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The American ideal

The 1984 Olympics were a spectacle of patriotism and in-your-face capitalism

Originally Published: July 8, 2009
By Michael Weinreb | Special to Page 2

One fine day in July 1984, an overweight bald eagle named Bomber succumbed to vascular collapse while training to soar over the smog and gridlock of Los Angeles at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. If this did not mark the zenith of American capitalism in the 20th century, then the moment arrived a few weeks later, when a McDonald's giveaway tied to the U.S. winning gold medals in certain Olympic events caused a number of franchises to run out of Big Mac buns.

That ...

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