Let's say Jax for some reason or another - get's picked to host a Summer Olympics. What exactly does Jacksonville need to do in order to prepare for the games? How many hotels need to be built? How many roads need to be expanded? What needs to happen?
Just get ready to be "shafted". The last few cities that have hosted the games built big multi-million dollar venues and lost a lot of money on the games.
Bring back the cruise ships for "hotel" accomodations.
What needs to happen? Well, in order to even get CONSIDERED for a bid, it would need to suddenly add about 3-5 million people and become a first class metropolitan city. See Athens, Atlanta, Sydney, Barcelona, etc.
Honestly, I think we'd have just as much of a chance landing the Winter Games. ;) While there was plenty of improvising done specific to our Super Bowl, the glaring deficiencies pointed to lodging, transportation, & entertainment - we seemed to be the dog that caught the car. Subsequently, what's the sell? Really? Although I love Jacksonville, the reality is that it's a far cry from being deemed an "International" city. It is what it is. Embrace it. Enjoy it. With the exception of the infrastructure in Atlanta (i.e huge airport & transportation system, I was also shocked that they were able to get the games. Touting golf and a large public park system only goes so far. You can only ship so many folks down to St. Augustine or Amelia Island.......
Quote from: blizz01 on February 10, 2010, 08:50:03 AM
Although I love Jacksonville, the reality is that it's a far cry from being deemed an "International" city. It is what it is. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
I completely agree. If cities like Chicago, Madrid, New York, and Moscow can't get the games to come to their cities, then we really don't stand a chance.
The optimist in me will close this post with: Hopefully in the not-too-distant future will we host the games... or at least be a venue city for some of the events if they ever go to Orlando or Tampa or even back to Atlanta.
Quote from: cityimrov on February 10, 2010, 04:37:15 AM
How many roads need to be expanded? (Luke Im Your Father).
Nooooooooooooo........oooooooooooooo
Add about a million hotel rooms and state of the art mass transit so visitors don't need cars to get around as no city could handle that amount of auto traffic. This latter point guarantees we are at least 500 years away from being considered. :D
I'd say consider ourselves lucky we got a Super Bowl. Assuming we keep the Jags, it could be at least 10 to 20 years before we have any real shot at that again. At least that's within our lifetimes!
What about the Special Olympics?
Quote from: Overstreet on February 10, 2010, 08:03:37 AM
Just get ready to be "shafted". The last few cities that have hosted the games built big multi-million dollar venues and lost a lot of money on the games.
Bring back the cruise ships for "hotel" accomodations.
Thats very interesting. I have ill feelings about the Olympics. It just doesnt seem like a money maker, it probly is but I have never watched it and dont know many that have. Olympics never have good ratings.
Uhhhhhhhh, no.
It could happen.
It would take "vision" and "planning".
Personally, I'd rather go to Canada to see summer games. Florida is too hot.
Quote from: buckethead on February 10, 2010, 01:24:33 PM
It could happen.
It would take "vision" and "planning".
Personally, I'd rather go to Canada to see summer games. Florida is too hot.
Plus we got them hurricanes, and if they're not around, we can get a thunderstorm that dumps up to 6 inches of rain in a hour.
Quote from: cityimrov on February 10, 2010, 04:37:15 AM
Let's say Jax for some reason or another - get's picked to host a Summer Olympics. What exactly does Jacksonville need to do in order to prepare for the games? How many hotels need to be built? How many roads need to be expanded? What needs to happen?
I think the winter games make a lot more sense for us. We already have the stadium, and laying ski-slopes down the seats on the end zones make a ready made mountain course. At that point, we'd only be about 349,000 sno-cone machines away from creating a blizzard. Hotels? No sweat, I've got a friend in Waycross what's got a batch of them old pickup truck camper shells.... I'll give Bubba a call. OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: Ocklawaha on February 10, 2010, 04:28:43 PM
Quote from: cityimrov on February 10, 2010, 04:37:15 AM
Let's say Jax for some reason or another - get's picked to host a Summer Olympics. What exactly does Jacksonville need to do in order to prepare for the games? How many hotels need to be built? How many roads need to be expanded? What needs to happen?
Ock you could also bring back some Columbian snow ; )
I think the winter games make a lot more sense for us. We already have the stadium, and laying ski-slopes down the seats on the end zones make a ready made mountain course. At that point, we'd only be about 349,000 sno-cone machines away from creating a blizzard. Hotels? No sweat, I've got a friend in Waycross what's got a batch of them old pickup truck camper shells.... I'll give Bubba a call.
OCKLAWAHA
Need to re-title the thread, "What would we do if we were hit by a big, old asteroid?"
Quote from: blizz01 on February 10, 2010, 08:50:03 AM
Although I love Jacksonville, the reality is that it's a far cry from being deemed an "International" city. It is what it is. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
Agreed.
I dont think it'll ever happen for a long long time. Although it would be unspeakably cool to see the Olympics here, I doubt it'll ever happen.
QuoteWhat about the Special Olympics?
:D :D :D :D :D :D
Love ya shwaz... :D
In 2000 I worked on the Tampa-Orlando bid for 2012 or 2016....Orlando was included mainly for the hotel rooms and the attractions....and of course the plan was to transport folks back and forth using high speed rail.
In the end, we didn't even make the for the 4 cities the USOC would consider...if I remember right, they were Chicago, Houston, Washington, and New York....in the end, Chicago was chosen but they just lost out for 2016 to Rio.
Bottom line...Jax can forget about it!
if i remember correctly, i posted an article on here a couple years ago about Birmingham's (AL not England) plans to bid for the 2016 Olympics...
personally, I'd rather save the application fee (and other associated costs) and use that money to work towards making Jax more of an Olympic, ie international, city.
This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Games) would be more like something Jacksonville could handle, but we all know it wouldn't go over well here.
^^
Id be game for it lol
Gee, you could use First Baptist Church for the performance venue!
I could die happy