00:00 London's hosting of the 1948 Olympics was marked by the city's post-war austerity and lack of extravagant infrastructure.

05:17 The story of the Olympics from 1948 onwards is marked by extravagant infrastructure, TV, and Cold War rivalry, particularly between the Soviet Union and the United States.

10:12 The pressure on East German athletes, particularly women, during the 80s was intense due to the consequences of opting out of the system, while athletes in other countries, such as Nadja Kominec in Romania, also faced immense pressure from their regimes.

14:31 The 1980 Winter Olympics marked a significant moment in American sports history with the "Miracle on Ice" victory of the amateur US ice hockey team against the Soviet Union, which fueled American patriotism and set the stage for the LA Games four years later; however, the Moscow Olympics that same year were marred by boycotts, including one led by Jimmy Carter, which many viewed as an overreaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

18:53 The Moscow Olympics in 1980 were seen as terrible and drab by foreign journalists, leading to a negative perception of the Soviet Union and setting the stage for the highly patriotic and corporate-sponsored Los Angeles Games in 1984.

23:09 Carl Lewis's dominance at the Olympics is discussed, along with a controversial advertising campaign featuring him wearing stilettos, and the Ben Johnson doping scandal.

27:20 The 1976 Olympics in Montreal resulted in a cost overrun of 720 percent, leaving the city in a billion dollars of debt and taking until 2006 to pay off, while the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City were marred by student protests and police repression, culminating in the shooting of student protesters just before the games began.

31:37 The Munich Olympics in 1972 were marred by a terrorist attack in which Palestinian militants took Israeli athletes hostage, resulting in the death of all the hostages and hostage-takers, and highlighting the failure of the Olympic movement to address political issues.

35:56 The Olympics have been plagued by poor organization, financial disasters, forced relocations, and false claims of economic growth and increased sporting participation.

40:06 The podcast ends with a discussion about the inspiring moments of the Olympics, including the story of a Japanese runner who stopped the race in shame but was later invited back to Sweden to complete it, as well as the story of British runner Derrick Redmond who was helped across the finish line by his father after injuring himself.