Will Olympics Return to States before 2024?

Despite what Sports Illustrated called, “by all accounts, one of the strongest (bids) ever by a U.S. city”, Chicago was trounced by Rio De Janeiro in its efforts to bring the Olympic Games back to the States as IOC members voted Chicago just 18 times out of 96.  Critics and really apologists can point to any and all “factors” in what swayed voters so heavily, but the situation remains, the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committe are still at arms since the USOC forced the departure of  IOC favorite, Jim Scherr, former CEO of the USOC.   Yes, this will be the Olympics first hosting on the continent of South America, yes Brazil has been trying this entire decade to bring the games to its country.  But still…

After losing out on the bid, and not helping relations, Sherr’s interim replacement Stephanie Sheeter, already on wrong side of IOC’s opinions for being one to help force Sherr out,  has just recently stepped down from her position. One that was almost definitely to be forceably lost anyhow.  Not only are inter-organizational relations poor, internally, the USOC is a mess.  No CEO, no prospects (at least none in IOC’s favor)…So, as it is, with money issues still at the heart of these disparages, a “still-unresolved spat over the high percentage of revenues the USOC receives from IOC television contracts and marketing agreements” (Cazeneuve, Brian, SI, Oct 12th Issue, SI.com) and the new Olympic Network being launched by USOC despite the IOC’s request for time before doing so,  one must wonder when we’ll see the great games back on American soil.  What’s more, great and more than capable countries and cities head the bid list for 2020 including  Italy (Rome), Japan (Tokyo), and Canada (Toronto), none of which have seen the games in a half century.

Here’s hoping Chicago can silence these contentions and refine it’s bid for 2020 much like Rio did for 2016.  If not, Americans could be looking at another 2 decades before the Olympics return.

JD

A bold stance for MLS Commish, Don Garber

Since the B’s and Sox left a bad taste in my mouth last night I’m going to steer clear of hockey and baseball today…

But before I head out I’d like to share an article from USA Today that was passed along by my friends over at Football Partnerships (great site for soccer fans & professionals). This is a good quick read for those who follow MLS or European Football, or those who are intrigued by the inner workings of the business of sport.

Enjoy the read… enjoy the weekend. And here’s to hoping Beckett can right the ship tonight!

jb

Best time of year… Right?

NFL kicking off, NHL just dropped the first puck, NBA action hyping up, College football in full fledge with Heisman, BCS, and National Championship debates, and last night, a Play-in game for MLB as the Division Series get under way tonight – Who would’ve thought Minnesota would be the national hotbed for sports on back to back nights in October?

If you’re the guy or gal that enjoys any and all sports, then this is as good as it gets. There’s something exciting every night. Granted, your employer probably isn’t thrilled because productivity is dropping like Eric Mangini’s stock due to the late nights – especially here in Boston where we are once again blessed with a left coast series and 10pm start times – but they’ll need to deal with it for now… Things will be back to normal in a few weeks, at least until those Thursdays and Fridays in March.

Baseball had lost it’s luster for me a bit over the past few weeks with so few teams in contention, but if last nights game is a precursor of what we’ll be getting in the ’09 playoffs, Buckle Up! Hopefully you were able to take in that game last night… An instant classic for sure.

It’ll be interesting, as always, to see how things play out. Will the new Yankee stadium bode well for NY? Will Manny Ramirez return to his old self and tear the cover off the ball?  Will the Rockies make some playoff noise? What type of riot is in store on Lansdowne Street in Boston? Win or lose…

Enjoy what we have at our fingertips now. Use the DVR wisely so you don’t miss a goal or ole fashioned brawl, a Touchdown or pick-six, or a play at the plate in the ninth or tenth. It’s going to be a fun month of intriguing match ups, emotional highs and lows, and some of the best competition you can get.

A quick look forward to this weekend…
Florida and LSU in a mammoth clash with National Championship implications this Saturday night. For the sake of competition, we can all only hope Tim Tebow is healthy and on the field for this one. This will be far more entertaining, and meaningful, than 90% of the bowl games in December and January… Which can once again bring me into a whole new blog topic – BCS! They want games to mean something all season long… They say it’s a money thing… Well, if you can’t find a way to make more money by……… Ahhhh nevermind. Go enjoy what is going on in sports right now. I’ll leave the business banter for another day.

- jb

USA & The FIFA World Cup

Love or hate the beautiful game (not getting into comparing sports at this point), all sports fans can appreciate the World Cup and should be excited at the possibility of it once again returning to the United States.

Currently the U.S. is in the running to win the bid for 2018 or 2022. Imagine the possibilities of what would be available and the upgrades to cities and stadiums over the course of 9-13 more years before we’re graced with the absolute best sporting event in the world. Perhaps more venues like Cowboys Stadium (that’s a blog in and of itself.. I can’t wait to see it in person).

The entire bid process is quite elaborate and extensive and after the third stage only 27 cities and 32 venues remain in the running. I’m happy to know that Boston/Foxboro are among these candidates. The City of Boston has teamed up with Kraft Group (solid combo) to ensure that the World Cup travels to Mass. if the US is awarded the competition in 2018 or ’22.

As a lifelong soccer player and fan I can only hope to once again attend a World Cup game on US soil. I remain optimistic on this front, as The World Cup in ’94 here in the states far exceeded expectations and was dubbed one of the most successful Cups of all time. Any sports fan out there should be logging on to www.gousabid.com to sign the electronic petition and do their part in securing the USA’s bid!

From a professional/business standpoint…. Where do I begin? The opportunities are endless and beyond intriguing. The thoughts of what could be done locally and regionally to ignite excitement around this bid run through my head day and night. Solo brainstorming sessions on marketing and promotional campaigns to prove New England’s desire to host the World Cup once again. Thoughts of possibly getting involved in bringing the Cup back to the States…  Hopefully, this becomes reality for Boston & New England. Hopefully we’ll get our chance to have a hand in creating the ultimate soccer fan experience and secure Boston’s Bid.

cheers,

Josh