Something in the Air: American Passion and Defiance in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics

by Richard Hoffer

In the tradition of Seabiscuit and The Summer of ’49 , a gripping sports narrative that brilliantly tells the amazing individual stories of the unforgettable athletes who gathered in Mexico City in a year of dramatic upheaval.The 1968 Mexico City Olympics reflected the spirit of their revolutionary times. Richard Hoffer’s Something in the Air captures the turbulence and offbeat heroism of that historic Olympiad, which was as rich in inspiring moments as it was drenched in political and racial tensions.Although the basketball star Lew Alcindor decided to boycott, heavyweight boxer George Foreman not only competed, but waved miniature American flags over his fallen opponents. The sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos became as famous for their raised-fist gestures of protest as their speed on the track. No one was prepared for Bob Beamon’s long jump, which broke the world’s record by a staggering twenty-two inches. And then there was Dick Fosbury, the goofball high jumper whose backwards, upside down approach to the bar (the "Fosbury Flop") baffled his coaches while breaking records. Though Fosbury was his own man, he was apolitical and easygoing. He didn’t defy authority; he defied gravity.Witty, insightful, and filled with human drama, Something in the Air mixes Shakespearean complexity with Hollywood sentimentality, sociopolitical significance, and the exhilarating spectacle of youthful, physical prowess. It is a powerful, unforgettable tale that will resonate with sports fans and readers of social history alike.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, History

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2009

Reviews

[Jon Davids · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1968 Olympics are remembered not only for athletic excellence but also for the powerful intersection of sports and global political protest. Almost 60 years later we are all familiar with the iconic image of American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising black-gloved fists during the medal ceremony for the 200 meters in a Black Power salute to protest racial injustice. The games occurred just days after the Mexican government violently suppressed student protests in the Tlatelolco massacre. I came to this book by way of the stellar podcast Legacy of Speed by Malcolm Gladwell, which explores the real story behind Speed City, the extraordinary track and field program at San Jose State University in the 1960s, directed by the legendary coach Bud Winters, that produced (among others) Smith, Carlos, and Lee Evans.
In this book, the author, an accomplished writer for Sports Illustrated, weaves together the athletic performances, personal stories, and political tensions surrounding the 1968 Summer Olympics. He focuses on the stories of athletes like Smith, Carlos, George Foreman, Bob Beamon, and Dick Fosbury to anchor his storytelling. The topic is rich, Hoffer's prose is accessible but at times hyperbolic, and his analysis too superficial and narrow. A good introduction to an event that whose legacy is impact on sports culture and on modern movements where athletes use their voices for social change...IOC President from 1952-1972 Avery Brundage would not approve!

[Ralphz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an overview of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the memorable site of American protest of race and war. Despite the event's location, American athletes were front and center.

This book didn't start off too promisingly. Very quickly, it included a scolding of "old white men" three times in one page. Of course the author is an old white man, so maybe there is a little old white guilt there.

But in the end, this was a pretty even-handed look at an earthshaking Olympics. It covered the protests, the struggles with the altitude, the political tumult in Mexico City and the ever-present issue of amateruism in sports.

It also addresses the unheeded call for a boycott by black athletes which became the memorable podium protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos. And among the heroes is Bob Beamon (a fellow UTEP alum), who obliterated the long-jump world record.

George Foreman, Dick Fosbury and more are represented, each with their own interesting story.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who was only familiar with the iconic fists-in-the-air image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos the 1968 Olympics, but not of the stories behind their action, this served as a good, easy-to-read introduction. The downsides were that the race analysis was thin and, though Hoffer criticizes the '68 press for its neglect of women athletes in that year's Games, he mostly does the same. The female Olympians are mentioned as frequently for their roles as dates or wives to male Olympians as they are for their athletic feats.
That said, the parallels to today's sports protests and the consequences faced by outspoken athletes make it a good time to check out this book. Sports and politics have always been intertwined.

[David Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I missed the book group when this was read, and also didn't read it. 9 years later I found it on my Kindle and read it on the elliptical machine over a few weeks.

I'm not much of a sports fan, but did find the book interesting. The biggest issue is that the first week of the Olympics in Mexico City seemed to be when 95% of the interesting stuff happened. The second week, not so much. Had I known, I might have stopped reading after the first week...

[Claire Polacheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

tis the season!! i thought this was gonna be more singularly focused on the US protests but what is the olympics if not a million different side quests. the adidas pumas war was the craziest thing i knew nothing about going in. lets do summer high elevation games again just once and see what happens!

[Tim Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind the scenes with the controversial US participants in the Summer games. Interesting look at George Foreman.

[Francisco Gonzalez]

This week I've read my book at home and on the bus. On the bus I read for forty five minutes on monday and tuesday. At my house I read for thirty minutes in a quite environment. In the last few chapters I read about how the civil rights movement impacted the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. I could feel the tension during the time period and also a sense of hatred. African Americans were taking action and boycotting events in order to get racial equality. In one boycott African Americans threatened to "physically interfere" in the opening game at San Jose State vs. The University of Texas until their demands were met. The Hells Angel (a biker gang from Oakland) threatened to go down to San Jose State to make sure nobody interfered with the game. When I read that it was very fascinating to me because I've heard of both groups and watch specials on television about them. To read about both groups confronting each other was appalling to me. During a time of controversy there was a motivating moment that stood out to me. While one third of black athletes decided to boycott the olympics, a group of white guys made a difference in the boycott. Harvard's eight man crew team participated in the boycott and shocked the nation. They showed that injustices are not right in spite of the color of your skin. They stood up for African Americans when the nation was split in half. It was interesting to me that the crew team was willing to put their reputations on the line when they didn't have to.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a powerful story. It's 1968, the Olympics are held for the first time ever in a developing country and in Latin America. There's turmoil around the world (riots in Paris, later in Chicago, MLK and RFK are assassinated, and race relations aren't improving despite various laws passed under LBJ). So when two African American athletes bow their heads and raise a black-gloved fist during their medal ceremony when the US national anthem starts, the International Olympic Committee (and soon the US Olympic Committee) go nuts and kick Tommie Smith and John Carlos off the US team--and out of Mexico. Richard Hoffer follows the young careers of these and other athletes (including a young George Foreman) and the events that lead up to Mexico City 1968. One chilling image from late in the story is during the closing ceremonies when a Munich 1972 banner is unveiled.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jangly, zippy prose (some it quite funny) enlivens this telling of the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City, along with some neat descriptions of how track-and-field actually works. It's a little hypocritical, or falsely lefty, to spend all this time mentioning the sexism of 60s sports coverage and then to spend about 15% of the book on female athletes, too. But Hoffer tells the story of the defiance of Tommie Smith and John Carlos affectingly--and honestly, as they come across as committed, thoughtful guys unsure of what, exactly to do, and paying huge prices for a pretty minor act of protest that outraged medieval IOC head Avery Brundage, who was just not an admirable or worthwhile human being. Also a lot of good stuff about the Harvard crew guys, who didn't win anything but threw in their lot politically on the right side.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to take a trip back to events I watched with great interest. The Mexico City Olympics were the first to be televised extensively, and with the USA dominating, it was a fan's dream. It also gave some value to a year I still remember as very depressing, with seemingly every leader espousing non-violence being gunned down. Most of this book is based on new interviews with the participants and highlights the idiosyncrasies of the first games in a 3rd world country. It was also the beginning of the end for true amateur sports and a time when PEDs began to take hold worldwide.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I learned:
Sports coverage for women were pretty sexist, calling them girls, treating it as a way to shape up their legs and meet men
George Foreman had a pretty tough life and through serendipitous chance became a boxer; the same with the many black athletes growing up in tough conditions featured here
The Olympics were ridiculously and extremely politicized; lots of discussions about boycotts, racism and
Fosbury was a dear.

Quite funny at times but rather too much politics for me.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a term paper I was writing. It was filled with a lot of great stories and information of the time period. Only flaw I saw was the part were the author mentions that Americans invented the sport of basketball. It was actually invented by James Naismith a Canadian gym teacher.

[Derek Bycraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright book. It was dry at some points, interesting at others. I think it is more a scratching the surface type book than really bringing you fully into the action. I would've like more in-depth information about what was going on. Good to read if you're big into Olympics history.

[Michael Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read ……

An absolutely wonderful book, I thoroughly enjoyed every page of every chapter. I really felt like I was there, the narrative was that good. Read the book, you won’t be disappointed !

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm skeptical about some of the information in this book.

[Chris Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the personal backstories of the athletes and the conditions leading up to the 1968 Olympic Games. The political landscape in Mexico in particular was very interesting.

[Paul Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something in the Air: Good read on '68 Olympics in Mexico City. Lyrical writing. Plenty of moderately deep snapshots of the big USA stars.