The USOC selects Boston as U.S. bid to host the 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games

Koufax

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Who gets to pay for the $700MM temporary stadium? 
 

Harry Hooper

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Hosting a Winter Olympics regionally {a la Albertville} might be worthwhile, but a Summer Olympics with its scale will be a costly goat rodeo. 
 

Koufax

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Time to bring back Mitt Romney as governor.  If anyone knows how to manage this, it's him.
 

Dropkick Izzy

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Comfortably Lomb said:
 
No chance this goes well. Bright side: we could do a career killer death pool for the public figures that die on this hill.
I hope MULTIPLE people Bud Dwyer themselves over this.
 

snowmanny

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You can't build anything in Boston.  That's why Foxboro and that's why 100th Anniversary Fenway.  Christ, Boston is SUING because people might drive on their roads to do something in Everett so they deserve a piece of the pie.  I mean a velodrome in Somerville would probably cost $900Million and be done in 2033.
 

TallerThanPedroia

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I can't even with this shit.

On top of everything else, that the very notion of turning Boston Common over to a corrupt foreign power like the IOC doesn't chill every Bostonian to the bone astounds me. That suggestion alone should have been a dealbreaker.
 

Harry Hooper

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TallerThanPedroia said:
I can't even with this shit.

On top of everything else, that the very notion of turning Boston Common over to a corrupt foreign power like the IOC doesn't chill every Bostonian to the bone astounds me. That suggestion alone should have been a dealbreaker.
 
Yeah, the IOC makes FIFA look like good citizens.
 

Kliq

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Omar's Wacky Neighbor said:
You're all pretty much echoing what the NYC sports media has been saying for the past hour or so.
 
Michael Kay:  You're Boston:  why do you need the Olympics?  what do you have to prove?
 
Wait, NYC says we can't do it???? Fuck all of this, give me a shovel, lets start digging!
 

Leon Trotsky

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The complaining about this is astounding to me. We beat out strong bids from SF, LA, and DC, to compete against the likes of Paris, Istanbul, Rome, Melbourne, etc! The bid calls for the costs to be fully paid for from broadcast right, the olympic committees, and ticket sales, and the only cost are sorely needed infrastructure improvements. 
 

DJnVa

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As someone that doesn't live in the area, but thinks this would be fun to attend--FUCK YEAH
 

TallerThanPedroia

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Leon Trotsky said:
The complaining about this is astounding to me. We beat out strong bids from SF, LA, and DC, to compete against the likes of Paris, Istanbul, Rome, Melbourne, etc! The bid calls for the costs to be fully paid for from broadcast right, the olympic committees, and ticket sales, and the only cost are sorely needed infrastructure improvements.
So you've read the bid? That puts you in rare company. Care to share the details?
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Leon Trotsky said:
The complaining about this is astounding to me. We beat out strong bids from SF, LA, and DC, to compete against the likes of Paris, Istanbul, Rome, Melbourne, etc! The bid calls for the costs to be fully paid for from broadcast right, the olympic committees, and ticket sales, and the only cost are sorely needed infrastructure improvements
 
Yea. Right. I have a bridge to sell you.
 

Leon Trotsky

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TallerThanPedroia said:
So you've read the bid? That puts you in rare company. Care to share the details?
 
It's in every fucking article on it in the universe. Coupled with the IOC Agenda2020 thing which is clearly aimed to bring down the cost of the Olympics and strongly favors cheaper and reusable, it makes a lot of sense.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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RedOctober3829 said:
I 93 traffic would be backed up to Mt Washington and 95 back up to Portland. Awesome.

So where's the mountain kayaking events?
 
Basically, plan on not being here the entire month. Or staying home. Anything but going about your life.
 

snowmanny

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Leon Trotsky said:
The complaining about this is astounding to me. We beat out strong bids from SF, LA, and DC, to compete against the likes of Paris, Istanbul, Rome, Melbourne, etc! The bid calls for the costs to be fully paid for from broadcast right, the olympic committees, and ticket sales, and the only cost are sorely needed infrastructure improvements.
That's what scares me.
 

dirtynine

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I live in the middle of the city and I'll be a non-pessimistic voice here.  I think it could be kind of cool.  (That said, it's very unlikely that I'll live in my present spot in 2024.) 
 
If it helps the city build permanent infrastructure (new/enhanced public transportation and a gosh-darn stadium for the Revs) it's a net positive.  For two weeks, Bostonians can grit their teeth and take it.  Potentially the worst thing about it would be the mindless NBC segments about chowda and Hahvard Yard. 
 

Luis Taint

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I am assuming that they are going to build a giant stadium downtown. After the games, what exactly are they going to use it for ?
 

kenneycb

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Leon Trotsky said:
 
It's in every fucking article on it in the universe. Coupled with the IOC Agenda2020 thing which is clearly aimed to bring down the cost of the Olympics and strongly favors cheaper and reusable, it makes a lot of sense.
I just don't trust the IOC and have yet to find a compelling reason to do so.  Call me irrational but as someone said, they're more corrupt than FIFA.  Hard to do.
 
RedOctober3829 said:
How the fuck will the Red Sox play at home that month?
IIRC the Braves were on the road for two weeks or so during the '96 Olympics
 

Kliq

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I live 10 minutes outside Boston. There is a little bridge going over a tiny brook in my town that also happens to be one of the cities most traveled roads. The bridge has been under construction since September, and it is set to be finished by May, and that is only the estimate, it probably won't be done until several months after that date. This brook is tiny (maybe six feet across) and it is taking FOREVER, apparently because it goes over a water mane that effects two towns and it is a big fight over who is paying for the construction, etc. It adds at least 5 more minutes onto my commute, and I bet that every other person in a city around or in Boston has a similar story. It is laughable to think that they can do all of this in a timely and cost effective manner.
 

PseuFighter

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DrewDawg said:
As someone that doesn't live in the area, but thinks this would be fun to attend--FUCK YEAH
 
That was my feeling on London, and the paranoid around hosting as it got within a year of the Games made it possible for me to go last minute for super cheap, including going to a ton of events, and getting to tour what was basically a completely empty city. Basically, I had a blast. In retrospect, many Londoners I know are super proud of the Games and their legacy, but not thrilled that they dealt with the years of lead up to put it on when it benefitted next to nobody, and were, for the most part, scared out of town as the event neared.
 
Putting the next round of the bid together is going to cost a crap-ton of public dollars, right?
 

PseuFighter

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Dave Stapleton said:
As long as there are major events at Gilette I'm good. Rent out my house and leave for the month.
 
See, I'd guess it'd be the marquee venue for soccer, but isn't there a good chance soccer will be out of the Olympics by then?
 
If not, soccer's the one sport they'll make a national tournament out of, which is pretty cool.
 

Orel Miraculous

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Complaints about the inconvenience of hosting the Olympics are hilarious to me--or maybe sad, actually.  "Man, for two weeks it's gonna be so much harder for me to drive the job that I hate because my hometown is hosting an incredibly unique, once-in-a-lifetime global celebration featuring the best athletes in human history!  Fuck that shit!"
 
If people want to complain about the spending that's one thing (though there's a lot of evidence to suggest that American cities can and do host fiscally responsible games), but I find it really depressing to see people who are so single-minded about the convenience of their daily lives that they can't enjoy truly special moments.
 

kenneycb

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Presumably golf at the Country Club? That or the TPC.  Would love to see the Euros choke it away again.  All of them.
 

Tony C

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Leon Trotsky said:
The complaining about this is astounding to me. We beat out strong bids from SF, LA, and DC, to compete against the likes of Paris, Istanbul, Rome, Melbourne, etc! The bid calls for the costs to be fully paid for from broadcast right, the olympic committees, and ticket sales, and the only cost are sorely needed infrastructure improvements. 
 
And, what, the other cities said they had no plan to pay for it? Every proposal says it'll be fully paid for. It seems to me cities like SF and L.A. that have more pre-existing infrastructure would be better bets
 
Comfortably Lomb said:
 
Basically, plan on not being here the entire month. Or staying home. Anything but going about your life.
 
Having been in cities during the Olympics, this would be a huge mistake -- they're a blast. No longer live in Boston and not saying this is a good idea, and certainly have my share of "what takes a month elsewhere takes a year in Boston" stories. But the actual event will be a lot of fun...I'd definitely fly in for it.
 
edit: or like Orel put it -- indeed, will be epic, well worth some inconvenience.
 

Toe Nash

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TallerThanPedroia said:
I can't even with this shit.

On top of everything else, that the very notion of turning Boston Common over to a corrupt foreign power like the IOC doesn't chill every Bostonian to the bone astounds me. That suggestion alone should have been a dealbreaker.
It does, but the public has had no say in the process thus far. It's been Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish heading it up, who obviously stands to make jillions, and other figures who would also clearly benefit. They got Walsh and Baker on board and released a bunch of vagueness about the bid but few clear plans.
 

moondog80

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dirtynine said:
I think the stadium is intended to be modular.  As in, it gets dismantled post-Olympics. 
 
 
I've read this before.  What exactly would a stadium that is modular, yet fit for the Olympics, entail?
 

PC Drunken Friar

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Orel Miraculous said:
Complaints about the inconvenience of hosting the Olympics are hilarious to me--or maybe sad, actually.  "Man, for two weeks it's gonna be so much harder for me to drive the job that I hate because my hometown is hosting an incredibly unique, once-in-a-lifetime global celebration featuring the best athletes in human history!  Fuck that shit!"
 
If people want to complain about the spending that's one thing (though there's a lot of evidence to suggest that American cities can and do host fiscally responsible games), but I find it really depressing to see people who are so single-minded about the convenience of their daily lives that they can't enjoy truly special moments.
This I simplifying it way too much. This is not a two week event. This very well could inconvenience a huge portion of the population of Massachusetts (and new Hampshire) for, what, 5-6 years? They will need to overhaul 93, right? Shit, on a random weekday, one lane closure on the SE expressway at the wrong time causes hours of delays.

When looked at it this way, is that inconvenience worth a two week event? I don't begrudge anyone who says no effing way.

Now, the next generation of Bostonians will certainly enjoy the fruits of our pain.
 

Toe Nash

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Orel Miraculous said:
Complaints about the inconvenience of hosting the Olympics are hilarious to me--or maybe sad, actually.  "Man, for two weeks it's gonna be so much harder for me to drive the job that I hate because my hometown is hosting an incredibly unique, once-in-a-lifetime global celebration featuring the best athletes in human history!  Fuck that shit!"
 
If people want to complain about the spending that's one thing (though there's a lot of evidence to suggest that American cities can and do host fiscally responsible games), but I find it really depressing to see people who are so single-minded about the convenience of their daily lives that they can't enjoy truly special moments.
Won't the construction cause inconvenience for a lot longer than a month?