Boston Wins USOC Bid!!!

How will they possibly be able milk "Boston Strong" for a few more years??

Bid+ wrote:

Happy to see Boston get the USOC bid for 2024 which many experts predict will be the last Olympics due to the advancement of global telecommunications and electonics technology.

What experts?

They've been saying the Olympics were going to die since the 1972 massacre.

Augusto E. Perez wrote:

tenant wrote:

I hope Boston doesn't win. They Olympics have been shown time and again to cost host cities and nations money.

LA84 and Atlanta 96 both turned profits.

I've been living in Atlanta before, during, and after the Olympics. The benefits of the 1996 games are still being felt today.

In the late 1980's I was a student at Georgia Tech. I lived in a dorm across the street from the oldest and largest federal housing project in the nation. That area was torn down and new dorms were built for Tech. Now students don't have to hear gunfire every night when they are trying to sleep.

My daughter competes with her horse at the Olympic equestrian park a couple of times a year. There is always something going on over there, including cross country meets and other non-equestrian events.

The Olympic stadium became Turner Field where the Braves have played for the last 20 years. Alas, the team is now abandoning the site to move out to the suburbs. The poor taxpayers of Cobb county will pay for a new stadium. But at least we got a very nice baseball venue for those 20 years.

I'm sure there are lots more examples. The point is, if the games are done right they can leave a tremendously positive legacy.

BTW, to be clear, the new dorms were built for the Olympic Village, then converted into student housing after the games.

Why, exactly, would the USA want to spend billions and billions of our tax dollars to enrich a few corporations and the IOC? After Atlanta, I was kind of hoping we wouldn't be that stupid again.

After attending Lonodon 2012 I thought Boston makes perfect sense. So many empty dorm rooms during the summer that could be a great economic infusion for colleges, if Lords cricket ground could host archery why not Fenway, great rowing venue, 3 good sized airports (Logan, Prov, Manchester) pretty good public transportation (London allowed a free day of Tube use for every ticket that was purchased), events like badminton-judo-weightlifting-fencing can all be held in one big conference center (even a cycling velodrome can be assembled temporarily). The swimming and cycling venues in London were very small, this made it difficult to get tickets but a lot of thought was given to the future.

boston is also a terribly unorganized city. i know london is too, but there seems to be a good chance things wouldn't go smoothly in boston

Not coming back to U.S. wrote:

Rome is submitting a bid. Germany may also submit.

The summer games will go to Europe. Boston won't get them.

Italy is basically bankrupt. Sky high unemployment. They've got other problems to worry about.

Germany's bids (Berlin/Hamburg) lack support of its residents (ok, I guess you could say the same about Boston).

Doha or Istanbul will make it. Paris is the long shot in my book.

Fat hurts wrote:

In the late 1980's I was a student at Georgia Tech. I lived in a dorm across the street from the oldest and largest federal housing project in the nation. That area was torn down and new dorms were built for Tech.

What happened to the poor people who used to live there?

Obvy ? wrote:

Fat hurts wrote:

In the late 1980's I was a student at Georgia Tech. I lived in a dorm across the street from the oldest and largest federal housing project in the nation. That area was torn down and new dorms were built for Tech.

What happened to the poor people who used to live there?

According to Wikipedia, "Former residents were relocated to other areas, and given Section 8 vouchers to pay part of the rent. Many moved back into Centennial Place, though it had far fewer subsidized units than Techwood Homes."

Besides the large dorm buildings, part of the neighborhood was converted to what is now called "Centennial Place". It's a fairly nice looking area now.

double dry wrote:

boston is also a terribly unorganized city. i know london is too, but there seems to be a good chance things wouldn't go smoothly in boston

I have lived in Boston 50 out of 60 years and I am 100% in support for the Olympic Games coming here.

For those who think Boston isn't up to it, I've got news for you - Boston will rise to the challenge, as it does for the marathon, the world series in baseball, the NFL playoffs, the Stanley Cup, or the NBA championships. It will mobilize resources and respond to the challenge, because that is the nature of Boston.

For sure, we will need forward looking visionaries to get involved so that the post Olympic legacy will be for the good of the general public. Let the doubters and nay-sayers have their voice, but this is an opportunity for positive growth and dynamic change that will transform lives as well as bring tremendous vitality and energy to the host city.

jjjjjj wrote:

we cannot compete with countries that offer massive public subsidies, especially the dictatorships and oligarchies....

Which one of those is Tokyo?

I think Boston has a good shot. It's a city most people would love to visit in summer. The Marathon will be the most iconic ever. Are they going to row on the Charles? That would be beautiful...

Don't forget LA was the first one to NOT bankrupt its host city in a while, and Boston will be perceived as a lot like London. The IOC is wising up and it's a long time since they handed the Olympics to a dictatorship (well, the summer ones anyway...).

Augusto E. Perez wrote:

tenant wrote:

I hope Boston doesn't win. They Olympics have been shown time and again to cost host cities and nations money.

LA84 and Atlanta 96 both turned profits.

Exactly. It's the wasteful countries like Athens and Sochi who spend $50 billion on it that lose money. Atlanta spent $3 billion and made out quite well.

Boston you're my home wrote:

I have lived in Boston 50 out of 60 years and I am 100% in support for the Olympic Games coming here.

For those who think Boston isn't up to it, I've got news for you - Boston will rise to the challenge, as it does for the marathon, the world series in baseball, the NFL playoffs, the Stanley Cup, or the NBA championships. It will mobilize resources and respond to the challenge, because that is the nature of Boston.

For sure, we will need forward looking visionaries to get involved so that the post Olympic legacy will be for the good of the general public. Let the doubters and nay-sayers have their voice, but this is an opportunity for positive growth and dynamic change that will transform lives as well as bring tremendous vitality and energy to the host city.

This x1000. I am hugely in favor of it. This is the greatest city in the world and this will be a perfect opportunity to display that.

Anyone with half a clue knows that this is a terrible investment, but the people of Boston are already poor, dirty, and miserable, so it's not like they have much to lose.

I grew up in a working-class ethnic neighborhood in Boston in the 1970s but have long since fled. IMHO, Boston could not successfully hold an Olympics.

I recommend IOC officials fly into Logan Airport, rent a car, and then spend the day trying to navigate from point A to point B in the city. After spending hours sitting in traffic, they can hop a ride on the Orange Line and witness first hand Boston's transportation system.

Your brother starts some interesting threads. Every now and then you should check them out.A lot of people don't read this message board as much anymore, but it does have some interesting information and you should give it a chance.

wejo wrote:

Congrats to Boston.

I haven't seen the video. What video are you talking about?

.

Boston is a great city, but Boston is hot as hell and humid in the summer. Can you imagine the Boston Marathon in August? Talk about "Dual in the Sun"! Where else would they hold the marathon except on the famous Boston course?

Former Bostonian wrote:

I grew up in a working-class ethnic neighborhood in Boston in the 1970s but have long since fled. IMHO, Boston could not successfully hold an Olympics.

I recommend IOC officials fly into Logan Airport, rent a car, and then spend the day trying to navigate from point A to point B in the city. After spending hours sitting in traffic, they can hop a ride on the Orange Line and witness first hand Boston's transportation system.

The Big Dig was a financial boondoggle, but it did improve the gridlock you used to experience. It's much, much easier to navigate the city now.