MADE IN AMERICA: His Own Story

by Peter with Richard Levin & Amy Quinn Ueberroth ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 1985

A documentary narrative of the preparations that culminated in the stirring 1984 Summer Olympics by the man most responsible for the success of the games. Peter Ueberroth, at 28 years, had already created a travel company that was second only to American Express in the travel business. With these credentials, he was offered a job that nobody wanted in a city where the voters had nixed the idea of supporting the Olympics. With these kinds of negative vibes, Ueberroth in 1979 was selected as President of the Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee (LAOOC). Against a backdrop of anti-Olympic feelings, terrorist threats, political juggling of the games, and bureaucratic confusion as to where various authorities rested--LAOOC, USOC (The U.S. Olympic Committee), or IOC (the International Olympic Committee)--Ueberroth managed to turn a potential nightmare into an emotional, national, and financial triumph. At the end of the games, the Committee had a surplus of over $200 million dollars, a legacy for future Olympic athletes. Most of this success was attributable to Ueberroth's keen business sense and his skillful use of corporate support. He narrates his struggles in a fast-paced, conversational manner, bringing the reader right into the conference rooms where many of the crucial decisions were debated. In the process, he inserts many of the little incidents that made his presidency a personal spine-chiller--for example, the Ku Klux Klan letter threatening black athletes with death, which turned out to have been instigated by the Soviet Union in an attempt to embarrass the US after the Soviet's announced intention to boycott the games. Anyone who sat covered in goosebumps for hours last summer will enjoy reliving the experience from this inner-circle perspective of Ueberroth. As a bonus, he adds his own analysis of the recent baseball negotiations over which he presided as the new Commissioner of Baseball.

Pub Date: Nov. 18, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1985

Categories: NONFICTION