The New American Race

[seamus21514]

Good Point.

[JH1033]

I really do think the race for 2016 will start to heat up in the coming weeks. I still believe that Philadelphia is the biggest wild-card in all of this. I know that around where I live in South Jersey-Philadelphia area there has really been a build of excitment in the past couple of weeks and months because there have been little bits of information coming out that the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group, who is heading up the project is really poised to present something impressive to the USOC.

[baron-pierreIV]

there have been little bits of information coming out that the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group, who is heading up the project is really poised to present something impressive to the USOC.

Uhmm...Tokyo v. Philadelphia?  Tokyo will win.  

OK, here's how it's going to play out...

1.  The USOC and the IOC will have to come to terms in sharing of the US-Olympic booty.

2.  If that's settled, New York & Illinois must agree that their budgets for 2016 will be carte blanche for a Summer Games.

3. If PyongChang wins 2014, Chicago might have a fighting chance vs. Tokyo.  Otherwise, it'll have to be New York.  And they better come up with a solid main stadium plan.  

4.  Either Hilary, Rudi or Mitt in the White House in 2009, will bolster the USA for 2016.

[NewYork2016]

Ok... There's this news story out of Crain's New York. I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of interpretations with this one depending on what you want to believe.

Doctoroff: No bid for 2016 games

Crain's

Erik Engquist & Anne Michaud

Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff was in Turin for the start of the Winter Olympics, but that doesn't mean New York is preparing another effort to land the games. It is highly unlikely that the city will mount another campaign.

Mr. Doctoroff, the driving force behind the city's failed effort to land the 2012 Summer Olympics, says a bid for the event in 2016 "is totally off our radar screen" as cities like Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles staff up and start fund raising.

Meanwhile, U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth has been telling the press that the organization will not decide if it will sponsor a 2016 bid until after the Winter Olympics. But the committee recently hired an international relations director, Robert Fasulo--a strong sign that a bid is in the offing. Mr. Doctoroff says he was in Italy to see people he met during the 2012 initiative.

[baron-pierreIV]

yes, he may be burnt out and may be following USOC directives to be noncommital for now.  But I don't think getting credentialed for a Winter Fest some 6 hours away is just for schmoozing and "looking up old" friends.  Probably, important and influential friends.  

But heck, we may all have to support Minneapolis now!!  :help:

[lpatron]

But heck, we may all have to support Minneapolis now!!  :help:

Do you think Jesse Ventura would be the head of MSPOCOG?  

[ThrillosAG]

I really do think the race for 2016 will start to heat up in the coming weeks. I still believe that Philadelphia is the biggest wild-card in all of this. I know that around where I live in South Jersey-Philadelphia area there has really been a build of excitment in the past couple of weeks and months because there have been little bits of information coming out that the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group, who is heading up the project is really poised to present something impressive to the USOC.

Hey, I'm from the area also; and there is that buzz around the city that you're talking about.  I agree that they're a capable dark horse, but depending on who bids, like Baron says, it might be a long shot dark horse.

Some things that the Working Group should focus on:

1) The amount of "olympic standard" venues already in place; with the exception of the Olympic Stadium and a swimming complex.

2) The close proximity of all the venues, closer than all of the last 5 bidding cities from 2012 (w/in a 3 mile radius).

3) A public transportation system that already has access to the "supposed" Olympic Complex, with the ability to be further expanded.

4) The willingness of the people of the city and it's surrounding area to host the games.

[JH1033]

And I still believe that it will be way too early for Asia to hold another Olympic Games in 2016. After having already secured Beijing in 2008 and Pyeongchang probably getting 2014 I just think that the IOC is going to realize that a Tokyo games is just too close to both of the other games.

[ThrillosAG]

Good point, but doesn't always work out in favor of a rival bidding city.

Case in point:

Athens 2004 (2 years later)-> Torino 2006 (6 years later)-> London 2012

[Stu]

Japan hasn't hosted a Summer Olympics since the 1960's, The US has had two since then - so can't really complain about another country getting more than their fair share and be taken seriously (the US has hosted twice as many Olympic Winter and Summer Games as the whole continent of Asia).

[ThrillosAG]

If you want to include Winter Olympics in this conversation then Nagano has to be taken into consideration.

[Stu]

If you want to include Winter Olympics in this conversation then Nagano has to be taken into consideration.

.... but that makes it look even worse for the United States as Salt Lake City was staged since Nagano.

US - St Louis 1904, LosAngeles 1932, Lake Placid 1932, Squaw Valley 1960, Lake Placid 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996, Salt Lake City 2002. (Canada - Montreal 1976, Calgary 1988, Vancouver 2010.  Mexico - Mexico City 1968)

Asia - Tokyo 1964, Sapporo 1972, Seoul 1988, Nagano 1998. (Beijing 2008)

I am a supporter of a New York Summer Olympics in the near future but I'm sure it can't be argued that 2016 is too early for ANOTHER Asian Games - especially now there are a few countries with the economic capability to cope with it.

[Guardian]

Besides, if NYC does bid and wins the 2016 Olympic Games sweepstakes, then it will finally be done with what Coubertin tried to do when he was alive. It will be kind of funny that his wish would take over a century to come true, when he asked a "young NYC" to host one early in the Olympic Movement. Plus, like California, New York State will have hosted both different Games.

[dmika]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking since the start of the Torino Games, and am enjoying myself I just now registered.

Im in a suburb of Chicago, and I'm really excited we are thinking about bidding for 2016. Im positive the city can pull it off. Sure, we have traffic, and a lot of it, but that's all stuff that can be taken care of. Starting Monday, the city has begun an overhaul of the Metra's Brown Line, one of the oldest ones in the city. With this step, transportation wouldn't be a problem at all. What other problems does everyone think Chicago would have with hosting the Games?

[olympiaspirit]

Good point, but doesn't always work out in favor of a rival bidding city.

Case in point:

Athens 2004 (2 years later)-> Torino 2006 (6 years later)-> London 2012

.........also don't forget the sequence of 92 Albertville, 92   Barcelona and 94 Lillehammer as another example of ignoring the continental rotation theory !

[stepho]

I just wanted to share an image I made for my website. Please feel free to rick click and save onto your own computer for personal use. I plan on making a smaller version suitable for avatars or signatures in the future. It just looks so nice full size that I had to share!

[baron-pierreIV]

I just wanted to share an image I made for my website. Please feel free to rick click and save onto your own computer for personal use. I plan on making a smaller version suitable for avatars or signatures in the future. It just looks so nice full size that I had to share!

welcome, stepho.  

Hmmm...nice idea - but too heavy on the black lines of the hand.  And BIIIIGGGG NO- NO.  You can't use the Olympic rings yet.  That might "disqualify" Chicago.   :wink:

[LA84]

Welcome Stepho!  We need more Chicago supporters on here.  I keep getting ganged up on by the NYC supporters! j/k  

Which 'burb are you from?  I used to live in Wrigleyville and Edgewater before moving out here.

BTW - check my signature.  I think you might appreciate it.

[ejaycat]

 I used to live in Wrigleyville and Edgewater before moving out here.

Were either of those sundown towns?

[LA84]

 I used to live in Wrigleyville and Edgewater before moving out here.

Were either of those sundown towns?

No - they are sections of Chicago

[ejaycat]

 I used to live in Wrigleyville and Edgewater before moving out here.

Were either of those sundown towns?

No - they are sections of Chicago

Ah, OK.  I'm not familiar with the names of Chicago's neighborhoods.  

I only ask because recently I learned that Illinois was famous (or infamous) for having a large number of sundown towns.  I learned that an upscale suburb of Chicago, Kenilworth, was a sundown town and to this day, has practically no black residents.

[Stu]

What's a "sundown town"?

[ejaycat]

What's a "sundown town"?

A sundown town was (or is) a city or town that basically outlawed blacks after sunset, some outlawing even Asians, Jews and Catholics.  They were prevalent in the American Midwest, and some west coast states had them too.  Glendale, California, just northeast of Los Angeles, was a well-known one.  I knew an older man who grew up in Glendale, and he said that he knew as a child that you didn't wanna be black and caught in Glendale after sunset.  

Surprisingly there were no sundown towns in the American South, in fact they thought the practice was appalling, but their attitude was "why would you make your maid go home at night?"  

There's a new book out on sundown towns, and apparently there are some small cities where those laws are still on the books, they're just not being enforced now.

Apparently sundown towns started popping up after the American Civil War, and by the turn of the 20th Century there were definite areas that blacks were not allowed to live in.

[Stu]

(or is)

Do they still exist anywhere?

[Stu]

(or is)

Do they still exist anywhere?

I ask on behalf of a couple of the members on here who I think would thrive in such an environment!