Would you want the Olympics hosted in your city/community?

[-..__...]

Let me start off by saying that I'm neither a sports nor Olympics fan... I happen to find the event extremely boring.

However... even if I was a die hard Olympics follower, I would not want the event hosted within 100 miles of me.

The increased congestion, the head aches, the inconvenience and disruptions to daily life are just not worth it.

Add in the costs, expenses, corruption, fixed bids and the city loses out even more.

Let whichever city wants it have... as long as it's nowhere near me.

[BlooInBloo]

1. I would love it. Living mere blocks away from all of that would be great....

All of the new people from all over the world, the excitement and buzz - sounds awesome. But then, I'm a city boy.


EDIT: Under the almost-certainly false assumption that they would be held downtown, of course.

[MineralMan]

2. Not me...thanks...

My city has enough congestion already. We didn't do too well with security, either, for the GOOPer's convention. Imagine an international event. Uff da!, as they say here.

[BOSSHOG]

3. I live in a very small community

in South Mississippi so I think it would be damn near impossible. However, in my heart I will always call Fayetteville, Arkansas my hometown. I think Washington and Benton County Arkansas in the northwest part of the state might could pull it off. I'd like to hear some local planning calculations before I answered your question but the Wal-Mart and Tyson Brazillions are located up there and many of the sports venues already exist.

[JonQ]

4. Hell no

traffic, congestion, massive expansion of sports arenas that will mostly lie idle after the games, a huge debt incurred by the city, building a bunch of ugly, tacky one time use buildings for the athletes and their fans.


I think it would make far more sense to have a few conveniently located cities that trade off. Let them put the money in to building quality infrastructure that will be used year after year, and improved year after year.

[Common Sense Party]

5. No, been there, done that.

It was fun and aggravating while it lasted.

[cali]

6. no way my community or even my state could possibly

accommodate the Olympics.

[wtbymark]

7. They are trying to bring it back to Lake Tahoe

And it would be on a number of mountains not just one (like Squaw)

For a couple of weeks, it could be delt with. We already have a pro golf tourney, snowboarding championships. Bring it back, huge boost.

[napi21]

8. It WAS! I live about 40 mi. from Atlanta. My only problem was

that I was embarrassed and ashamed that someone was killed by a home grown terrorist when the games were here.

[kestrel91316]

9. It was a big to-do that made the city lots of money here in '84.

Don't know if I'd want it again. Traffic is ever so much worse; now it would be a complete nightmare.

Our public transportation has improved in the meantime, but is still not what it should be for an Olympic city.

[EFerrari]

24. Los Angeles was smart. They outlawed capital expenditure

that wouldn't be reimbursed so the Feds had to pick up $78 million that the Olympic Organizing Committee didn't.

[Kolesar]

10. What does your username mean? eom

[Iggo]

11. Had 'em. '84. It was fun. (n/t)

[frylock]

12. hell.

no. we've had the super bowl, and that was a giant charlie foxtrot, imnsho.

[RidinMyDonkey]

13. Not me

I'm also in no way, shape, or form a sports fan. Occasionally, when they televise it I watch the Women's Gymnastics. However, if the Olympics was held in my community, almost no one could afford to go.

It is my understanding is that it's a big myth that the Olympics do wonders for the local economy. If there is no benefit to the citizens I wouldn't want my city to be imposed upon.

[KittyWampus]

14. I live in the "Hamptons", we already host a freaking circus every summer. Tourists descend like

locusts devouring everything in sight.

The rich and famous have bought up all the real estate.

Oh, and the traffic.

If you have enough money, your helicopter gets you around. Everyone else gets to take their chances on a maxed-out two lane highway that is a death trap.

[Vidar]

15. No.

[pinniped]

16. No. The entire board of SF stupidvisors and the stupid mayor would find numerous ways to fuck it up.

.

[Hepburn]

17. Been there, done that....

....I live in L.A.

:hi:

[dysfunctional press]

18. definitely.

it's a tremendous honor on the world stage for a city to host the games.

i guess that i just can't understand the mindset of selfish people who would put their own short-term convenience ahead of the jobs and positive exposure it could/would mean for their community. :shrug:

[Stevenmarc]

19. No f'ing way

NYC is already a transportation challenge

[Barack_America]

20. Philadelphia could make it work.

But I hope I no longer live here if they ever do.

[Cleita]

21. I lived in Santa Monica when Los Angeles hosted the Olympics. I found

it somewhat disruptive and it was sometimes hard to get to my job. The only cool thing was that I was able to see an Olympic event when one of the marathons was run on a main thoroughfare that was blocks from where I lived. It's the only one I have ever seen not on TV. I'm very bored with sports ordinarily but I found this thrilling because the mood of the crowd had infected me as well.

[ddeclue]

22. Been there..done that in Atlanta in 96...

It's an incredible experience but it really is only for cities >3 million metro population.

Please don't bother Nashville, Asheville, Huntsville, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Little Rock, Flagstaff, etc.

If you don't already have a huge town and don't already have multiple pro sports teams and arenas and you don't already have a huge infrastructure including rail based public transit and you aren't a major international airline hub, don't waste your time you will only bankrupt yourself and not get the bid.

[JackRiddler]

23. The New York bid would have specifically destroyed my neighborhood...

Its (predictable) failure was a happy day!