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The major focus of my research involves examining the nexus of sport and commerce, more specifically the evolution of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) relationship with international television networks. Bob Barney (Western University) and I (lead author) published a book entitled, The Gold in the Rings: The People and Events that Transformed the Olympic Games (Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 2020). Through the use of biography and historical storytelling, we examine the emergence of television revenue and corporate sponsorship dollars as the economic fuel for the Olympic Movement under IOC Presidents Avery Brundage, Lord Killanin, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and Jacques Rogge. This book targets a general readership and builds on the research (Barney, Wenn and Scott Martyn) published in Selling the Five Rings: The IOC and the Rise of Olympic Commercialism (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2002, rev. ed., 2004). I am also lead author with these same colleagues on Tarnished Rings: The International Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake City Bid Scandal ( Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University Press, 2011, rev.ed., 2022), a behind-the scenes exploration of the media crisis that enveloped the IOC, and the (ultimately successful) efforts of its leadership team to fend off threats to the IOC’s independence and autonomy.
I completed a two-year term as President of the North American Society for Sport History (2007-2009), and currently serve on the editorial boards of the Journal of Olympic Studies and the International Journal of the History of Sport. And, while I have a passion for research, there's no place I'd rather be than in the classroom. I appreciate the opportunity for interaction with the students in Laurier's Kinesiology and Physical Education program, and I enjoy facilitating opportunities for them to hone their research and writing skills, while providing lectures that help them to place sport and physical activity in historical context. I hold a MA in Physical Education (Western University, 1988) and a PhD in Exercise and Sport Science (Penn State University, 1993).
Nexus of sport and commerce, specifically in relation to the Olympic Movement.
Books:
- Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney, The Gold in the Rings: The People and Events that Transformed the Olympic Games (Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 2020).
- Stephen R. Wenn, Robert K. Barney, and Scott G. Martyn, Tarnished Rings: The International Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake City Bid Scandal ( Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University Press, 2011, rev.ed., 2022).
- Gerald P. Schaus and Stephen R. Wenn, eds., Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games (Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2007).
- Robert K. Barney, Stephen R. Wenn, and Scott G. Martyn, Selling the Five Rings: The IOC and the Rise of Olympic Commercialism (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2002, rev.ed. 2004). North American Society for Sport History Book Award, 2003.
Articles and Book Chapters:
- Stephen R. Wenn, "Financing the Olympic Movement: Early Developments and Evolutions," in Olympic Knowledge - Essentials Readings Series, ed. Cesar R. Torres, assoc. eds. Tracy Taylor and Stephan Wassong (Lausanne: IOC Olympic Studies Centre, 2024). Online Resource.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Match Fixing or Playing the Game? The 1956 U.S. Men’s Olympic Water Polo Trials,” Journal of Olympic Studies 4 (Spring 2023): 75-89. Research Note.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Exchanging Jabs: The IOC, USOC, and the Bobby Lee Hunter Case, 1972,” Journal of Olympic History 30 (January 2022): 42-51.
Recent Presentations:
- Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney, "Shinzo Abe, Thomas Bach and a Big Decision: Tokyo 2020 and COVID- 19," North American Society for Sport History Conference, Denver, Colorado, May 2024.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Tokyo 2020: An Olympics Like No Other,” 2nd Annual R.K. Barney Lecture in Olympic Studies, Western University, London, Ontario, October 2023 [Invited Lecture].
- Stephen R. Wenn, “An ‘Unlikely’ Olympic Gold Medal Factory: Damian Warner, Farquharson Arena, and Tokyo, 2020,” North American Society for Sport History Conference, Washington, D.C., May 2023.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Match Fixing or Playing the Game? The 1956 U.S. Men’s Olympic Water Polo Trials,” North American Society for Sport History Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2022.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Exchanging Jabs: The IOC, USOC, and the Bobby Lee Hunter Case, 1972,” North American Society for Sport History Conference (Remote), May 2021.
- Stephen R. Wenn, “Decisions, Decisions: Four IOC Presidents and their Collective Embrace of Olympic Commercialism,” Spotlight on Sports: Fun and Games or Serious Business? K-W Region Third Age Learning Series, February 2021 [Invited Presentation, Remote].
- KP341: The History of Physical Activity in Canada
- KP345: Sport Personalities, Celebrities, and Rivalries
- KP441: The Modern Olympic Games
Contact Info:
E: swenn@wlu.ca
T: 548.889.3887
F: 519.747.4594
Office location: BA517
Office hours:
Varies each term; please check course syllabus.
Languages spoken: English