Don’t get me wrong: I love watching the Olympics. Winning a medal at one of the Games is unparalleled in athletic competition. They are the ultimate source of national pride in the sporting world. Just do not bring the Games to Boston.
The US Olympic Committee has tabbed Boston as one of four American cities as a candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympics, along with San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
Before even analyzing the logistical disaster that these Games would present, let’s look at the fiscal destruction that would ensue.
In 1976, the Summer Olympics went to Montreal, and the city lost near $990 million in Canadian dollars. In fact, a special tax was issued in the same year to help the city recover from those steep losses. The Olympic Stadium is still there. It isn’t used for sports anymore.
When did Montreal pay off their debt for those Olympics? 2006. It took 30 years for Montreal residents to pay off the massive financial losses caused by the Games.
In 1980, the Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, NY. Don’t forget: The American economy had just suffered through a decade of economic stagnation and high inflation. The Games turned into a net loss of about $8.5 million. So while American heroes Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig were defeating the Soviets in the Miracle on Ice, the United States was losing money.
Also, it is quite clear that Boston will need to pour large amounts of money into the construction of new facilities to house the competitions. As of right now, the TD Garden can be used for various sports, but it’s likely that a outdoor stadium will need to be built in the city.
Where? Near the Harbor? There simply isn’t ample space. Moreover, what will be the use of the stadium after the conclusion of the Games? We can gift it to Robert Kraft to be used as the home of the Patriots, but why? Gillette Stadium in Foxboro is clearly serviceable, and there is no need for additional traffic in the city.
If history tells us anything, the Olympic Games will fiscally devastate the city. It’s possible that Bostonians will be paying the debt off for many years.
If the financial detriments of hosting the Olympics are not enough, let’s examine the logistics.
On May 1 of this year, I went to see the Red Sox play the Rays at Fenway. Naturally, I had to take the T (the local subway system) at the end of the game. On that night at the same time, the Bruins were playing the Canadiens at TD Garden in Game 1 of their second round series.
For those of you unfamiliar with the city, both Fenway Park (Kenmore) and TD Garden (North Station) sit on the Green Line, which runs from Cambridge in the east to four different destinations on the west side.
It was a disaster. There were delays, the usually packed trains were past uncomfortable- they were borderline unbearable.
The city can barely handle two sporting events with few other than locals attending.
Imagine the entire world.
The T would likely become unusable for locals. The delays would not be in minutes like it is now, but in hours.
It’s important to keep one thing in mind: Boston isn’t a huge city. This is not Sydney, Beijing, or even Sochi. Boston is a town with a large city mentality, but that’s what it really is: a town.
There aren’t enough hotels to house all the athletes and journalists. There aren’t enough methods of transporting everyone attending.
Simply enough, Boston is not big enough, nor does it have the infrastructure to support the 2024 Olympic Games.
I look at the denizens of Rio de Janeiro with pity, because they are the ones who will be forced to pay of the fiscal catastrophe that is the Olympic Games in 2016. Adding to their monetary misery is the Soccer World Cup that is currently taking place. The facilities being constructed are expensive, and will be worthless in about two and a half years.
Boston isn’t ready for the Olympics, and I highly doubt that they will ever be. Take your destruction somewhere else, IOC. The 2024 Olympics will be great, no doubt about it.
Just not in Boston.
[Photo Credit/ gamesbids.com]
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