The dissertation examines the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), a Black Power attempt to build a black boycott of the 1968 US Olympic team that ultimately culminated in the infamous Black Power fists protest at the 1968 Olympics. The work challenges the historiography, which concludes that the OPHR was a failure because most black Olympic-caliber athletes participated in the 1968 games, by demonstrating that the foremost purpose of the OPHR was to raise public awareness of “institutionalized racism,” the accumulation of poverty and structural and cultural racism that continued to denigrate black life following landmark 1960s civil rights legislation. Additionally, the dissertation demonstrates that activist black athletes of the era were also protesting the lack of agency and discrimination traditionally forced upon blacks in integrated, yet white-controlled sports institutions. The dissertation argues that such movements for “dignity and humanity,” as progressive black activists of the 1960s termed it, were a significant component of the Black Power movement. The dissertation also examines the proliferation of the social belief that the accomplishments of blacks in white-controlled sports fostered black advancement and argues that the belief has origins in post-Reconstruction traditional black uplift ideology, which suggested that blacks who demonstrated “character” and “manliness” improved whites’ images of blacks, thus advancing the race. OPHR activists argued that the belief, axiomatic by 1968, was the foremost obstacle to attracting support for a black Olympic boycott. The manuscript concludes with a discussion of the competing meaning and representations of Smith and Carlos’s protest at the Olympics.

As the United States becomes increasingly urbanized, the importance of federally designated wilderness areas as places of reflection and refuge from city life becomes even more apparent. These wilderness areas provide visitors with opportunities for solitude, recreation, and connecting with nature. Wilderness has long been important to American society, influencing the likes of John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Henry David Thoreau. With the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the assurance that these areas would remain protected in perpetuity for the enjoyment of the American people was enshrined into law. While these wilderness areas remain protected by Federal law, increasing visitation rates and changing social norms may begin to threaten the so-called "wilderness experience," making it difficult for visitors to enjoy and experience the conditions set forth in the Wilderness Act. Wilderness managers must therefore seek to understand the attitudes, preferences, and motivations of wilderness visitors using these areas to ensure that management conditions provide for a high-quality wilderness experience. This study uses quantitative survey methods to explore differences in management preferences, wilderness conditions, and crowding perceptions between overnight and day visitors to wilderness areas. Visitors were surveyed at 30 trailheads throughout the Olympic National Park Wilderness during the summer of 2012. While wilderness visitors held many similar opinions on management preferences and wilderness conditions, there were differences in the degree to which they agreed or disagreed. Overnight visitors tended to be more sensitive to crowding than day visitors, both on hiking trails and at attraction sites, and were more supportive of management policies that limited access in favor of increasing opportunities for solitude experiences. This study supports the use of a management by objectives framework that incorporates indicators and standards of quality to ensure that certain conditions are met. Findings from this study can aid in the development of standards for crowding and the establishment of other management policies in Olympic National Park Wilderness to ensure that all visitors are provided with the opportunity for a high-quality wilderness experience.

Diploma thesis is capturing key aspects of transformation from sport events to media events. Theoretical part clarified concept of media events by Dayan and Katz and applied this theory on sport events. Idea of banal nationalism from Michael Billig as a force which sustain and reproduce national states was examined in next part. Last theoretical basis of thesis is consisting of mythological level of media content with focus on sociocultural phenomenons of modern age. Modern myths such as hero archetype are pointed out through sports news. Research is based on facts resulting from theoretical part: banal nationalism and hero archetype are commonly used in coverage of sport events, especialy international ones. Analysis of media coverage of Olympic games in London brings these cathegories for banal nationalism: war methaphores, ego trip, stereotype, national heroes, state symbols and linguistics means refering to deic center of nation: pronouns and familiar salutations. For hero archetype these categories are set: birth, danger, heroism, challenge, enemies, sacrifice and adoration.

Title: Olympic Broadcast Rights Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to analyse the revenue derived from the sale of the broadcasting rights to the Olympics by Olympic Movement. In the thesis are analysed the total sum of revenue, selected territory and compared the proportion that belongs to the International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. The secondary objective is to adapt and calculation of the conversion mechanism for the transfer of amounts reported in different currencies in different periods. Methods: Data collection is performed a secondary analysis of documents. The basic aggregate consist of the Summer Olympic Game held 1960 - 2012. The observed variables are: total revenue from broadcasting rights, revenue from broadcasting rights from Europe, the revenue from broadcasting rights from the U.S., revenue from broadcasting rights in Canada, revenue from broadcasting rights from Australia, revenue from broadcasting rights from Japan, the revenue from broadcasting rights in others countries, the number of hours produced from OH, the percentage distribution of revenues from broadcasting rights in the Olympic Movement. The transfer to the same currency using the conversion mechanism which is based on the consumer price index , purchasing power...

Title: Aesthetic perceptions on spectator's participation at the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada (through photography and mass media) Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the group experience of Czech fans who participated as spectators at the XXI Winter Olympics in Vancouver as well as the documentation of this experience in the form of amateur photographic images which were taken during this international event. Variations in the quality of the fans' experience when watching sporting events through mass media, particularly on television, and when engaging in an authentic experience at a live event were also examined. Methods: To provide an overview of pertinent theory, existing literature was reviewed in order to compile data from which comparisons, analyses and syntheses were formed. For the following section concerning empirical information, a file of Czech persons who participated as spectators at the XXI Olympic Winter Games was created. Data was collected in an ethnographic approach. Descriptions utilized for the subsequent investigation of the group's viewing experience were compiled by means of observations documented by the researcher, as a participating member of the group, and through informal interviews which took place during and after the...

Title: Attitudes of Russian Population to Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to determine attitudes of Russian population and residents of Sochi to XXII Winter Olympic Games. Another objective is to show advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Olympic Games and also to make recommendations, which can be used by government and sport institutions while organizing big sports events. Methods: Quantitative sociological research was made for the purpose of this thesis. Research was implemented by written, electronic and oral questioning .Obtained statistics were processed and analyzed. Results: All the findings are compiled into the tables and diagrams in the result part of this diploma work. Keywords: Sociological research, questionnaire, Olympic games 2014, Russia, Sochi

Title: Accomplishments of our cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympic Games Abstract: This thesis is focus on history of Czech and Czechoslovak cross-counrty skiing at the Winter Olympic Games from the first competition at WOG Chamonix 1924 to Vancouver 2010. Using the direct method and the method of content analysis it documents and summarizes the accomplishments of our cross-country representatives. It finds out that representatives of such a small country reached splendid results. But the available literature doesn't mention them as far as they didn't win a medal. Very interesting is the comparison between two skiing generations using the interview with their representatives Kveta Jeriova and Katerina Neumannova. The resulting comparison between their answers reaches a conclusion: the first of them had much harder conditions and worse facilities. In spite of this fact, she proved to be successful but her career was shorter and the number of medals smaller. Keywords: Winter olympic games, history, cross-country skiing, accomplishment

Title: Attitudes of Russian Population to Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to determine attitudes of Russian population and residents of Sochi to XXII Winter Olympic Games. Another objective is to show advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Olympic Games and also to make recommendations, which can be used by government and sport institutions while organizing big sports events. Methods: Quantitative sociological research was made for the purpose of this thesis. Research was implemented by written, electronic and oral questioning .Obtained statistics were processed and analyzed. Results: All the findings are compiled into the tables and diagrams in the result part of this diploma work. Keywords: Sociological research, questionnaire, Olympic games 2014, Russia, Sochi

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / Effective open space is critical to the urban quality of life because it fosters environmental, social, and economic vitality. However, some designers, planners, and developers have a tendency to focus on only one of these aspects and, thus, create spaces that are monofunctional and inefficient over time. To ensure effective open spaces in cities, landscape architects must think strategically and employ design tactics that are multifunctional and perform environmentally, socially, and economically. My objective was to provide landscape architects with a framework that ensured effective open spaces through the manipulation of the urban surface. In this report, I explored how the urban surface could be used to create multifunctional, flexible, and adaptive solutions that informed and directed (re)development so that urban spaces had lasting value. A thorough literature review that explored concepts from Jane Jacobs, Alex Wall, and Ying-Yu Hung was used to create a theoretical framework that consisted of various tactics. The tactics were aesthetic, programmatic, contextual, and/or performative in nature, and the aggregation of these tactics in the urban surface catalyzed environmental, social, and economic vitality in urban open spaces. My methodology was iterative, cycling periods of research, design, and analysis in both group and individual settings. The theoretical framework was used to evaluate and inform design decisions, and the design decisions refined and validated the theoretical framework itself. The theoretical framework was first applied to two precedent studies through a series of diagrammatic mapping exercises. Then, the theoretical framework was applied to two collaborative, multidisciplinary redevelopment projects. The first project was the redevelopment of the Village Plaza shopping center in Manhattan, Kansas (MHK Project), and the second project was the revitalization of Downtown East in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the annual Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition, sponsored by the Urban Land Institute (ULI Competition). Both of these projects were evaluated and refined using the same diagrammatic mapping exercises. The effectiveness of using the theoretical framework as a guide for designing successful open spaces was validated with my team’s victory in the finalist round of the ULI Competition. The tactics in the theoretical framework offered pragmatic and multiscalar strategies that I incorporated into the open spaces that my team and I designed. Ultimately, I discovered that the role of surface was to accommodate, organize, structure, and facilitate the dynamic processes necessary for environmental, social, and economic vitality, which enhanced the urban quality of life and created an indisputable sense of place.

Notre recherche sera centrée sur les interactions entre les réseaux sociaux et les organisations sportives au niveau de la promotion des valeurs de l’olympisme à savoir l’amitié, le respect et l’excellence. L’intérêt et la spécificité de cette recherche consiste dans le manque d’études qui portent sur les relations entre les individus et les organisations sportives via les réseaux sociaux et plus particulièrement sur la promotion des valeurs de l’olympisme. Par ce travail de recherche, nous espérons mieux cerner le positionnement et la perception du mouvement olympique par le biais de ses valeurs. Au plan méthodologique, après l’analyse du contenu et de l’architecture de sites institutionnels comme celui du Comité International Olympique et de certains comités olympiques nationaux, nous avons opté de combiner deux méthodes : la Netnographie ainsi que des entretiens semi-directifs en ligne et un questionnaire à choix multiple qui ont été analysé par les logiciels Sphinx et Tropes. Notre étude portant sur les réseaux sociaux, nous avons créé sur Facebook une page intitulée « Promotion des valeurs olympiques » qui nous permettra d’appliquer les techniques qualitatives citées précédemment. La population visée par cette recherche est composée de personnes ayant une expérience dans le domaine sportif (champions du monde, olympique et nationaux, membres des comités nationaux, des professeurs de sport et d’éducation physique, etc.). Il est bien évident que l’importance et la récence de ce type d’étude au niveau des organisations sportives devra nécessiter par la suite une démarche plus approfondie et étendue, relayée par des études quantitatives sur des publics aux profils divers. / Our research will focus on the interactions between social networks and sports organizations in the promotion of Olympic values namely friendship, respect and excellence. Interest and specificity of this research is the lack of studies that focus on the relationships between individuals and sports organizations via social networks and more particularly to promote the values of Olympism. For this research, we hope to better understand the position and perception of the Olympic movement through its values. Methodologically, after analyzing the content and architecture of institutional sites such as the International Olympic Committee and some National Olympic Committees, we decided to combine two methods: netnographie, semi-structured interviews online and multi choice questionnary will be analyzing with Sphinx and Tropes. Our study of social networks, we have created a page on Facebook entitled "Promotion of Olympic Values» which allows us to apply qualitative techniques mentioned above. The target population for this research is comprised of individuals with experience in the field of sports (world champions, Olympic and national, national committees, faculty of sport and physical education, etc.). It is obvious that the importance and recency of this type of study in sports organizations will need later a more thorough and extensive, supported by quantitative studies on more diverse public profiles.