They say the Olympics are a massive money making opportunity. They are for land developers, real estate agents, advertising agencies, the IOC, etc. For you? They stick you with a massive tax bill. For example, the Vancouver Olympics was such a massive burden and loss of public monies that the citizens of Vancouver and their children will be paying the bill for the next 30 years.
Great deal, eh?
Thanks to Aaron Egon Moser
Hello Mike,
ReplyDeleteI am rather perplexed in general by professional sports.
Most professional teams are owned by people from other areas, if not other nations. Most professional sports people, especially at the top level, are also usually from other areas if not other nations.
So with professional sports, a city, state, or nation, will spend millions, if not billions, to support in effect, foreign owners who employ foreign employees, for the sake of "local" pride.
Why should I support an individual, or team, when I have almost no identification with them? Why should anyone?
I am amazed that here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLxYNM1ziFI&feature=player_detailpage#t=94s
in 2004 it wound up costing over $625,000 per athlete, for an event that lasted less than a month!
I hope that the games in London won't break the city further. Maybe I'm missing the tribalism gene.
Love of Country
ReplyDeletehttp://fredoneverything.net/Love_of_Country.shtml
Soldiers have been drafted in to fill empty seats at the London 2012 Olympics after prime seating... went unused on the second day of competition... Excluding the football, between 100,000 and 120,000 Olympic tickets remain available... A Wimbledon-style returns system... has also been launched. Childrens' tickets cost £1 and adults £5. Around 280 were sold on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteFrom: "Olympics empty seats row: Locog calls in the army (again)"
(via lewrockwell.com)