NOLYMPIANS: INSIDE THE FIGHT AGAINST CAPITALIST MEGA-SPORTS IN LOS
ANGELES, TOKYO AND BEYOND (Fernwood Publishing)
_NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los
Angeles, Tokyo and Beyond_ investigates the intersection of the
global rise of anti-Olympics activism and the declining popularity of
hosting of the Games. The Olympics were once buoyed by myths of
luminous prosperity and upticks in tourism and jobs, but in recent
years these assurances have been debunked. Now more than ever, it’s
clear that the Olympics have transmogrified into a political-economic
juggernaut that arrives with displacement, expanded policing, and
anti-democratic backroom deals.
Jules Boykoff – a former professional soccer player who represented
the US Olympic soccer team – zooms in on Los Angeles, where the
Democratic Socialists of America have launched the NOlympics LA
campaign ahead of the 2028 Summer Games. Boykoff shows how DSA-LA’s
anti-Olympics activism fits with the resurgence of socialism in the US
and beyond.
Boykoff’s research, based on more than 100 interviews with
anti-Olympics activists, personal experiences at protests in Los
Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, London, and Tokyo, academic research, mass-
and alternative-media coverage, and Olympic archives, is the backbone
for this story of activists fighting against the odds and embracing
the transformative politics of democratic socialism.
Advanced Praise for _NOlympians_:
“The Olympic City, like so much of CAPITALIST SPECULATION, rests on
a lie, that of shared prosperity. Through a meticulous analysis of
NOlympics activism, this vitally important and urgently needed book
demonstrates how social movements are exposing this lie and
challenging the structures of displacement and policing that accompany
the Games. Essential reading, _NOlympians _is a hopeful vision of how
transnational resistance can build democratic urban futures.” —
Ananya Roy, UCLA
“_NOlympians_ is a timely reminder that the Olympics must end.
Powerfully and precisely, Jules Boykoff introduces us to critical
voices on both sides of the Pacific who are questioning the value of
the capitalist mega-event. These voices are telling us that we no
longer need the Olympics. This important book inspires us to
listen.” — Hiroki Ogasawara, Kobe University, Japan
“JULES BOYKOFF IS A LEADING VOICE ON THE POLITICS OF MEGA-sporting
events. In _NOlympians_, Boykoff brings us the voices of activists on
the ground who are leading an inspiring fight against the Games,
ultimately showing the power and possibilities of grassroots
resistance in the face rampant and corrosive capitalism.” — Amira
Rose Davis, Penn State University
JULES BOYKOFF is the author of four books on the Olympic Games and
two on the suppression of political dissent in the United States. His
writing has appeared in places like _New Left
Review, _the _Guardian, _the_ Nation, the New York Times, NBC
Think, _and the_ Los Angeles Times_. He teaches political science at
Pacific University in Oregon.
ANNE ORCHIER is an organizer with NOlympics LA and a member of the
L.A. Tenants Union.
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06/06/2020 Last update