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Toronto 2024 Olympic Bid (Dead)

The_Architect said:
I care, as do millions of others who have been watching these games and the millions of people involved in sports (do you do anything active?). You're talking about 10 year old kids here who should "fund it themselves"? Yeah, great logic. In fact, why build pools at all? Why build soccer fields? Why build recreation centres? Why build theatres? If I don't like ballet, why should I contribute to a performing arts centre? On the other hand, why should I care if kids in Scarborough have to go to Etobicoke for a library (I know this isn't the case obviously but it's just an example)? I certainly shouldn't pay for it. Why should I care if you have access to any facilities whatsoever? Your opinion is very selfish and NOT the majority. And what Aquatics Centre will cost $25 billion? That's absurd and just sensationalist and wrong.

If you have no interest in promoting health and fitness, choice of interest, and have no pride in our national athletes, than maybe a country such as this isn't for you.
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Seriously? Again with the "not supporting the Olympics means not supporting ANY SPORTS OR ANYTHING ANYWHERE" nonsense? Still with the "the OLYMPICS IS THE ONLY WAY TO EVER GET GOOD SPORTS FACILITIES OR ANYTHING DECENT IN TORONTO"? Repeating that doesn't make it true.

And suggesting that someone leave the country just because they don't support the Olympics? REALLY?


L
 
TOperson said:
Seriously? Again with the "not supporting the Olympics means not supporting ANY SPORTS OR ANYTHING ANYWHERE" nonsense? Still with the "the OLYMPICS IS THE ONLY WAY TO EVER GET GOOD SPORTS FACILITIES OR ANYTHING DECENT IN TORONTO"? Repeating that doesn't make it true.

And suggesting that someone leave the country just because they don't support the Olympics? REALLY?


L
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No, I'm not. You read what you want to read. Not supporting heath and fitness and having no pride with our nation's athletics is something that is un-Canadian.

And apparently we do need a big event to get anything done in this city considering we have such laughably pathetic facilities.
 
TOperson said:
One more thing: Back in March you said Toronto should not bid for the Olympics. Why have you changed your mind?
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Actually, I've raised the issue here recently. Whether Toronto is ready or not vs whether we should even want to or not are two different questions. On the first issue I've raised doubts in terms of 2024, on the second issue I'm fairly ambivalent, though I've made it clear it could be the right thing to do if we can leverage the right things out of it (despite some of the more valid of the negative points you've raised). Griping about equestrian events and the like is over-reaching in your argument and not convincing anybody. There is a bigger picture to consider clearly, and many nations/cities do so for various reasons. Again, i'd like to see a plan first and what it would achieve before dismissing it outright. Your closed mind on this undermines some of the good arguments you make.

TOperson said:
So, again, another one of these "TOperson is against the Olympics, therefore TOperson is against ALL FUN, ALL SPORTS, ALL DREAMS" posts. Can't you do better?
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Architect, JN12, Nfitz and I don't really have to do better because it is one of the fundamental flaws in your argument, a contradiction at best and a hypocrisy at worst. It goes back to the start of the thread and the start of the case you tried to build which I knocked down handily by showing how you compare to Rob Ford in his wanting to stop funding to Pride, counting the pennies you'd save but overlooking the massive benefits you'd forgo. We've made the analogies of TIFF and Luminato too. The only real difference with the Olympic games is one of size and scale and the fact that they are sports-orientated vs arts-orientated, none of which upsets the analogy or boosts your point. Your claims about the evil IOC, the wasted money on facilities not needed, the disruption to locals during the games are all flimsy arguments against the games, whether spreading questionable conspiracy theories or cherry-picking the worst possible outcomes of the worst games you do not allow for the fact that for many cities the net results are positive.
 
Tewder said:
Architect, JN12, Nfitz and I don't really have to do better because it is one of the fundamental flaws in your argument, a contradiction at best and a hypocrisy at worst.
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The fundamental flaw in your argument, is that I have made an argument at all! #fail
 
I'm not sure that removing your name from the list underpins my argument. Grasp for those straws though!
 
Tewder said:
I'm not sure that removing your name from the list underpins my argument. Grasp for those straws though!
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It does clearly demonstrate that you aren't reading the thread very closely - either that or your not comprehending it. Therefore, whatever your post is meaningless. Not even sure what you are arguing, as I didn't read any further.
 
OttoSchloss said:
I have a feeling these (London 2012) will probably be the least watched Olympics in a good long time. Those human interest stories they use to pull in the viewers are more of a turn off and frankly, unless they can really turn the Chinese into super-villains or something, the drama just isn't there.
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It's looking like they will be the most watched games since the 1976 Montreal Olympics. NBC was supposed to take a $200 million bath on this, but they are now expected to break even. From a TV standpoint, they've been hugely successful with ratings almost double Beijing's.
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
You are preaching to the choir. Too many people in this country only care about hockey. A sport which only 13 countries play.
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Maybe I missed something but how did an Olympics thread turn into bashing hockey? lol. Too many fans of other sports have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to hockey. I for one don't care that only a dozen or so countries are good at the game. It's sports, not a popularity contest. That said, I'm all for better athletics facilities, pools, etc. And I also like it when non-traditional hockey powers like Switzerland give our teams a hard time. It means the game is growing.
 
Tewder said:
Admittedly your posts are over my head.
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I can't imagine what other post I've made in this thread is over anyone's head. I've barely said anything, other than the occasional short post to correct some factual errors. But if you care to point one out, perhaps I can rewrite it so that you can understand it.
 
I haven't been following these Olympics closely but at a glance it appears to me that Canada isn't doing particularly well. 1 Gold medal? Good thing we're investing in Olympic grade infrastructure. With PanAm new venues in Toronto and motivation for the youth attending the games first hand, perhaps the next generation of Canadian athletes will be better prepared.
 
The_Architect said:
I care, as do millions of others who have been watching these games and the millions of people involved in sports (do you do anything active?). You're talking about 10 year old kids here who should "fund it themselves"? Yeah, great logic. In fact, why build pools at all? Why build soccer fields? Why build recreation centres? Why build theatres? If I don't like ballet, why should I contribute to a performing arts centre? On the other hand, why should I care if kids in Scarborough have to go to Etobicoke for a library (I know this isn't the case obviously but it's just an example)? I certainly shouldn't pay for it. Why should I care if you have access to any facilities whatsoever? Your opinion is very selfish and NOT the majority. And what Aquatics Centre will cost $25 billion? That's absurd and just sensationalist and wrong.

If you have no interest in promoting health and fitness, choice of interest, and have no pride in our national athletes, than maybe a country such as this isn't for you.
Click to expand...

Seriously, you didn't read my post. You would have noticed the reference to rugby, and inferred I do (or did, at least) play the sport. Trampolinists funded the gym our gold medalists trained in. 10 year old rugby players are supported and coached by the sport's alumni and, now, alumnae on their own dime on Sundays. If we really, really need a diving tank, where are the alumni divers raising funds?

The $25 billion number is Eric Reguly's all-in cost of the London games.

As for your last line: I have helped coach the rugby squirts and my daughter's house league hockey. I take great interest in sports. I even have pride in some of our national athletes. Spending $25 BILLION so they can train for obscure sports in the comfort of Toronto? Ridiculous. By the way - what does a country 'such as this' mean exactly? (Other than some veiled attempt at saying I don't love my country because I think watching 10km open water swims is as boring as watching paint dry? Congrats to the Canadian bronze medallist, BTW.)
 
I think that New York city is considering a 2024 bid. Under those circumstances, I think a joint Buffalo-Toronto games wouldn't have very much appeal, not only in Washington but in Albany.
 
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