No Clear Winner: An Analysis of the Reactions of The American Israelite, the Jewish Advocate, and The Jewish Exponent to the Boycott Movement Preceding the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games

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Zeldin, Evan Ross
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Exercise and Sport Science

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This thesis examines the editorial reactions of three Jewish-American newspapers, The American Israelite, The Jewish Advocate, and The Jewish Exponent, to the decision by the American sporting organizations to participate in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Source material includes editorial articles from when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 to the end of 1936, after the conclusion of the Games. An analysis of the three newspapers in question reveals that the editors fought to keep the Games out of Berlin and primarily responded to events in the sporting world concerning the location of the 1936 Olympic Games. The three editors each responded differently to the boycott movement, particularly during the end of the debate. In particular, they challenged Avery Brundage’s interpretation of the Olympic Charter over the idea of “fair play.” The American Olympic team participated in Germany largely due to the maneuvering of Avery Brundage, who desired a promotion to the International Olympic Committee. Brundage was motivated primarily by professional reasons to have the American team participate in Berlin. There was no clear winner of the Games being held in Nazi Germany: All parties involved had some loss as a result of the controversy. The only clear loser was the Olympic ideal, which was irreparably tarnished as a result of Hitler’s influence on the Olympics.

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