Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup

Author Andrew Zimbalist looks beyond the headlines of two of the world’s most beloved sporting events: the Olympics and the World Cup.

In the expanded and updated edition of his bestselling book, Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup, Zimbalist tackles the bogus claim that the cities chosen to host these high-profile sporting events experience an economic windfall. He now takes aim at the outrageous FIFA scandal, Boston’s bid for the 2024 summer Olympics, and the criticism surrounding the 2015 Women's World Cup.

Circus Maximus focuses on major cities like London and Barcelona that have previously hosted these sporting events to provide context for cities like Tokyo and Rio de Janerio, which are currently bearing the weight of exploding expenses, corruption, and protests. Zimbalist offers a sobering look at the Olympics and the World Cup outside of the echo chamber.

Andrew Zimbalist earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He has been in the economics department at Smith College since 1974 and has been a visiting professor at Doshisha University, the University of Geneva, and Hamburg University. Zimbalist has consulted in Latin America for the United Nations Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and numerous companies. He has consulted in the sports industry for players' associations, cities, companies, teams, and leagues, and has published twenty-five books.