Rings of Hell: The Exploitation Games

The Olympics pose monumental risks to everyone unfortunate enough to be in their orbit, and this is true especially for workers — either workers who help make the games happen (construction, service industry, volunteers) to the athletes themselves. Labor exploitation and the Olympics are synonymous, and we’ve charted this history of rampant harm — everything from wage theft to psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse — in the modern Olympics, even the beloved 1984 games.

For episode 8 of the Rings of Hell podcast, we’re joined by members of DSA Los Angeles’ Labor and Healthcare committees to explore how the Olympics are always sold as being “good for labor,” while the receipts show the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.