another chance to compete in the Summer games, and many voice the bitterness they felt at the time- and still feel today- when they think about this decision and the profound impact it has had on their lives.

While most of the 1980 Summer Game Olympic athletes were very unhappy, there were those who cared less than others. For some, it wasn't the end of a career in sports so it wasn't that important. They still had a promising professional career just ahead. For others, the boycott was grudgingly accepted because, as much as they wanted to compete, they felt the decision was in the best interests of the United States. Others backed Carter's decision because they felt that it was only right to support their president and respect his decision.

The fact that this book includes opinions from athletes whose opinions vary so much is one of its strongest points. The authors obviously did not intend to use this book to make a political statement. If they did, they would have concentrated only on the athletes who were angry; only those who were accepting of the decision; only those who were indifferent; etc. Instead, the book presents viewpoints from multiple angles. The feelings presented by these eighteen athletes are pretty clear, but they vary from person to person and about the only emotion they all share in common is that of disappointment.

Between the profiles of the selected athletes, Boycott includes a rundown of the political facts as they have been recorded, from the initial invasion of Afghanistan to the attempted lawsuit brought on by the athletes against the government and the Olympic committee. Former Vice- President Mondale wrote the preface to this book, but one thing missing from this book is a response from former President Carter himself. We know that Carter would still back his decision, but it would have been interesting to hear a response from Carter about his decision from 1980 and how he feels about it now.

Overall, Boycott is a very good book about the withdraw of the United States athletic team from the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. It offers a good summary of the political situation, varying opinions from the selected group of eighteen athletes, and a preface from former vice president Mondale. The book steers clear of opinion and lets the athletes speak for themselves; expressing their feelings of bitterness, depression, indifference, and sometimes anger toward the politicians in Washington who stole their once in a lifetime opportunity.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
In the summer of 1980, President Jimmy Carter made the choice to boycott the Summer Olympics, which were being held in Moscow, Russia.

After a vote by the USOC (United States Olympic Committee), about 650 athletes' Olympic dreams were gone. The controversy and personal stories from the athletes themselves are gracefully put together by Tom and Jerry Caraccioli.

This unique book gives readers two viewpoints about the controversial 1980 Summer Olympics. Both of the Caraccioli's give the historical background and the reasons for the boycott. Then the personal stories from many 1980 Olympian athletes provides the personal impact this event in history had on real people who had real dreams.

This interesting book is a great read for people who aren't aware of the boycott and the controversies that surrounded the sporting tradition.

Reviewed by: Steph

The unsung heroes of the 1980 Olympics...
The unsung heroes of the 1980 Olympics...
[...]
In 1980, The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and Jimmy Carter called for a boycott of the Olympic Games to be held in Moscow. The U.S. Olympic athletes sacrificed their dreams for their country; they are the unsung heroes of the era. They trained for years in hopes of winning a gold medal but were not allowed to participate. Twin brothers, Tom and Jerry Carraccioli, shed light on the events leading up to the boycott and the heroic effort of the U.S. team. In the words of former Vice President Walter Mondale, "The Soviet Union would've loved it if American athletes had made a big issue against our policy. They would've grabbed on to that and said, `See, America is putting its own athletes down and the athletes are mad about it and want to come to Moscow." The facts are stated in a professional manner. Boycott is a well written and fascinating look back at history.