Eyes on 2020 Olympics

[Renaissance]

But if local entities want to use private money to make a push, GO FOR IT.  Public money, IMHO, should only be used to the extent is is considered tourist advertising at this point.  Just hearing Tulsa on the list of possible places might have some status raising merit to it.

Interesting in any event.

See, I disagree.  I've been following the Chicago effort pretty closely, and the idea that Tulsa could ever consider hosting an Olympics is simply a joke.  Thus, I think private local entities should be discouraged from throwing their money at pie-in-the-sky projects and encouraged to consider local, realistic, entrepreneurial uses for the same resources.

How many miles of river trails could have been built by the money given to Bing Thom by the "Stakeholders"?

[Breadburner]

I thought this was for the winter Olympics......

[TheArtist]

How bout hosting a Worlds Fair.  I know they arent what they used to be, but I dont think we have had one in the US for a while. We could do a Retro Deco theme to give it some splash style wise, tied into a selected set of issues like; conservation, preservation, energy, aerospace, sustainability....  And try to arrange it so that when its over, whats left over enhances the city.

[DTowner]

I didn't know they still had Worlds Fairs.

The problem with these "pie in the sky" ideas is they distract us and take away resources from the things we really can accomplish.  I believe The Channels helped defeat the River Plan, and the failed river plan probably set river development back years (collapsing credit markets, etc. also helped).  So, yes, thinking outside the box can have negative consequences.

Tulsa is taking baby steps on many of the issues that have festered here for several decades.  We can't catch up or fix our problems all at once, and some of these ill conceived "grand ideas" don't help, and may actually hurt, our efforts.  The last 5 years have seen a lot of progress, but many things are left to do to develop around the BOK Center, capitalize on the renovated convention center, finish the new ball park, etc.  We are a community with finite public and private resources, so let's keep our big ideas grounded in reality.

[TURobY]

Actually, a bid for a World Fair wouldn't be that unreasonable. After all, we wouldn't be the smallest city to host one. Even Omaha and Knoxville, TN have hosted them.

[cannon_fodder]

Actually, a bid for a World Fair wouldn't be that unreasonable. After all, we wouldn't be the smallest city to host one. Even Omaha and Knoxville, TN have hosted them.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Knoxville?

[Conan71]

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Knoxville?

Yeah, but Quinton Tarrantino is from there.

[Ed W]

I'd support this idea if it included some signature events that highlighted the region.  How about Panhandler Dodging?  Or Pass the Collection Plate relay.  What about Pin the Large Inflatable on Santa?  And the ever popular Synchronized Bicycle Dancing in the Median.  There's the Toby Keith Pub Dash involving lots of beer and horses. 

It could be a fun thing, honest! 

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

If you told me 10 years ago there would be a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino within 15 minutes of my house I would have thought you were a loonatic.  Now they are saying there could be Olympics here in 11 years and I'm saying anything is possible.

[AVERAGE JOE]

I'm one of the biggest cheerleaders for the city you'll find, but to even mention Tulsa as a potential host for the Summer Olympics is beyond ridiculous. Pride in one's community and grand ambitions are one thing, but outright delusion is another.

If a report came through that Dayton, Ohio was considering a bid to host the Olympics, we'd all be laughing our heads off. Guess what, folks... Dayton is a bigger metropolitan area than us. So is Fresno, CA and Greensboro, NC. None of those communities will take their place alongside Athens, Syndey, Beijing, and London as Summer Olympics host cities.

Atlanta was an upset selection because it wasn't a top 5 MSA in the U.S. at the time. The Summer Games are so large, they typically go to the largest or 2nd largest metro area in any given country. Moscow, Mexico City, Montreal, Tokyo, Seoul, Barcelona. The U.S. is a little different for obvious reasons, but Atlanta was 13th and grew to only the 11th largest MSA in the U.S. by 2000. It was a huge upset that Atlanta beat Athens and Toronto to host.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Summer_Olympics

Other bids from the U.S. include Los Angeles (success, 1984), New York (fail, 2012), and now Chicago (2016). The top 3 markets.

Tulsa is 59th.
(source: http://tinyurl.com/mkdt9g)

btw, in order to be the official United States' bid city for 2016, Chicago had to be selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee. They beat Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco (withdrew), and Los Angeles for the privilege. Even top 10 markets - home to multiple major league sports franchises, international tourist destinations and hosts to Super Bowls and Final Fours - don't always make the cut.

[Townsend]

C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.
Han Solo: Never tell me the odds.

How cool is that?  Tulsa is Han Solo.

[Breadburner]

I think most folks are missing the point....

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

My odds are 1 in a million.  So you're saying there's still a chance?

[USRufnex]

I'm trying to decide between "pie-in-the-sky" and "outright delusional" to describe this, and I'm leaning towards the latter.......

Recession Shadowing Chicago Bid for Games
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/us/27olympics.html?_r=1

Hmmm...... convincing the IOC to pick Tulsa over cities like Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo for 2020?   Yep.  Delusional.

Of course, smaller cities can be considered for the Winter Olympics.... Salt Lake City got the nod for the 2002 Winter Olympics... then they got a Major League Soccer expansion team in 2005... Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Winter Games, and MLS will be expanding there in 2011.

So, my dream for MLS in Tulsa can be achieved...... if we get the Winter Olympics here? 

Hmmmm..... World Class Alpine skiing at Turkey Mountain?  Bobsledding course in the "East End/East Village?"  Cross Country skiing at Mohawk?  Bwah-hah-hah-hahahaha.   

........and we're back to DELUSIONAL.   

[TheArtist]

I think their reasoning went too far down one thought and not another. On the one hand, with some; creativity, time, and money, it is "possible" that we could host an olympics,,, a regional/Oklahoma Olympics. BUT, unless they can come up with a way that we could do so and be COMPETITIVE against those other cities who want to host it.  Not gonna happen. 

Possible to host,,,perhaps.  But a competitive host?  Show me how.

I like the big idea thing and still go back to the Worlds Fair idea. Chicago and many other places held worlds fairs before they held Olympics. And we could get some neat Iconic structures (you know how I like those iconic structures lol), tourist destinations and hotels, advertising, infrastructure, etc. out of the deal too. And it could be a stepping stone for larger things in the future,,, like an Olympics. World Fairs are still well attended destination/events in the rest of the world, but have kind of fallen off the map here in the US. Could put us on the stage globally, and if the fair is done right, could help spark a renewed interest here in the US.