The 2006 Winter Olympics and the Shroud of Turin
A Confluence of Town, Vestment and Media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v4i2.123Keywords:
pilgrimage, public relations, relics, religion communication, spiritual tourismAbstract
This study explores the use of a sacred icon – the Shroud of Turin – as a communicative symbol in public relations campaigning by the city of Torino, the Shroud of Turin Diocesan Commission, the Museum Della Sindone and 2006 Winter Olympics’ exclusive global television broadcaster NBC and its US affiliate stations before and during the Olympics in Torino, Italy. In particular, the study examines the extent to which such communicative activity could be considered devotional-promotional in nature. A combination of qualitative methods obtained data on media, state and Church campaigning and its effects. While the Olympics provided an opportunity for these institutions to showcase their “products” on a world stage the extent to which such promotion persuaded tourists, pilgrims and others to travel to Torino – either for the Games in person or virtually - is an open question absent survey, observational and other research although above-normal Museum attendance, a spike in tourism to the region and record cyber-traffic to Olympic and host city websites do suggest certain effects of such campaigning.
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References
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—2006. “Faithful on Ice,” Our Sunday Visitor, February 19, 16.
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Kaufman, M. 2006a. “Athletes, City Ready to Go for Gold,” The Miami Herald, February 10, 1D.
—2006b. “Game Time,” The Miami Herald, February 11, 1A.
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McElreath, M. 1997. Managing Systematic and Ethical Public Relations Campaigns, 2nd ed. Dubuque, IO: Brown & Benchmark.
Melczer, W. 1993. The Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela. New York: Italica Press.
Miller, G. 1989. “Persuasion and Public Relations: Two ‘P’s’ in a Pod,” in C. Botan and V. Hazelton eds. Public Relations Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 45–66.
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“Olympics Extra.” 2006. The Miami Herald, February 27, 12D.
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Robertson, L. 2006a. “Heaven is Finding Tomba in Turin,” The Miami Herald, February 10, 1D.
—2006b. “Heartwarming – Even at 22 Degrees,” The Miami Herald, February 11, 1D.
—2006c. “American Stars Struggled to Shine,” The Miami Herald, February 26, 1D
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Rowe, D. 1996. “The Global Love-Match: Sport and Television,” Media, Culture & Society, 18.4, 565–82. doi:10.1177/016344396018004004
Ryan, G., and H. Ripperger, trans. 1948 [orig. 1483]. The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine. New York: Longmans, Green and Co.
Seitel, F. 1998. The Practice of Public Relations, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Shipley, J., and F. Fitzpatrick. 2006. “China, Canada Await Games,” The Miami Herald, February 27, 10D.
“Shroud Update,” 2006. Catholic Insight, April, 37.
Stanley, A. 1998. “Power to Fascinate Intact, Turin Shroud is Unfurled,” New York Times, April 19. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html> (accessed November 8, 2007).
Starkie, W. 1957. The Road to Santiago. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Stewart, D. 1967. Early Islam. New York: Time-Life Books.
Sumption, J. 1975. Pilgrimage: An Image of Mediaeval Religion. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield.
Swan, S. 2006. “Shroud of Turin.” February. <http://nbcolympics.com/print/5098368/ detail.html> (accessed February 26, 2006) .
“Teary Sophia Loren Accepts Roman Honor.” 2007. The Miami Herald, October 22, 4A.
Thiede, C., and M. d’Ancona. 2002. The Quest for the True Cross. New York: Palgrave.
Tilson, D. 2005. “Religious-Spiritual Tourism and Promotional Campaigning: A Church-State Partnership for St. James and Spain,” Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 12(1/2), 9–40. doi:10.1300/J150v12n01_03
—2006. “Devotional-Promotional Communication and Santiago: A Thousand-Year Public Relations Campaign for Saint James and Spain,” in J. L’Etang and M. Pieczka eds. Critical Debates and Contemporary Problems. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 167–84.
Tilson, D., and Y. Chao. 2002. “Saintly Campaigning: Devotional-Promotional Communication and the U.S. Tour of St. Thérèse’s Relics,” Journal of Media and Religion, 1.2, 81–104. doi:10.1207/S15328415JMR0102_1
Tilson, D., and A. Venkateswaran. 2006. “Toward a Covenantal Model of Public Relations: Hindu Faith Communities and Devotional-Promotional Communication,” Journal of Media and Religion, 5.2, 111–33. doi:10.1207/s15328415jmr0502_3
Tomlinson, A. 1996. “Olympic Spectacle: Opening Ceremonies and Some Paradoxes of Globalization,” Media, Culture & Society, 18.4, 583–602. doi:10.1177/016344396018004005
Weaver, K. 1980. “The Mystery of the Shroud,” National Geographic, 157.6, 730–56.
Wernick, R. 1996. “Rising from the Sea, the Mysterious Handwork of Giants,”Smithsonian, 27.6, 62–73.
Wilcox, D., P. Ault, W. Agge and G. Cameron. 2000. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Wilcox, D., and G. Cameron. 2006. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, 8th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Wilson, I. 1979. The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ? Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Young, K. 2000. “Introduction,” in A. Sharma ed. Women Saints in World Religions. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1–38.
Bach, M. 2006. “Turin’s Olympics,” The Chicago Tribune, February 10, 6.
Baker, S. 2002. “The Theoretical Ground for Public Relations Practice and Ethics: A Koehnian Analysis,” Journal of Business Ethics, 35.3, 191–205. doi:10.1023/A:1013876206176
Bauer, K. 2008. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a Public Relations Strategy. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co.
Bradley, D. 1963. A Guide to the World’s Religions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Brean, J. 2006. “Their Shroud is our Inukshuk,” National Post, February 16, A2.
Brown, B. 2006. “The Shroud Tied to Torino’s Identity,” February. <http://www. nbcolympics.com/openingceremony/5095743/detail.html> (accessed March 7, 2006).
“Catholic Church in China Gears Up for Olympics.” 2007. Our Sunday Visitor, September 16, 8.
Cazeneuve, B. 2006. “5 Minute Guide: A Quick Primer on the Host City and the Issues and Faces to Watch for from Feb. 10 to 26,” Sports Illustrated, February 6, 72.
Champion, S., and D. Short eds. 1959. Readings from World Religions. New York: Fawcett World Library.
Citta’ Di Torino, 2006. “Tourism: Witness the New Torino.” <http://nbcolympics.com/ cityoftorino/5085247/detail.htm> (accessed February 27, 2006).
Clift, J., and W. Clift. 1996. The Archetype of Pilgrimage: Outer Action with Inner Meaning. New York: Paulist Press.
Coward, H. 2000, ed. Experiencing Scripture in World Religions. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
Cruz, J. 1984. Relics. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Downey, M. 2006. “Believe Weir: Missing Aura a Terrible Thing,” The Chicago Tribune, February 18, 1. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com> (accessed November 9, 2007).
—2006. “Faithful on Ice,” Our Sunday Visitor, February 19, 16.
Fall, L. 2000a. “Viva la Vacation: An Examination of Personal Values, Information Sources, and Pleasure Travel Planning,” Paper presented to the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication Public Relations Division conference, Phoenix, August.
—2000b. “An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Human Values and Information Sources within a Tourism Framework,” Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 7.1, 1–15. doi:10.1300/J150v07n01_02
Feather, N. 1984. “ Protestant Ethic, Conservatism and Values,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1132–41. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.46.5.1132
Graff, J. 2006. “The Battle to Save the Cave,” Time, June 19, 44–48.
Gregorian, V. 2006. “Passion Play in Turin,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 9. <http:// iiiprxy.library.miami.edu:5479/itx> (accessed November 8, 2007).
Humber, T. 1978. The Sacred Shroud. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Hutton, J. 1999. “The Definition, Dimensions, and Domain of Public Relations,” Public Relations Review, 25.2, 199–214. doi:10.1016/S0363-8111(99)80162-3
Iannone, J. 1998. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin. New York: Alba House.
Il Museo della Sindone. 2005. Sindone News, November/December. Torino, Italy.
International Olympic Committee. 2008. Olympic Marketing Fact File. Lausanne, Switzerland: IOC Television & Marketing Services SA.
Israely, J. 2006. “Torino Gets Stoked,” Time, February 4. <http://www.time.com/time/ magazine/article/0,9171,1156525–2,00.html> (accessed October 22, 2007).
Jackson, B. 2006. “Low Ratings, but a Profit for NBC,” The Miami Herald, February 26, 11D.
Kahle, L., and P. Kennedy. 1989. “Using the List of Values (LOV) to Understand Consumers,” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 6.3, 5–12.
Kaufman, M. 2006a. “Athletes, City Ready to Go for Gold,” The Miami Herald, February 10, 1D.
—2006b. “Game Time,” The Miami Herald, February 11, 1A.
—2006c. “American Stars Struggled to Shine,” The Miami Herald, February 26, 1D.
Kluger, J. 2004. “Is God in our Genes?” Time, October 25, 62–72.
Kurtz, S. 1975. The World Guide to Antiquities. New York: Crown Publishers.
L’Etang, J. 1996. “Public Relations and Rhetoric,” in J. L’Etang and M. Pieczka eds. Critical Perspectives in Public Relations. London: International Thomson Business Press, 106–23.
—2008. Public Relations Concepts, Practice and Critique. London: Sage Publications.
Long, L., and V. Hazelton. 1987. “Public Relations: A Theoretical and Practical Response,” Public Relations Review, 13.2, 3–13.
McElreath, M. 1997. Managing Systematic and Ethical Public Relations Campaigns, 2nd ed. Dubuque, IO: Brown & Benchmark.
Melczer, W. 1993. The Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela. New York: Italica Press.
Miller, G. 1989. “Persuasion and Public Relations: Two ‘P’s’ in a Pod,” in C. Botan and V. Hazelton eds. Public Relations Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 45–66.
Moore, J. 2006. “In Controversy Shrouded,” The Toronto Star, January 12, HO1.
Morrissey, R. 2006. “Olympics Not Only Games for Turin Visitors,” The Chicago Tribune, February 17, 1. New Jerusalem Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
Newsom, D., J. Turk and D. Kruckeberg. 2004. This is PR: The Realities of Public Relations, 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
“Numbers,” 2006. Time, February 19. <http://time.com/magazine/article/0,9171,1161246,00. html> (accessed October 22, 2007).
“Olimpiadi a Torino.” 2006. Sindone News, January. <http://www.sindone.org/it/news/ sindone_news.htm> (accessed March 3, 2006).
“Olympics Extra.” 2006. The Miami Herald, February 27, 12D.
Otazo, J. 1972. “Monopoly on the Road to Santiago.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Robertson, L. 2006a. “Heaven is Finding Tomba in Turin,” The Miami Herald, February 10, 1D.
—2006b. “Heartwarming – Even at 22 Degrees,” The Miami Herald, February 11, 1D.
—2006c. “American Stars Struggled to Shine,” The Miami Herald, February 26, 1D
Roof, W. 1993. A Generation of Seekers: The Spiritual Journeys of the Baby Boom Generation. San Francisco, CA: Harper.
Rosenthal, P. 2006. “Hard Sledding for New Co-Host of the Olympics,” The Chicago Tribune, February 8, 3. <http://infoweb.newsbank.com> (accessed November 9, 2007).
Rowe, D. 1996. “The Global Love-Match: Sport and Television,” Media, Culture & Society, 18.4, 565–82. doi:10.1177/016344396018004004
Ryan, G., and H. Ripperger, trans. 1948 [orig. 1483]. The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine. New York: Longmans, Green and Co.
Seitel, F. 1998. The Practice of Public Relations, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Shipley, J., and F. Fitzpatrick. 2006. “China, Canada Await Games,” The Miami Herald, February 27, 10D.
“Shroud Update,” 2006. Catholic Insight, April, 37.
Stanley, A. 1998. “Power to Fascinate Intact, Turin Shroud is Unfurled,” New York Times, April 19. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html> (accessed November 8, 2007).
Starkie, W. 1957. The Road to Santiago. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
Stewart, D. 1967. Early Islam. New York: Time-Life Books.
Sumption, J. 1975. Pilgrimage: An Image of Mediaeval Religion. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield.
Swan, S. 2006. “Shroud of Turin.” February. <http://nbcolympics.com/print/5098368/ detail.html> (accessed February 26, 2006) .
“Teary Sophia Loren Accepts Roman Honor.” 2007. The Miami Herald, October 22, 4A.
Thiede, C., and M. d’Ancona. 2002. The Quest for the True Cross. New York: Palgrave.
Tilson, D. 2005. “Religious-Spiritual Tourism and Promotional Campaigning: A Church-State Partnership for St. James and Spain,” Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 12(1/2), 9–40. doi:10.1300/J150v12n01_03
—2006. “Devotional-Promotional Communication and Santiago: A Thousand-Year Public Relations Campaign for Saint James and Spain,” in J. L’Etang and M. Pieczka eds. Critical Debates and Contemporary Problems. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 167–84.
Tilson, D., and Y. Chao. 2002. “Saintly Campaigning: Devotional-Promotional Communication and the U.S. Tour of St. Thérèse’s Relics,” Journal of Media and Religion, 1.2, 81–104. doi:10.1207/S15328415JMR0102_1
Tilson, D., and A. Venkateswaran. 2006. “Toward a Covenantal Model of Public Relations: Hindu Faith Communities and Devotional-Promotional Communication,” Journal of Media and Religion, 5.2, 111–33. doi:10.1207/s15328415jmr0502_3
Tomlinson, A. 1996. “Olympic Spectacle: Opening Ceremonies and Some Paradoxes of Globalization,” Media, Culture & Society, 18.4, 583–602. doi:10.1177/016344396018004005
Weaver, K. 1980. “The Mystery of the Shroud,” National Geographic, 157.6, 730–56.
Wernick, R. 1996. “Rising from the Sea, the Mysterious Handwork of Giants,”Smithsonian, 27.6, 62–73.
Wilcox, D., P. Ault, W. Agge and G. Cameron. 2000. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Wilcox, D., and G. Cameron. 2006. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, 8th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Wilson, I. 1979. The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ? Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Young, K. 2000. “Introduction,” in A. Sharma ed. Women Saints in World Religions. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1–38.
Published
2010-05-28
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Tilson, D. (2010). The 2006 Winter Olympics and the Shroud of Turin: A Confluence of Town, Vestment and Media. Fieldwork in Religion, 4(2), 123-149. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v4i2.123
