Abstract

The spectator audience for the Olympic Winter Games has been increasing in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa. This phenomenon is noteworthy because, although these countries (termed 'non-traditional' markets) rarely participate in the Winter Games, they choose to watch them. A preliminary analysis of the phenomenon revealed two frequently recurring themes: the Olympic Brand and the Experiential Aspect of viewing the spectacle. In-depth interviews with key producers of the Olympic Spectacle revealed two additional themes: Heroes and Myths and Identification. A hermeneutic analysis of the data identified the relationships between these four key themes. The Olympic Brand and the Experiential Aspect were the two primary themes but they were strengthened by the secondary themes of Heroes and Myths and Identification. When all of the relationships between the themes had been identified, a model was created to find a single abstract theme that captured the entire model. This abstract theme was Hope (a function of yearning and probability)