Text-Only Version
Michael Socolow, Assistant
Professor of Journalism: "I think where it's coming in, where we can
really see it, is sort of what I've been reading about, the empty
seats in the stadium are caused by security issues. They've blocked
off a huge section of Beijing for the games and they're extremely
security-conscious--they don't want to risk what happened, for
instance, in Atlanta in 1996 with the bombing. So, they've gone
several steps further than the Americans did or they did in Sydney.
I think Athens had a big security apparatus, but I think the Chinese
have really taken it much further than anybody before, and we're
seeing that on television when we see empty seats in the stadium
because apparently people are having difficulties getting around
inside the Olympic area, and the sponsors are apparently concerned
as well about walk-ups--people walking up into their tents and
seeing their products."
