Whitaker's Olympic Almanack: An Encyclopedia of the Olympic Games Book

As someone who was only familiar with the iconic fists-in-the-air image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos the 1968 Olympics, but not of the stories behind their action, this served as a good, easy-to-read introduction. The downsides were that the race analysis was thin and, though Hoffer criticizes the '68 press for its neglect of women athletes in that year's Games, he mostly does the same. The female Olympians are mentioned as frequently for their roles as dates or wives to male Olympians as they are for their athletic feats.
That said, the parallels to today's sports protests and the consequences faced by outspoken athletes make it a good time to check out this book. Sports and politics have always been intertwined.