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What's The Cost Of Boston's Olympic Dreams?
ResumeNow that the U.S. Olympic Committee has chosen Boston to be the U.S. contender for the 2024 summer Olympics, let the games begin! Or at least, the questions: like, how much is this going to cost? Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is promising a series of public hearings to answer that and other questions.
But until then, he's promoting Boston's Olympic bid as a boon for the city. Tuesday night, during his state of the city address, Walsh said, "Boston now competes with the world as America's city."
But beyond the cheerleading, what will it cost? Who will pay for it? And what will the city be left with when the TV cameras and well-toned athletes are gone?
Guests
Andrew Zimbalist, sports economist at Smith College. Author of "Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup."
Shirley Leung, columnist for The Boston Globe. She tweets @Leung.
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WBUR: Not So Wicked Smaht: Boston's Olympic Hopes
- "Oh, poor Boston. Where is Paul Revere when we need him to alert the citizenry? The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is coming! The International Olympic Committee is coming!"
The Boston Globe: Instead Of Saying No, Let’s Try Being Open To Olympics Possibility
- "They said we couldn’t clean up Boston Harbor. They said we couldn’t take down the Central Artery and build a third tunnel. They said we couldn’t host a Democratic National Convention. They said we couldn’t win the World Series. Actually, “they” was largely “we.” Where would we be if we listened to our naysaying selves?"
This article was originally published on January 14, 2015.
This segment aired on January 14, 2015.