Minneapolis Considers 2024 Summer Olympic Bid

[Quaker2001]

What is the fricken point of the USOC bidding with Minneapolis then, if even you yourself are saying that they won't win..

Since the last two, failed Summer Bids, the USOC has been consistent in saying that they want to approach the next opportunity very carefully. And that they'll only bid if they feel that they have a very winnable bid to work with. Not one that "won't win but could probably put up a decent fight". What kind of a half-baked strategy is that.

It cost a lot of moolah to even put up a bid these days, just to throw it away that chance so foolishly. And your last post, & your continued dodging of the Toronto question, just further proves that Minneapolis is not the bid that the U.S. should go with.

Took the words right out of my keyboard!

Lord David, they don't give out silver medals for second place here. Nor do they give trophies to all the kids for trying their hardest. If Minneapolis "won't win," then what's the point of trying? Unless you think they're the type of city that's just looking for experience to use later on and maybe put up a better bid next time. Takes more than a list of venues to justify an Olympic bid. Eventually they're going to need more than that. A LOT more than that

[Lord David]

Simple. To get more international exposure of course, after all it's local taxpayer money being used for the bid anyways, or even corporate funds. With some luck they might end up winning anyways.

[Quaker2001]

Simple. To get more international exposure of course, after all it's local taxpayer money being used for the bid anyways, or even corporate funds. With some luck they might end up winning anyways.

Yes, that's simple for you to say because it's not your tens of millions of dollars being put on the line. 2 things here.. 1) that's a lot of taxpayer use for a tiny bit of international exposure and the potential for embarrassment if they do poorly in the voting and a bad sell to the citizens of Minneapolis footing the bill. And it's going to take a lot more than some luck to win. 2) Once again, you're putting the cart before the horse. They have to get chosen by the USOC first and they're not going to put Minneapolis up in front of the IOC if they don't think it's a bid that has at least some chance of winning (which you have already stated you don't think they do). They'd be better off sitting on the sidelines if that's the case.

[Sir Rols]

^^^

Second that. $70 million plus is a whole heap of money to buy the tyoe if profile only we Oly obsessively notice much. Do you think their bids made the likes of Tashkent, Leipzig or Lille international names on everyone's lips with investments pouring in?

It's arguable whether even hosting brings the types of benefits often touted. But bidding with no expectations of winning is throwing money down the toilet. It's just irresponsible.

I sometimes think you're only gung-ho for these new bids just so you get a new bid book to swoon over.

[FYI]

I sometimes think you're only gung-ho for these new bids just so you get a new bid book to swoon over.

Yeah, exactly. Most of us here already know how much of a boner he gets over these bid books (just like his 'Lake Placid & Edmonton' deals, lol). But $70+ million is a heck of a lot of money for "whack-off" material lmfao. You can go to Las Vegas or Monte Carlo & get you a dozen "escorts" for a hell of a lot less!

[Lord David]

Edmonton? I never supported Edmonton, it's just that if that WERE to be the Canadian bid it would be accepted.

I don't think 70 million is a waste of money (I'm sure the US can do it for cheaper), if most (if not all) is coming from corporate sponsors like the previous US bids.

If you really wanted to save money, perhaps you should stop buying guns and making wars.

All the public needs to pay for is in general infrastructure, like they normally would.

[Quaker2001]

I don't think 70 million is a waste of money (I'm sure the US can do it for cheaper), if most (if not all) is coming from corporate sponsors like the previous US bids.

If you really wanted to save money, perhaps you should stop buying guns and making wars.

I would hardly call myself an expert on business, but I'm betting that most corporate sponsors would call spending $70 million a waste of money if they're not going to get much, if anything, in return. It goes without saying that spending money on Olympic bids is always going to be a risk, but I think this one is a little too much of a risk to justify that kind of expenditure, especially for a bid that "won't win." I doubt you're going to get $70 million worth of international exposure either. And thank you for that jab at the United States there, although don't quite see the connection between a government spending money and you calling for corporate sponsors to foot the bill of what is at very best a total longshot bid.

Second that. $70 million plus is a whole heap of money to buy the tyoe if profile only we Oly obsessively notice much. Do you think their bids made the likes of Tashkent, Leipzig or Lille international names on everyone's lips with investments pouring in?

It's arguable whether even hosting brings the types of benefits often touted. But bidding with no expectations of winning is throwing money down the toilet. It's just irresponsible.

I was thinking the same thing. Certain cities definitely get that benefit from hosting an Olympics. I'm sure Barcelona felt that after 1992. I can imagine plenty of Americans wanted to visit Australia after the 2000 Olympics. Beijing 2008 introduced China to the world. But then look at Atlanta 1996. Were people from around the world really interested in visiting Atlanta before and after those Olympics? I doubt it. So what exactly would a city like Minneapolis gain simply from bidding, especially given the high costs of participating in the process if they were to even get that far. I know that Torino's 2006 bid was somewhat based in improving civic pride and that they were hardly a favorite to win. But then again, that was a Winter bid with only 1 other real contender.