Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jerry Caraccioli, Tom Caraccioli
Creator: Walter F. Mondale
Publisher: New Chapter Press
Category: Book
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Sales Rank: 77604
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0942257405
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780942257403
ASIN: 0942257405
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
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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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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 The unsung heroes of the 1980 Olympics... June 21, 2008
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.
"Quick trigger Carter" bullies Moscow athletes June 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Boycott
Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli
Review: Gary Mack
Rating:5- stars
Sometimes the most complex matters break down in the most rudimentary ways. Though I'm no apologist for his country club politics, it was refreshing to hear President Bush state in a recent ESPN interview that he would not support a boycott of the China Olympics over Tibet's claim of occupation, preferring to leave politics out of the world's greatest sporting event. Of course, Bush was a pretty good baseball player who once threw a perfect strike as the President in his infamous post 9/11 toss to the plate.
President Carter on the other hand, known for his limp softball hits barely making it over the second baseman's glove in his pre-election exhibitions down in Plains, Georgia, had no problem with his decision to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Carter's verdict to do so seemed a "quick trigger" in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Perhaps, if Carter were a better athlete, the plight of so many of our nation's very best athletes in 1980 would have taken a different course. It's just a theory...
In "Boycott," Tom Carraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli carefully build a narrative on the times and the issues related to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In between the personal stories of the athletes, the Caraccioli brothers integrate chapters on the Carter Doctrine, American and Soviet's historical relationship with Afghanistan, the USOC vote, the Athletes lawsuit, and the results of the boycotted Moscow games. Using tight vignettes to present serious information without losing the reader's interest, the authors dispassionately mark the course of those times, tepidly revealing their point of view on the over-all issue through the poignant life stories of the athletes themselves. It's quite a tight rope act.
There's even a foreword from former Vice-President Mondale, who admits he wasn't much of an athlete himself. Though Mondale apologizes to the athletes, he never wavers on the Carter Administration's strong arm tactics to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics, as it was his April 12, 1980 emotional plea to the USOC House of Delegates that really sealed the deal for the Carter Administration. Vice-President Mondale insists the boycott was the correct decision, even though it's clear now, and reaffirmed in the text, that the CIA was gleeful the Soviets pushed into Afghanistan and caused their own Viet Nam. In the thick of the Cold War, the thinking then was to bog down the Soviets in a political and economic quagmire that would eventually seal their doom. Thanks to an obscure liberal Congressman named Charlie Wilson, the Stinger, and a new American President named Ronald Reagan, the Soviet Union imploded on to the ash heap of history. I guess the plan worked.
Transcending all the historical analysis, all the speeches, all the rhetoric, all the political posturing, comes the stories of the athletes themselves, stories of the ghosts amongst us; their training methods, their victories, their dreams. Much like the final scene in the movie, "Hoosiers," where the camera pans to the black and white photo of the Championship team as the sounds of yesteryear echo to the audience, the personal sagas of the athletes in Boycott leave you sentimental and numb.
Sure we've heard of Isiah Thomas and Bill Hanzlik of NBA stardom but what about names like Don Paige, Glenn Mills, Gwen Gardner, Gene Mills, Craig Beardsly, Sue Walsh, Amy Koopman, Carol Blezejowski, Luci Collins, David Kimes, Brian Gust, Lisa Buese, Linda Cornelius Waltman, or Thomas Schuler. In a country of big land, what monument, what museum, what Wheatie box cover remembers these forgotten names?
The famed sportscaster, Dick Enberg, sums it up best on the back sleeve of the Carracioli's book,
...."Thanks to the authors we are reminded of their brave, but painful sacrifice. This book, then, becomes their belated, but deserved, Olympic salute."
Thus, Tom and Jerry Carracioli's Boycott is as noble as the efforts and ambitions of all our forgotten 1980 Summer Olympic athletes.
Sleep well Mr. Carter.
Nicely done study of politics, athletes, and broken dreams June 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Boycott" is a comprehensive look at both the circumstances of the United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow and some of the athletes that were affected by the boycott. The book has nine chapters that explain the events leading up to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan; the White House's decision to boycott the Olympics; the Olympic Committee's decision to go along with the boycott; a lawsuit filed by some of the Olympians; the result of the Olympic games; messages from some of the Olympians to Jimmy Carter; and a complete list of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. Scattered throughout the book are stories of 18 of the athletes that made the Olympic team only to see their dreams shattered by the boycott.
"Boycott" is a nicely done, evenhanded look at the events and people involved in the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The book provides both sides of the story (Walter Mondale wrote the forward). The reasons for the boycott and the subsequent lawsuit are certainly interesting to read about, as was the ceremony the White House held as a sort of consolation prize for the athletes. The epilogue about the efforts to have the medals given to the athletes at the ceremony declared Congressional Gold Medals is also very interesting.
While the political aspects were interesting to read, my favorite parts of the book were the athletes' stories. Authors Tom and Jerry Caraccioli focus on athletes from all different sports for whom the 1980 Olympics was their last chance of making an Olympic team. Outside of Isiah Thomas, most of the athletes are unknown today and you can't help wonder how performing in the Olympics would have changed their lives (this is particularly true in the case of Ron Galimore, the first African-American to make a U.S. Olympics gymnastics team). It is interesting not only to read the athletes reactions to the boycott (some are still bitter, some were but aren't any more, and some never were) but how they became Olympians in the first place. Each story is equally compelling.
"Boycott" is a well-done look at politics, athletes, and broken dreams.
Remembering Sports History June 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Once again the Caraccioli brothers have opened the door to a period in Sports History. I found the interviews of the 18 Olympians who would have participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympics very interesting. Their then and now perspectives was most revealing; it brought back to me at least the dreams they each shared and how the Boycott shattered those dreams.
The unraveling of what was happening in the world in the 1980's was a refresher course for me.
The research that obviously goes into the Caraccioli brothers work, as well as their approach to interviewing individuals makes for a most excellent reading documentary.
Looking forward to another book by the authors.
D.Connolly
The in-depth description of the historical context is necessary to understand the situation June 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was a political junkie and a college student in 1979 and 1980 when the Iranian "students" entered the U. S. embassy in Tehran, Iran and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The United States had recently suffered a terrible defeat in Vietnam, approximately five years earlier American helicopters had evacuated Americans from the roof of the United States embassy in Saigon.
One of America's staunchest allies in the Middle East, the Shah of Iran, had just been overthrown and the American Embassy in Tehran overrun. All American diplomatic personnel were taken as hostages and it was clear to everyone that there was very little that the United States could do about it. Finally, in this atmosphere of perceived American weakness, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Although the invasion turned out to be the last gasp of a collapsing regime, at the time, many thought that it was a move by the Soviets to control the entire Persian Gulf.
In this volatile and insecure atmosphere, U. S. President Jimmy Carter had no choice but to "stand tough" against the Soviet Union. Since military countermeasures were not possible, he was restricted to reducing trade and cultural exchanges. The 1980 summer Olympic games were to take place in Moscow, so President Carter was presented with an opportunity to punish the Soviet Union without risking a great deal. Therefore, President Carter called for and was able to "lead" a boycott of the Moscow Olympic Games. This book is a description of that boycott, providing a complete historical context and descriptions of some of the American athletes who made the team but were not allowed to compete. Their opinions on the boycott are also included.
The best part of this book is that the authors take a great deal of time explaining the global circumstances that existed at that time, even providing a history of the leadership situation in Afghanistan. Without that, the expressions of frustration on the part of the athletes would present a one-sided and narrow perspective on the boycott. As subsequent events have demonstrated, when domestic political pressures demand that Presidents act, having a non-violent safety valve is the least dangerous alternative. That is what the Olympic boycott provided President Carter, and eventually the Soviet armies were defeated in Afghanistan. This was a major factor in the collapse of communism and the end of the nearly five decades-long Cold War. While it is true that the Olympic athletes suffered, it is minor compared to the level of suffering that would have existed had Carter decided to execute a more "robust" response to the Soviet actions. Fortunately, some of the Olympians understand that.
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