JesseSaenz

Yeah, they should at least suspend it for the World Cup or the Olympics in LA. It's so frustrating to see LA28's potential taking a major tumble like this. The orange man and his cronies need to step back.

18.5 Million in Greater LA Area makes me think that there will be a high attendance rate by the locals as well. Many obviously not needing hotel or lodging accommodations. But for the visitors, yep. It will be a doo$y

Trump was also loudly booed at Yankee Stadium just a couple days ago. It would be in their best interest to not show up and defer the opening of the games to the CA governor or LA mayor. Whoever that is at that time. And yes, maybe the Pope should open the games. THAT would be historic.

Sounds kinda stupid, but so much of this would have been avoided if LA was awarded the 2024 Games vs the 2028 Games. Biden would have opened, they would have very likely been a massive success paving the way for a 2nd Biden presidency or that of a Democrat. But LA got 2028 with Trump and the worst of America at the controls. It does feel like a major shift is in the air. Both parties seem to be at least agreeing on things despite what the government is forcing down on us. The murder was gruesome and it struck a serious chord with both sides. They want to divide Americans further, but I think people are starting to see it. They are getting sloppy. 2026 Midterms can't get here soon enough. Impeachment and removal is in order.

I wasn't a huge fan of Atlanta's opening with the exception of Mohammad Ali lighting the cauldron.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Pope Leo the XIV would be an Olympic first and a MAJOR one at that. I don't want to jinx anything but LA is shaping up to be an Olympics that will set the bar very high for all subsequent games.

It reminds me of Santa Monica who dropped the ball by not agreeing to host beach volleyball. Santa Monica is WHERE IT WAS BORN!!! What a colossal missed opportunity.

It's strange how for LA28 this is more like a minor inconvenience. They have so many venues to choose from still. What ever happened to hosting at the Disney Hall!? That would have been amazing.

The IOC should be ready to pivot just in case. It would be a monumental loss for the world to not experience a 3rd LA Olympics, but I don't like the idea of an American dictator opening the games. Although a dictatorship did not stop 1936 Berlin and 2014 Sochi or to some degree, Beijing 2022.

The fires did not damage or destroy a single Olympic venue. LA also has an abundance of venues to shift to if necessary. No amount of water and high powered hydrants were going to stop fires fanned by 100mph winds. LA is not the only Olympic host city in a seismically active area. Tokyo, Mexico City, hell even Athens. Can it happen? Of course. It's guaranteed we just never know when.

Seems a little premature to sound the alarm on this TBH. I'm certain the LA organizers will secure enough sponsors, even if they're not traditional Olympic sponsors.

Exactly. Nobody was more let down than those of us in Stade de France. I could have flown to LA instead if I knew it would be live from there 😆

It wasn't terrible. The Tom Cruise bit actually got the stadium going crazy. The shot of the Hollywood sign with the Olympics rings also got the stadium going. Beyond that we were forced to watch a pre recorded video on two small screens at Stade de France. The folks in the beach back in LA got a much better experience than those of us in France. For all the hopes I had for Paris. The opening and closing were a let down. LA already feels more exciting even if the handoff had sound issues. It looked more cinematic than Paris....and LA doesn't have the Eiffel Tower or Grand Palais

This entire Olympics focused too much on TV and little on in person experience. Opening, closing, and handover.

Honestly yes. And still more exciting than what Paris strung together.

While it was a major improvement over the opening ceremony by having it at Stade de France, it was STILLL very underwhelming for being Paris and France. Which is a real pity because I actually had a great seat! The crowd got really excited with the handover to LA and Tom Cruise jumping into the stadium. The Hollywood Olympic rings also got the stadium buzzing. The sound for the performance was terrible and Stade de France's small screens made it hard to get excited about the performances by RHCP, Snoop, and Billie Eilish. The closing gave the impression that they were out of time and out of money. Unfortunately, my favorite thing about it is knowing that its over and that the games are now off to Los Angeles where the world expects at the very least a spectacular opening and closing ceremony. Paris was an excellent host over all. Staging in front of world renowned landmarks will be talked about for generations to come, but in terms of ceremonies, it was very lackluster. LA, PLEASE DON'T MESS THIS UP. Leverage all that cinematic talents and truly elevate the games once again!

Both SoFi and Coliseum are nowhere near hills or brush that may start a wildfire. Yes California has them, but suggesting that they could start smack in the middle of an urban area is kind of silly, no?

That would be a tough sell since they already regularly light it for USC Games and other notable events. If there's a 2nd one at SoFi I just hope it's not boring. Or maybe it will be something completely new and original and instantly iconic. Who knows!?

Just no more city ceremonies unless it's free to spectators. Cause boy did Paris' fall flat. Thankfully it will be remembered for Celine Dion on the Tower. But the rest did not work. The entire thing should have been in one location. I'm willing to bet the closing will be much better and more exciting. Hopefully.

€2,700! Just to see it on a small screen! Those tickets should have been €100 at absolute most. Not even kidding.

I must add that Paris as a host city has been EXCELLENT! 10/10. Everyone seems to know their role from the Metro workers, to security, to volunteers. On this end they deserve all the praise. Merci to the people of Paris!

Which is totally fine. But for the prices it is completely unacceptable. The organizers promised us a show and in the end we were better off watching it at a bar or viewing party indoors. Again, I'm just glad I was a part of a historic day, but unfortunately the opening was a dud for me. Now I'm definitely worried for LA. If Paris with it's plethora of history and culture couldn't make it work, what on Earth is LA going to do!?

And the kicker was the RELENTLESS rain. It seemed to only get worse as the opening went on. Truthfully, I wouldn't have cared if we were given a proper show, but we didn't even get that. I'll get over it soon enough. But man, I hope the French liked it because a lot of us visiting were visibly unsatisfied.

Well the thing is that we weren't even assigned seats until very recently. So it was difficult to know if your seat was even worth the money you paid for it. By far and large the answer was "no" It was great on paper terrible execution. Glad I could be part of a historic day in Paris and one that they worked so hard for, but overall the opening for me was a total let down. I'll be at the closing and hand off. Hopefully having it at Stade de France helps.

A few things. I paid slightly more because I just KNEW some of the outer sections would only see the boats. So I paid to be in Category "A" right where all the main acts are supposed to be. However, you don't get to select your seat! So many of us were tucked in little corners or sections where we couldn't even get a good view of the pathetic little screen. The rain was almost an after thought. The drag queens and last supper bit. My god. I'm not even religious but kept asking "Why!?" Was that necessary? On the biggest platform. Most of the Eiffel Tower was blocked so that really cool laser show wasn't visible by the vast majority of ticket holders. I knew it would be difficult but boy am I completely let down. Keep it in stadiums in a singular location. LA has a lot to learn from this. So many things to avoid. What a shame.