Journal of Olympic Studies Vol. 2 No. 2 Fall 2021 © 2021 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Articles The Coca-Cola Games: Marketing Legacies of the Atlanta Olympic Games Dana Ellis Laurentian University dellis@laurentian.ca Becca Leopkey University of Georgia bleopkey@uga.edu ABSTRACT: Te 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta rep- resented a turning point in the commercial orientation of the Olympics. While arguably a commercial success, the Atlanta Games were, and continue to be, heavily criticized for their overly com- mercial nature. Now, more than twenty years after the Atlanta Games, this article retrospectively examines their long-term mar- keting legacies. Employing a qualitative case design built from a detailed document analysis using a combination of historical and contemporary sources, this article identifes key marketing and organizational events, circumstances, strategies, and challenges of the Atlanta Games and discusses how they have arguably impacted the future course of Olympic marketing and sponsorship in an efort to expand knowledge and understanding of event manage- ment–related legacies. KEYWORDS: 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, marketing, sponsorship, event management legacies Te 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta (and the years leading up to the event) represented a turning point in the commercial orientation of the Olympic Games from various perspectives. While arguably a success as a commercial, athletic, and entertainment event, the Atlanta Games were, and continue to be, heavily criticized for their overly commercial nature. 1 As a result, any perceived paradox between Olympic values and commercialism 2 would have been in the minds of consumers Downloaded from http://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jos/article-pdf/2/2/27/1429413/jofolympstud.2.2.0027.pdf by guest on 06 February 2022