The viability of international sport as a political weapon: The 1980 US Olympic boycott

This dissertation addresses the general question of the degree to which political leaders can hope to utilize sport in a punitive fashion in the international arena. The 1980 US Olympic boycott of the Moscow Games is examined in exhaustive detail as a means through which to make a number of far-reaching conclusions. The scope of the US action, coupled with the enormous effort undertaken by the Carter Administration in its effectuation, allows one to construct a credible case for the US initiative being in many ways a paradigm for similar endeavors in the future. Accordingly, the US boycott is analyzed primarily in a test case manner.;The second issue that demands attention is the question of how sport is used as a political weapon. Through an examination of the process by which the US boycott was actualized, it becomes clearer as to what obstacles are likely to confront such efforts in the future.;The third and final issue addressed by this dissertation concerns the actual results of the US boycott effort. Did the boycott succeed in inflicting the amount of political damage on the Soviet Union originally envisaged by the White House? What costs were borne by the Carter administration for its action? How will the ramifications of the boycott affect the likelihood of other leaders engaging in similar actions in the future?;Through an examination of how and why the boycott instrument was selected, the manner in which it was implemented, and the dividends it did or did not produce, we should be able to answer the central question of this study, the extent to which statesmen can hope to wield the weapon of international sport for politically punitive purposes. That the US acted as it did permits us to generalize about the use of sport as an alternative political tool to an extent otherwise ill-advised.;There are a number of specific questions with which this study will be concerned. The first of these issues is how government leaders come to the use of international sport as a means of achieving political goals. Are actions in the arena of international sports indeed appropriate in terms of the political issues at hand? What other options are considered, and why are these rejected in favor of what many perceive as a rather unorthodox use of sports?...