A New York City Olympic Games Considered

[Athensfan]

It's good to hear your perspectives.

Joanne, here's what I mean by lost: there's so much to New York already that I wonder if the Games would get the spotlight they deserve. NYC is so darn BUSY. I just question whether there's room for that magical "Olympic atmosphere." if the public support were there I'd be less concerned. That public excitement would insure that New Yorkers would MAKE room to celebrate the Games (not just in a physical sense, but in that intangible sense as well).

I would be more enthusiastic about an NYC bid if New Yorkers were. In that sense, I guess I'm echoing Rols.

[nykfan845]

It's good to hear your perspectives.

Joanne, here's what I mean by lost: there's so much to New York already that I wonder if the Games would get the spotlight they deserve. NYC is so darn BUSY. I just question whether there's room for that magical "Olympic atmosphere." if the public support were there I'd be less concerned. That public excitement would insure that New Yorkers would MAKE room to celebrate the Games (not just in a physical sense, but in that intangible sense as well).

I would be more enthusiastic about an NYC bid if New Yorkers were. In that sense, I guess I'm echoing Rols.

In that sense, I understand. But to be honest, it seems as if half the people in NYC during the summer are tourists anyway, lol.

But with the huge international population in town, it won't be hard to drum up a little Olympic spirit.

[baron-pierreIV]

I hope they take their cue from RSA-Durban's actions before they go the whole nine yards on this.

[nykfan845]

I hope they take their cue from RSA-Durban's actions before they go the whole nine yards on this.

Where do I start with this?

[NY20??]

A future New York bid would have to be very outer-borough based; something like recreating the scale of London's East End Olympic redevelopment across different sites in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. Using London's urban legacy and emphasizing the benefits of such an endeavor - what the Olympics could bring to New York - could really help tick up public support in the bid phase, if not enthusiasm if the city were to win. I've always felt that back in 2003-05, emphasizing how magnificent a giant Olympic Stadium on the West Side of Manhattan would be actually put some New Yorkers off to the idea of hosting the Games at large. It made the idea more unrealistic, harder to imagine, and more of a future headache, if you will.

[FYI]

I don't C how the Games would get anymore lost in NYC than they would in Los Angeles, London, Paris or Tokyo (the largest metropolis in the world). N yet Tokyo looks very likely to get 2020, despite the lack of enthusiasm from many of it's citizens.

One things for sure though, once a city, with not that enthusiastic people, get the Games, but when show-time comes, the citizenry will come out in full, patriotic support, just like im sure they'll do in London in a couple of weeks.

[intoronto]

I think New York is an interesting choice, especially considering it would be bidding again.

[FYI]

N what do you think that Toronto would do if New York were to bid.

[Quaker2001]

Wow, looks like I picked the wrong day to be away from my computer! Would have liked to jump in this thread earlier before it started to get a little stupid, but what else to expect from this forum. Anyways, here's my thoughts speaking as a life-long New Yorker, and I'll preface this by saying this is more opinion-based than fact-based...

Let's take this bit of "news" at face value. Has nothing to do with the source, but this seems more like a reaction to the news of the USOC mentioning 2024 than it does to reflect actual interest in an Olympic bid. When an article like this says something like "New York is being mentioned as a top contender," I ask who is mentioning it and who is determining who the contenders are? These potential bids are in such early stages, to me it's the equivalent of trying to evaluate 8th grade basketball players on their ability to play in the NBA.

Nothing in New York has been consummated yet and this article pretty much confirms that's the case. All they've done is throw out a couple of names that could be at the forefront of a bid effort and that several political figures that could be in the picture in the upcoming years are less than enthusiastic about the idea. Mayor Bloomberg will be gone once a New York bid would begin to form. Let alone all of the technical challenges and issues we've been discussing.

So yes, this could very well be the start of a push for an NYC 2024 bid. But if you read the article, even they seem very pessimistic about the odds of it coming together. The elements that came together for the 2012 bid are not in place this time and it doesn't look like they're likely to be anytime soon. So for my money, I'd hardly qualify this as "buzz" that New York is mounting an Olympics bid. If they were starting to put the pieces in place, then I would consider it buzz, but right now, it doesn't sound like that's even close to being the case. Even with this article, I hardly consider New York all that much more likely to mount a bid today than I did yesterday.

And as I've said before about New York which some have stated here as well.. I love this city. I would almost never think of moving away. It is world class in every sense of the word. But to me, it doesn't seem like the ideal place to host an event like the Olympics, nor do we need to have the Olympics to justify its world class status. I would love more than anything to see an Olympics here in my lifetime, but at least for the foreseeable future, I don't see it happening.

[intoronto]

N what do you think that Toronto would do if New York were to bid.

What does Toronto have to do with a potential New York bid? All I stated was New York would be an interesting choice and you had to bring up Toronto for no apparent reason.

[paul]

I think New York is an interesting choice, especially considering it would be bidding again.

Understatement of the day. Quite right!

[FYI]

When an article like this says something like "New York is being mentioned as a top contender," I ask who is mentioning it and who is determining who the contenders are? These potential bids are in such early stages, to me it's the equivalent of trying to evaluate 8th grade basketball players on their ability to play in the NBA.

Nothing in New York has been consummated yet and this article pretty much confirms that's the case. All they've done is throw out a couple of names that could be at the forefront of a bid effort and that several political figures that could be in the picture in the upcoming years are less than enthusiastic about the idea. Mayor Bloomberg will be gone once a New York bid would begin to form.

So yes, this could very well be the start of a push for an NYC 2024 bid. But if you read the article, even they seem very pessimistic about the odds of it coming together. The elements that came together for the 2012 bid are not in place this time and it doesn't look like they're likely to be anytime soon. So for my money, I'd hardly qualify this as "buzz" that New York is mounting an Olympics bid. If they were starting to put the pieces in place, then I would consider it buzz, but right now, it doesn't sound like that's even close to being the case. Even with this article, I hardly consider New York all that much more likely to mount a bid today than I did yesterday.

Precisely, thank u.

But already, sum R getting excited like a kid at the toy store. N I still would like to know where this article also states how Chcago N Dallas R giving New York "good completion".

[Victor Mata]

And as I've said before about New York which some have stated here as well.. I love this city. I would almost never think of moving away. It is world class in every sense of the word. But to me, it doesn't seem like the ideal place to host an event like the Olympics, nor do we need to have the Olympics to justify its world class status. I would love more than anything to see an Olympics here in my lifetime, but at least for the foreseeable future, I don't see it happening.

As a New Yorker your statement probably speaks for a relevant number of the citizens there but I don't believe this "we don't need the games to justify our status" should be a reason to NYC forget about the olympics.

Tokyo is world class and they're bidding, Paris is world class for centuries, yet they bid quite often, London is world class and crowded with NIMBYs and they're hosting in a couple weeks with a surprisingly passionate UK lining the streets for a torch relay. So why not otherworldly New York City can't?

[intoronto]

Understatement of the day. Quite right!

New York or Chicago next best thing to you know who!

Sadly Americans couldn't agree with vice-versa

[Athensfan]

Precisely, thank u.

But already, sum R getting excited like a kid at the toy store. N I still would like to know where this article also states how Chcago N Dallas R giving New York "good completion".

Kid in a toy store?

I said these stories may never materialize into full-fledged bids, but that they are encouraging buzz.

Wow, looks like I picked the wrong day to be away from my computer! Would have liked to jump in this thread earlier before it started to get a little stupid, but what else to expect from this forum.

Spoken by someone lofty and far above us. Please save us from ourselves, oh wise Quaker!

I have to say I don't think it's too early to ask the stadium/aquatic center question or to talk about the public support issue. Sure it's all hypothetical at this point, but so are the majority of posts on these boards.

[Guardian]

Until I see more information, it is best that I keep my opinions about it for myself for a while. Besides, it is news that just came out. Would ordinary New Yorkers be enthusiastic this time around to go for it again?

[Soaring]

Happy to hear that there are some murmurings from NYC, even though they are coming from people who are not in any position at the moment to influence a bid.

I can assure you all that there is nothing new to report from Chitown. The only sparse public statements people in the city's leadership have made basically said that they were not interested in bidding (that was quite a few months ago). Soon after Chicago lost, people on the bid team (none of whom are in the political arena) said that the 2016 bid could serve as a future template for another bid down the road, but Mayor Daley, and now Mayor Emanuel, have only publicly said that they would not support the idea of bidding again soon. Daley said the IOC was looking toward new horizons, and Emanuel campaigned on how the bid made Daley lose focus on other priorities in the city.

Of course these things could change, as Daley was not supportive of Chicago bidding prior to 2005. I think Rahm Emanuel has a big enough ego to want Chicago to host the largest event on the world stage, but public support would be really low I think.

If I hear any news from Chicago, I will certainly post it.

For now, I hope NYC builds the support to put forth a bid for 2024 (unless Tokyo wins 2020, which would mean Europe or Africa would be the strongest contenders for 2024 IMO). The mayor situation doesn't bode too well though. It would have been better if Bloomberg was still in power to steer a bid.

[Quaker2001]

Spoken by someone lofty and far above us. Please save us from ourselves, oh wise Quaker!

As a New Yorker your statement probably speaks for a relevant number of the citizens there but I don't believe this "we don't need the games to justify our status" should be a reason to NYC forget about the olympics.

Tokyo is world class and they're bidding, Paris is world class for centuries, yet they bid quite often, London is world class and crowded with NIMBYs and they're hosting in a couple weeks with a surprisingly passionate UK lining the streets for a torch relay. So why not otherworldly New York City can't?

I think it comes down to the question "is pursuing an Olympics a worthwhile endeavor for New York?" It doesn't mean the city should forget about the Olympics entirely, but I have trouble envisioning the plan that's going to make it work. When NYC bid back in 2005, there were a lot of people thinking it could happen even though those of us here who follow these things closely mostly got the sense it wasn't meant to be, more for technical reasons than anything. The attitude of the city was to go for it, but almost as soon the election occurred, the attitude shifted to "well we tried, so much for that, let's move onto something else." It's not like Tokyo or Paris who have given it multiple runs. I'm not sure there's a sensible plan that would make an Olympics work in New York to the point it's going to beat out the competition in a given race. Doesn't mean someone out there with a vision won't be able to find it. Dan Doctoroff sure thought that he had it. The funny thing is that a lot of the infrastructure improvement and other building projects that were tied to the Olympics have happened in the past 7 years anyway. Yes, there was more an Olympics would have brought, but is the Olympics going to do for this city what it's done to a city like London, certainly a world-class city, but one that's been transformed in many ways by having an Olympics. I just don't see that happening with New York.

Spoken by someone lofty and far above us. Please save us from ourselves, oh wise Quaker!

I have to say I don't think it's too early to ask the stadium/aquatic center question or to talk about the public support issue. Sure it's all hypothetical at this point, but so are the majority of posts on these boards.

Whatever dude. I'm happy to discuss anything and everything related to New York with regard to the Olympics, hypothetical as they may be. But I don't consider this story to be "Alpha-city buzz for 2024," so no, I will not acknowledge that. If you think it is, you're entitled to your opinion. But that doesn't mean we have to agree with you. For me, it's just someone essentially talking out loud. The writer of the Daily News article says "New York City being mentioned as potential site for 2024 Olympic Games." You know who's the only person I see mentioning that? Him and him alone. It's not going to take an official proclamation from the city or anything that big, but I'd like to here that there's someone actually planning or working on a bid before I take it seriously. IMHO, this is not even close to that yet.

[Quaker2001]

For now, I hope NYC builds the support to put forth a bid for 2024. The mayor situation doesn't bode too well though. It would have been better if Bloomberg was still in power to steer a bid.

When Dan Doctoroff began pushing NYC 2012, it was when Giuliani was the mayor, so he couldn't have had a much better advocate. Bloomberg obviously was strongly behind the 2012 bid (as opposed to his opponent in the 2001 election, Mark Green.. I don't believe he would have been as strongly behind it). Going into the unknown though makes it a tough sell. The big issue is that this campaign is going to have to begin under Bloomberg and then continue under a new mayor in 2014. So that's probably going to make folks hesitant to undertake the effort if they don't know they'll have the city's backing the same way they did in the Giuliani-to-Bloomberg transition (which of course came in the aftermath of 9/11)

[Sir Rols]

It's like clockwork – whenever the subject of NYC and the Olympics surfaces, some members - both New Yorkers and people who aren't so blessed – inevitably jump in and post something along the lines of “New Yorkers wouldn't muster any excitement for an Olympics”, “New York's too busy to host/fit a games” or “The Olympics would get lost in New York”.

Now, I might just be a yokel from the arse-end of the earth, but I've had enough first-hand experience with the legendary “attitude” of New Yorkers to know that, yes, there is some truth in all that. But, no, I'd dispute that it's unique to inhabitants of the Five Boroughs. It's an affliction of any big, bustling modern city. Walk the streets of London, and I've found that you could faint to the footpath and the Londoners would just step over you in their busy haste, grumbling and cursing. The “attitude” of Parisians is always a bit of a cliché when people, particularly Anglos, discuss the French. Anyone who's travelled the streets of Tokyo would find new meaning to the term “ocean of humanity.” Even us Sydneysiders get tarred as arrogant an self-opinionated when discussed by other Australians – when we were bidding against the likes of Melbourne for the 1996 and 2000 pitches, there were plenty of Aussies willing to diss our chances by pointing out we're all “vapid and self obsessed, interested in nothing but real estate values, and don't really know how to or have any interest in supporting sports or a sports team”.

And, yeah, even when the likes of a London (or a Sydney) have won a bid, there's no shortage of “world weary sophisticated” inhabitants who will spend seven years bemoaning the horrible inconvenience the games will bring, how sick they are of all the false hype being pushed down their throats, and how they can't wait to get out of town – and rent their places to visitors - during the whole horrible upcoming ordeal. It's what happened in Sydney, it's what we've been reading out regarding British disinterest and moaning about the games for years, it will inevitable be what the New Yorkers would engage in if ever they got picked to host the Big Event.

But you know what? Like what we've seen in London since the torch arrived and it all comes closer, like what happened in Sydney once the carnival swung into gear, incredibly everyone seems to turn into teary-eyed and prideful patriots who are suddenly experiencing the type of joyful atmosphere and emotion they thought they'd never see in their home metropoli. It's quite amazing, despite how sophisticated some of us think our fellow burgers are, how we're all ready to flick the switch to gooey sentimentalism and juvenile joy when we have the world coming to OUR party!

Now, physically, I can't talk about NYC's ability to “fit” a games into their environs. I don't live there so can't decree what is possible or what is not. I gather that the scope to use Manhattan as the centrepoint of everything is limited. I'll trust the judgement of New Yorkers here on that. And who knows if a bid WILL eventually happen - but at the least, it does seem to be being considered.

But if NYC wanted to do them, I'm sure they'd fit them in somehow. Just like Tokyo, or London or Paris could or would if given the nod - and none of them actually have lots of open, unused expanses to play with. But I certainly wouldn't go by the notion that New Yorkers ”wouldn't care” or that the games would get swallowed into anonymity or irrelevance in the city's concrete canyons. These are the Olympics, guys, the greatest and biggest show on earth. These are the events that turn the likes of London or Tokyo into the support cast to the main event. NYC might be able to swallow the likes of a World Expo with nary a blink of an eyeball, but when it comes to the Olympics, I think they're the one event that could take over New York … easily … and transform the city and the inhabitants in ways they'd never expect.

I've personally seen New Yorkers queue for the opening of an Apple Store. I've seen footage of New York crowds gathering en-masse for anything from St Patricks Day or Thanksgiving parades to filling the streets around Times Square for New Year's Eve. It's human nature to like an "event" or a "party", and that goes whether you're a Master of the Universe from Manhattan or a bogan from Bullamakanka.

[Athensfan]

As for the Games "getting lost" in NYC, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that they would, but I do think it's something they'd have to plan for and campaign against.

It's not the size of the city that's the biggest issue here. It's the size coupled with the density and the historically low public support, really the character of the city.

Thanks to '84, we know that the Games won't get lost in LA -- partly because LA is not as dense as NYC, partly because LA is a sports-crazy town that loves the Olympics and is likely to post the highest public support numbers of any American city. Plus, there's just a more laid back, friendly attitude in California that's a lot less "get the hell outta my way" than you'll find in NYC.

I'm not a New Yorker, but I did live there for a while and I think I've got a decent sense of the city.

London is a big city, but also seems to me to have a warmer character that is happy to make way for big events. It doesnt have New York's density either. Lived in the UK for a few years and I think I have a sense of this one as well. I rooted for them throughout the 2012 race and I expect them to be a great host. I was never worried about the Games "getting lost" there.

FYI's comparison to Tokyo made me think, however. I've never been to Japan, but from what I understand Tokyo is a massive mega-metropolis in perpetual motion with low public support numbers. I had never thought about the Games getting lost in Tokyo, but FYI's post makes me think that they very well could. It's a very similar situation to what could happen with New York.

Both Tokyo and New York could throw fantastic Olympic parties IF they can get their citizens behind the Games.

[Olympic Fan Darcy]

Seems i'm a bit late to this argument ha.

I hadn't heard anything of a Dallas games, i don't go out looking for research but this helped me know there are a few cities interested in 2024. I would love a US games but only really in NYC or Chicago. Past bidders, well known cities. Honestly don't know about Dallas or Philadelphia.

If Toronto goes up and bids and Paris does and possibly Africa and then some i think to say the least 2024 will be a very compelling bid process

[zekekelso]

For Pete's sake people... this is a blind item in the NY Daily News. I can't believe any of you are giving it on ounce of seriousness.

Did you read the article. The one and only piece of news in the entire article is that New York City is being mentioned for 2024. That's it. Mentioned by who? The reporter's drinking buddy? His wife? Some autonomous poster on the internet? Heck, the article could have just as easily said that Brisbane is being mentioned as an Olympic host city.

After that stunning piece of news, the rest of the article calmly lays out the problems NY2024 would face. And mentions the key fact that there is no actual movement or committee.

I'd love to see the Olympics in New York. But until you get at least a committee... heck a facebook page... I'm not going to think about it too much.

[nykfan845]

For Pete's sake people... this is a blind item in the NY Daily News. I can't believe any of you are giving it on ounce of seriousness.

Did you read the article. The one and only piece of news in the entire article is that New York City is being mentioned for 2024. That's it. Mentioned by who? The reporter's drinking buddy? His wife? Some autonomous poster on the internet? Heck, the article could have just as easily said that Brisbane is being mentioned as an Olympic host city.

After that stunning piece of news, the rest of the article calmly lays out the problems NY2024 would face. And mentions the key fact that there is no actual movement or committee.

I'd love to see the Olympics in New York. But until you get at least a committee... heck a facebook page... I'm not going to think about it too much.

Did you read the posts beforehand before your flying-off-the-handle post? We have mentioned that several times.

[zekekelso]

Did you read the posts beforehand before your flying-off-the-handle post? We have mentioned that several times.

Then you won't mind one more I assume?

Just want to emphasize that the article says *nothing*. Even some of those who don't want to give it too much importance want to give it some importance. It doesn't even deserve that.