WRITING THE OLYMPIC DREAM: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE 2004 OLYMPIC PAUL HAMM MEDIA CONTROVERSY

by Sammons, Margi C

This thesis is a critical analysis of newspaper coverage of the 2004 Olympic men’s gymnastics “controversy.” In this coverage an Olympic media complex is present, in which the press must recognize the Olympic myth and simultaneously deal with its inherent hegemonic and capitalistic ideologies when reporting on Olympic “scandals.” This paper will present a case study of USA Today and The New York Times articles to illustrate the language, topics, and style these newspapers use to cover the “controversy.”