Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games Review

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(More customer reviews)Competing in the Olympics is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is something for which many promising athletes train and prepare for a good deal of their young lives. But back in 1980, the Olympic hopes of the entire United States Summer Games team were dashed when former president Carter made the decision to withdraw, a direct response in protest to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Hopes of Olympic glory were, for many, an impossible dream since there was little or no chance to ever compete again.
Boycott is a book written about some of the athletes who lost their once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Olympics and wear the coveted Olympic medals. It was a very tough decision, and the politics of the situation are presented several times in the book. Former president Carter felt it was the right thing to do and he had the support of most of the U.S. Congress, as well as the support of a large percentage of the population. But the Olympic hopefuls on the United States team felt otherwise. Many had trained and fought hard for many years to qualify for the Olympics, only to see their Olympic dreams go up in smoke, and all because of politics.
Eighteen different athletes are profiled in this book and each has his/her own story to share, expressing their feelings both then and now. For some, the feelings of bitterness were very real back in 1980 and they were extremely angry at Carter for allowing politics to influence sports. The Olympics were supposed to be free from political influence and while politics certainly played a role in past Olympic events, these athletes did not want to see history repeat itself. They knew they would likely never get another chance to compete in the Summer games, and many voice the bitterness they felt at the time- and still feel today- when they think about this decision and the profound impact it has had on their lives.
While most of the 1980 Summer Game Olympic athletes were very unhappy, there were those who cared less than others. For some, it wasn't the end of a career in sports so it wasn't that important. They still had a promising professional career just ahead. For others, the boycott was grudgingly accepted because, as much as they wanted to compete, they felt the decision was in the best interests of the United States. Others backed Carter's decision because they felt that it was only right to support their president and respect his decision.
The fact that this book includes opinions from athletes whose opinions vary so much is one of its strongest points. The authors obviously did not intend to use this book to make a political statement. If they did, they would have concentrated only on the athletes who were angry; only those who were accepting of the decision; only those who were indifferent; etc. Instead, the book presents viewpoints from multiple angles. The feelings presented by these eighteen athletes are pretty clear, but they vary from person to person and about the only emotion they all share in common is that of disappointment.
Between the profiles of the selected athletes, Boycott includes a rundown of the political facts as they have been recorded, from the initial invasion of Afghanistan to the attempted lawsuit brought on by the athletes against the government and the Olympic committee. Former Vice- President Mondale wrote the preface to this book, but one thing missing from this book is a response from former President Carter himself. We know that Carter would still back his decision, but it would have been interesting to hear a response from Carter about his decision from 1980 and how he feels about it now.
Overall, Boycott is a very good book about the withdraw of the United States athletic team from the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. It offers a good summary of the political situation, varying opinions from the selected group of eighteen athletes, and a preface from former vice president Mondale. The book steers clear of opinion and lets the athletes speak for themselves; expressing their feelings of bitterness, depression, indifference, and sometimes anger toward the politicians in Washington who stole their once in a lifetime opportunity.


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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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