OT - 2024 Summer Olympics at the Rent

[BlueDogs]

Boy -if we could get a stadium upgrade paid for to host 80,000 fans and more infrastructure improvements, it would be HUGE. Its the one time I'd appreciate soccer.

 

[BC1978]

Boy -if we could get a stadium upgrade paid for to host 80,000 fans and more infrastructure improvements, it would be HUGE. Its the one time I'd appreciate soccer.

If Boston is indeed selected for 2024, I would guess the Boston organizing committee and the state of Massachusetts will have quite a bit of say as to where the $$'s are spent - as they should since Boston and Massachsuettes taxpayers will likely be on the hook for at least some of the expenses.

Given all of that, I think it's highly unlikely that the Boston organizing committee or Massachsuetts will support money going to other states who do not have a financial stake in the whole thing.

The Boston area has plenty of stadiums - Harvard Stadium, Alumni Stadium, etc., that can be upgraded. (Not to mention the facilities that will be built.) Both stadiums will be in the heart of the Olympics goings-on, and on campuses that could very well be part of the housing for Olympic athletes. No dealing with transportation and logistics issues across 100 miles of the most congested highways in the country.

 

[John]

If Boston is indeed selected for 2024, I would guess the Boston organizing committee and the state of Massachusetts will have quite a bit of say as to where the $$'s are spent - as they should since Boston and Massachsuettes taxpayers will likely be on the hook for at least some of the expenses.

Given all of that, I think it's highly unlikely that the Boston organizing committee or Massachsuetts will support money going to other states who do not have a financial stake in the whole thing.

The Boston area has plenty of stadiums - Harvard Stadium, Alumni Stadium, etc., that can be upgraded. (Not to mention the facilities that will be built.) Both stadiums will be in the heart of the Olympics goings-on, and on campuses that could very well be part of the housing for Olympic athletes. No dealing with transportation and logistics issues across 100 miles of the most congested highways in the country.

You have a great point - plus the added bonus that some of these university venues will be like brand new since no fans go to the games.

 

[BC1978]

You have a great point - plus the added bonus that some of these university venues will be like brand new since no fans go to the games.

Well there you go.

 

[Bonehead]

Boy -if we could get a stadium upgrade paid for to host 80,000 fans and more infrastructure improvements, it would be HUGE. Its the one time I'd appreciate soccer.

I hear ya - but you think the stadium looks empty last December against SMU it would look twice as bad on TV if there were 80,000 seats instead of 40000 - however yes, even if it got upgraded to the 50000-55000 that would be nice!

 

[huskypantz]

There were discussions on WEEI this morning. Talk is that almost all events will be held in a very tight radius around Boston. If UConn/CT doesn't get a piece of the action, as a Boston area resident I don't want the Olympics. It is completely meaningless if you don't work in construction, tourism, restaurant/hotel industries and will make traffic a complete nightmare. Not to mention the tax implications.....

 

[superjohn]

There were discussions on WEEI this morning. Talk is that almost all events will be held in a very tight radius around Boston. If UConn/CT doesn't get a piece of the action, as a Boston area resident I don't want the Olympics. It is completely meaningless if you don't work in construction, tourism, restaurant/hotel industries and will make traffic a complete nightmare. Not to mention the tax implications.....

Don't worry, there is zero chance Boston gets the games.

 

[BlueDogs]

Well, the Rent has proven itself as viable soccer venue and I was thinking about the London Olympics. They had events spread all over the U.K. So, I hope CT gets some action if Boston was a host city.

 

[Bonehead]

Just throwing it out there and agree Boston wont win - Yale Bowl upgrades? Big enough to hold 70000 - 80000 already, no?

 

[BC1978]

There were discussions on WEEI this morning. Talk is that almost all events will be held in a very tight radius around Boston. If UConn/CT doesn't get a piece of the action, as a Boston area resident I don't want the Olympics. It is completely meaningless if you don't work in construction, tourism, restaurant/hotel industries and will make traffic a complete nightmare. Not to mention the tax implications.....

I think I caught part of that same discussion on the radio this morning. This should not be a surprise. This bid is a Boston play. It was submitted by The Boston organizing group, with heavy support and input from the city of Boston and the State of Masachsuetts. Like all of the other Olypmpics, the locality (in this case, it would be Boston,and, by extension, Massachusetts), will be on the hook for a lot of the costs. The selling of this to local taxpayers will be critical. Part of that seling job I think will be: subsidization of infrastructure improvements - some of which the city would have had to eventually do anyway, plus all the $$'s that will flow into the city from visitors all over the world descending on Boston for 4 weeks (regular Olympics plus special Olympics).

Why in God's name would the taxpayers support funneling some of those $$'s - both subsidies and tourist $$'s - to other states who have no skin in the game?

This isn't a UCONN or Boston College thing at all. It's how any municipality would approach this.

 

[Bonehead]

I think I caught part of that same discussion on the radio this morning. This should not be a surprise. This is bid is a Boston play, it was submitted by The Boston organizing group, with heavy support and input from the city of Boston and the State of Masachsuetts. Like all of the other Olypmpics, the locality (in this case, it would be Boston,and, by extension Massachusetts), will be on the hook for a lot of the costs. The selling of this to local taxpayers will be critical. Part of that seling job I think will be: subsidization of infrastructure improvements - some of which the city would have had to eventually do anyway, plus all the $$,'s that will flow into the city from visitors all over the world descending on Boston for 4 weeks (regular Olympics plus special Olympics. Why in God's name would the taxpayers support funneling some of those $$'s - both subsidies and tourist $$'s - to other states who have no skin in the gameother states

You are probably correct - but perfect opportunity for UMASS to upgrade facilities even more...

 

[BC1978]

You are probably correct - but perfect opportunity for UMASS to upgrade facilities even more...

Umass-Boston?

 

[Bonehead]

Umass-Boston?

Nope - main campus - keeping the dollars still in state...

 

[TheJerk]

can you imagine how many lost foreign fans would be walking around the parking lots in the dark concerned about traffic ?

 

[BC1978]

Nope - main campus - keeping the dollars still in state...

Possibly. If that is determined to be the best location for any specific sport, I would guess it would be considered. However, IMO, part of that decision would include the question of what infrastructure improvements would be needed, if any, on the Mass Pike, Route 2, etc. to pull that off. Also, what other logistical considerations need to be taken into to account (travel of the athletes from the Olympic village(s), etc.). That said, if the $$'s and logistics work out, why not?

 

[huskypantz]

I think I caught part of that same discussion on the radio this morning. This should not be a surprise. This bid is a Boston play. It was submitted by The Boston organizing group, with heavy support and input from the city of Boston and the State of Masachsuetts. Like all of the other Olypmpics, the locality (in this case, it would be Boston,and, by extension, Massachusetts), will be on the hook for a lot of the costs. The selling of this to local taxpayers will be critical. Part of that seling job I think will be: subsidization of infrastructure improvements - some of which the city would have had to eventually do anyway, plus all the $$'s that will flow into the city from visitors all over the world descending on Boston for 4 weeks (regular Olympics plus special Olympics).

Why in God's name would the taxpayers support funneling some of those $$'s - both subsidies and tourist $$'s - to other states who have no skin in the game?

This isn't a UCONN or Boston College thing at all. It's how any municipality would approach this.

I don't think you understand. To me, it is a UConn thing. I don't care about Mass. We will be just fine without the Olympics. But if local colleges are going to get an infrastructure boost due to the Olympics, then I want my school to get a piece of the pie. Any related costs would be paid by the state of CT, not MA. Storrs is 85 miles from Boston. The Atlanta games had events in Columbus and Athens - 108 and 70 miles away, respectively. There were also events in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and DC.

I just read through the proposal and aside from the "looking for soccer venues", it looks like almost everything is planned for boston proper. That's enough to ensure that I will advocate against it.
http://www.nobostonolympics.org/

 

[BC1978]

I don't think you understand. To me, it is a UConn thing. I don't care about Mass. We will be just fine without the Olympics. But if local colleges are going to get an infrastructure boost due to the Olympics, then I want my school to get a piece of the pie. Any related costs would be paid by the state of CT, not MA. Storrs is 85 miles from Boston. The Atlanta games had events in Columbus and Athens - 108 and 70 miles away, respectively. There were also events in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and DC.

I just read through the proposal and aside from the "looking for soccer venues", it looks like almost everything is planned for boston proper. That's enough to ensure that I will advocate against it.
http://www.nobostonolympics.org/

The bid was submitted by the Boston organizing committee, backed by the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts. It's their show. What would you expect? The state of CT was not a partner in submitting the bid. As such, I don't think they would have any more say in how the $$'s are allocated than, say, NJ or MD, or any other state. All of the initial discussions center on areas in and around Boston because the bid was submitted by Boston. To the extent money is allocated to upgrade facilities...be they local colleges or other local institutions, they will likely be mostly in and around Boston as the reporting so far has indicated - again, for the simple reason that this is a Boston bid, NOT some kind of New England bid. That doesn't mean other facilities might not be used, of course, but that will be up to the Boston folks - who I think will be much more inclined to focus this as much as possible in and around Boston. This is logical since the resident of Boston and Massachsetts will be footing most of the costs if this goes through.

 

[huskypantz]

The bid was submitted by the Boston organizing committee, backed by the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts. It's their show. What would you expect? The state of CT was not a partner in submitting the bid. As such, I don't think they would have any more say in how the $$'s are allocated than, say, NJ or MD, or any other state. All of the initial discussions center on areas in and around Boston because the bid was submitted by Boston. To the extent money is allocated to upgrade facilities...be they local colleges or other local institutions, they will likely be mostly in and around Boston as the reporting so far has indicated - again, for the simple reason that this is a Boston bid, NOT some kind of New England bid. That doesn't mean other facilities might not be used, of course, but that will be up to the Boston folks - who I think will be much more inclined to focus this as much as possible in and around Boston. This is logical since the resident of Boston and Massachsetts will be footing most of the costs if this goes through.

I understand why they submitted the bid the way they did. I'm saying that the way they submitted it means they don't have my support. I know they don't care what I think. Not sure why that's so hard to understand.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The bid was submitted by the Boston organizing committee, backed by the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts.

From what I saw in the paper and heard from friends in the Boston area, none of whom are thrilled about this, the bid was developed and marketed by the business leaders of Boston (Romney, Kraft, Fish, etc.) with limited discussions with state and city officials, including the newly elected mayor of Boston and Governor of Massachusetts, only held recently. The scuttlebutt is that this was done to avoid having to publically disclose physical and financial plans because once government officials become involved, the information is considered public.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If Boston is indeed selected for 2024, I would guess the Boston organizing committee and the state of Massachusetts will have quite a bit of say as to where the $$'s are spent - as they should since Boston and Massachsuettes taxpayers will likely be on the hook for at least some of the expenses.

Given all of that, I think it's highly unlikely that the Boston organizing committee or Massachsuetts will support money going to other states who do not have a financial stake in the whole thing.

The Boston area has plenty of stadiums - Harvard Stadium, Alumni Stadium, etc., that can be upgraded. (Not to mention the facilities that will be built.) Both stadiums will be in the heart of the Olympics goings-on, and on campuses that could very well be part of the housing for Olympic athletes. No dealing with transportation and logistics issues across 100 miles of the most congested highways in the country.

I swear BC fans on this UConn board must have the NSA or someone watching for any thread here with the word 'Boston' in it, even if no one is disparaging the wholly ones up on Chestnut Hill.
Very little information has been made public to date; but, it is generally believed that a vast majority (+75%) of events would be held within the city limits of Boston, Cambridge and the immediate surrounding communities. The Olympic Village itself seems to be targeted for Colombia Point, which would then allow it to be converted to residences for UMass-Boston post-Olympics (I hear the cannons being readied in Southie for that one already). Outside of that area, some venues have already been confirmed such as Gillette Stadium in Foxborough for the soccer/football final and Lowell for rowing events (the Charles River can't be used as it is too wide East of Mass Ave and too narrow West of Mass Ave for an Olympic rowing event). It was also noted that the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence and the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester NH may be used. Other events that will be held outside of Boston will be the Marathon (the Boston Marathon course cannot be used as it is too hilly for an Olympic marathon) and bicycling due to the distances involved. Also, sailing (heard that Boston Harbor may not be suitable so Newport RI maybe used instead due to its sailing history) and whitewater events will not be in Boston proper for obvious reasons.

As for soccer, Gillette cannot host the entire Olympic soccer tournament due to the number of matches. Historically, between 4 and 6 venues are used, each with a capacity of 50K or larger. Over the last several Olympics, the soccer venues have been spread all over the host country as a way to spread the joy so to speak. In 1996, U Georgia’s football stadium (1) hosted the soccer final plus the Citrus Bowl (2) in Orlando, Legion Field (3) in Birmingham, the Orange Bowl (4) in Miami, and RFK Stadium (5) in DC were used. Its 650 miles between Atlanta and DC. For the 2012 Olympics in London, 6 stadiums were used, 2 of which were in different ‘countries’ in Wales and Scotland (London to Glasgow is 400 miles). The 2016 Olympics in Brazil will use 5 venues with the furthest being Salvador, which is just shy of 1,000 miles away from Rio.

As for Boston, within the Boston area, the main Olympic Stadium will likely be dedicated to the Opening & Closing ceremony plus track & field and will thus be available to host soccer. In London, Wembley hosted the soccer final, the Olympic stadium did not. Fenway is too small and not configured for soccer; plus, if the Olympics go to Boston, I would be that baseball would be re-instated as an Olympic event. Harvard Stadium is down to just 30K and too small for soccer, which is why field hockey may go there. The only stadium left is BC’s Alumni stadium, which is on the small side at 45K for Olympic Soccer, would likely be used assuming that real grass can be installed. Though, I have heard that Alumni maybe the main venue for Rugby Sevens. Outside of Boston, the next two largest stadiums in all of New England are in Connecticut: the Rent with 40K at just 90 miles away and the Yale Bowl with 60K just 140 miles away. All of the other New England stadiums are at or below 25K (Holy Cross, UMass, Brown, and Dartmouth). The only reason not to use them would be if the Olympic spirit is spread further around to NYC, Philadelphia, DC, etc. While the Yale Bowl is larger and offers access to New York City, it is very old, would need extensive renovation and Yale really does not have an on-going need for a 60K football stadium. The Rent is designed to be expanded to +50K and should UConn get a P5 promotion in the next decade, UConn would need the expansion anyway.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Nope - main campus - keeping the dollars still in state...

Of the universities the region, UMass-Boston will likely get the largest chunk of Olympic change as it may host the Olympic Village, i.e. new dorms. UMass-Lowell may also get some money as it's main arena, Tsongus, maybe used for some indoor events while the Merrimack River, which splits the campus, may host rowing events as the Charles cannot. I think UMass-Amherst will get very little if any.

 

[Nostical]

The Rent expanded. Not a chance.

We face an understandable reluctance on the part of the Connecticut legislature (even those who may grasp the urgency of UConn's conference dilemma) to justify spending scarce public resources for an expansion of The Rent, especially given the state of our currently moribund football program. Many among them realize P-5 status is critical for UConn---not only for the promise of vastly superior riches and a higher collective level of institutional prestige--- they also know how vital it is for the State to preserve and protect the billions already invested in the state's "flagship research university". Nevertheless, they remain politically stymied.

Meanwhile, Boston is suddenly selected as the unexpected host city of America's Olympic effort. Could this act of kismet provide us with the chance to propose an outside the box idea? How about something like this.

The State of Connecticut would help the Boston Organizing Group's stated goal of keeping costs down by agreeing to front an expansion of The Rent to 55,000--in return for inclusion as a key venue for Olympic soccer. The majority of the costs would be borne by CT, with additional help from the Boston Olympic Group. Hartford and the State of Connecticut get to revel in the publicity and attention--and reap whatever ancillary benefits the Olympics provides--and State legislators gain some badly needed cover to provide UConn with the critical stadium leverage required in the race for P-5 dollars.

We could have a rare win-win-win scenario. The Boston Olympic Committee saves $$, the State of CT gets to revel in Olympic exposure, and UConn football gets it's needed stadium expansion. Of course Bob Kraft may not want a revamped Rent competing with his new home for the Revolution--the downsized Olympic Stadium in Boston--for regional World Cup qualifiers, etc. Then again, doesn't he owe Hartford and Connecticut something after his Patriots Stadium charade? Throwing us this bone--indeed helping to advocate for it--just might help him clear his conscience and salvage his tainted reputation in Connecticut as a disingenuous user. I'll gladly take that if it gets us to the promised land.

 

[J187Money]

This is nothing more than a "feel good Boston Strong" type of thing. They have no shot. Do I care if Olympic events are held at the Rent? Not even a little.

I do. Only for the fact some more money will get spent on the Rent.

 

[HartfordHank]

Other events that will be held outside of Boston will be the Marathon (the Boston Marathon course cannot be used as it is too hilly for an Olympic marathon) .

Interestingly the Boston Marathon, famous for its hills, is actually a downhill course with a vertical drop of 480 feet.