The Head to Head That Had to Happen: A Case Study of Television Sport and Entrepreneurship.

The race between Mary Decker and Zola Budd, a head to head confrontation in the 1985 Olympic Games, is examined within the broader context of the transformation taking place in sports as a result of the combined efforts of television and the economic forces of sponsorship. Athletics is going through this process of transformation both economically and culturally, with a complex connection between the two levels. Athletics has always had a star system, undercover payments, and promoters anxious to organize head-to-head clashes to attract crowds. Now the television audience has to be attracted with a form of entertainment different from live spectator entertainment. The matchmaking role, which has become crucial between the economic and cultural levels, is linked most closely to the emergence of stars and the establishment around them of rivalries, dramas, and narratives. More promoters and more sponsors will continue to pressure the small number of global stars available as television continues the attempt to reproduce audience-attracting uncertainty, while ensuring a high and consistent quality of entertainment. The athletic authorities will continue the struggle to manage the free market forces they have unleashed, and more head-to-head confrontations will have to happen. A glossary is appended. (62 notes and references) (CGD)