The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Why the Hell not?

"Committee eyes possible Tulsa bid for Olympics"

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090804_11_0_TheTul998361 (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090804_11_0_TheTul998361)

Hey 'lympics, so help me God if I hurr you talkin 'nother langwige umsides Ainglish, so help me God, I cain't be helds s'sonsbuls fer awhats abouter happenins.  Randy Terul done did do his legalizin' mamember?

Lemme guess.  Tim's brother?

Oh right, that's why.

I forgot, we don't take kindly.

Does anyone seriously believe current Tulsa is comparable to Atlanta circa 1986 (or whenever it was awarded the Olympics)?

I love people thinking big, but there is no need to waste time, resources and energy by focusing on unrealistic efforts.  At present, Tulsa couldn't win the Olympics if the choices were limited to cities in Oklahoma.

Well it's a good thing that some Tulsa residents think highly enough of our city to think it could host an Olympics . . .

But it's an absurd idea.  More absurd, even, than the idea of spending $700 million to build islands in the Arkansas river.  But I guess it's good that folks are thinking big.  Hope they don't spend too much money on these pipe dreams when it could be used on concrete investments in the city's real future.

They sure didn't spend any money on the presentation. The PDF linked on tulsaworld.com looks like poo.

I know that it has been years since I last posted on my beloved TulsaNow, but I could not pass up the opportunity to comment on this…….inspiration.  While I think the proposal that was given to the city council was extremely poor quality and very unprofessional, I think a professional review of the city infrastructure, hotel space, airport, security, ect. would be a very good idea for future projects, not necessarily the 2020 Olympics.

At first I was like,,, You have got to be kidding. However, I like big ideas and going for it. I like thinking out of the box and giving it a go. Sometimes its the unexpected, taking the untried path that changes ones perspective and you suddenly realize you might be on to something. Even if that something wasnt what you had originally expected.

After watching the News on 6 segment, it appears that what Tulsa would be doing would be making itself the headquarter city for an Oklahoma/regional bid for the Olympics. They noted that the Atlanta Olympics, didnt actually have all the events in Atlanta. Like the big, money making, Soccer events being in Florida. The story mentioned that we would actually have events hosted as far away as Norman, Stillwater, Bartlesville and OKC. We would be the instigators and the "named face" of the Olympics, but it would really be many cities, or "Oklahoma" putting on the games. In this light, this laughable idea starts to look interesting. The very novelty of the approach being proffered, if played right, would at least get us a double take lol, and there may actually be advantages to this approach (versus one huge city like Chicago) which might have been over looked simply because nobody else has ever been so bold as to even consider the idea.

There are some possibilities here. But you would have to play your cards with all the flair and finesse you could muster. That would include getting all the other cities like OKC behind the idea. 

Actually, the city of Atlanta and the city of Tulsa are very similar.  Both have a population of around 400,000.  Tulsa has twice the land area.  Nearly all Olympic venues hold events off-site in other cities.

Having said that, please, PLEASE, do not let the city government spend one penny on this never-going-to-happen event.  I swear, we better not hear "we found more money."

1.  I doubt it will happen.

2. Olympics cost the host city millions if not BILLIONS of dollars.

3. It will bring some exposure to the city if we even launch a decent bid.

4. With a State/regional effort, we could easily pull it off.  The Tulsa metro area has several stadiums that could host events (Union, Owasso, and of course University of Tulsa).   Bigger events in OU or OSU's football stadiums or even Fayetville.  BOK Center and the Ford Center.  Basketball facilities abound.  I think facilities wise, we could pull it off.

5. RAIL!  Great excuse to put commuter and regional rail. 

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.

the city itself is similar in size (Tulsa 370,00, Atlanta 500,000) but if count up the population of the Atlanta MSA, it is around 5.5 million people... two million more than the entire state of Oklahoma

Billions AND billions.  And, of course, it would all go to the oligarchs and the Rooney/Flint construction cartel.

Thank you. I needed that laugh.

What a joke!!! HA HA.

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"?

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

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.

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.

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?

Yeah, but Quinton Tarrantino is from there.

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! 

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.

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 (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 (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.

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.

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

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

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.   :P

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

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.

As my brother use to say:

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right"

Stupid idea.

Please, city, county and state leaders, don't let Harold Hill swindle you out of money.

(http://tokyo5.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/2016cities.jpg)

Chicago's out...go Tulsa for 2020.

And our escalator to nowhere and our monorail monorail monorail.

Chicago used a six pointed star in the logo. This from wikipedia...

"The six-pointed star is used as the symbol for Folks Nation alliance of gangs from Chicago. Crip gang members tend to use this symbol also."

Odd.

Maybe it was a threat to the IOC?

The American 2020 bid will now be the heavy favorite.  The IOC simply needs American money to operate and must throw a bone in this direction every now and then.  Plus, by 2020 the world probably would have forgiven us for the whole war-on-terror ignoring everyone else financial melt down thing (right or wrong, they blame us).

Thus, the 2020 pick of the US Olympic Committee will be in a fantastic position.  I think Chicago is done.  New York may try again.  The other interested cities include:

Pittsburgh
Birmingham, AL
Denver
Boston
Detroit
and Minneapolis

Of the list, Minneapolis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Boston could definitely pull it off.   Birmingham may be deemed "too small" as Daho was this year (FYI, Daho is the same size as Tulsa) and Detroi is, well . . . Detroit has issues right now. 

Rio got it.

I bet we'll see some interesting stuff.

The Olympic parade should be skintastic.

As much as I love Chicago and I think a Chicago games would have been great, I am glad to see Chicago lose. There is so much corruption in Chicago/Illinois government. So many of the projects were designed to specifically benefit the Chicago/Obama crooks.
Can Tulsa get 2020? Who knows. But if Tulsa could get any traction it would benefit the city. A city like Chicago is already well known across the world, but Tulsa is not. If Tulsa could get into the mix, people across the world may say "What is the Tulsa place?"

+1 Cubs.  I spoke with a friend in Chicago who helps host an industry convention in Chicago.  Last year they rented the convention center and were forbidden from "installing lighting or electrical devices."  That job had to be done by approved union contractors.

Which doesn't sound like a big deal, but spot lights, camera lights, and light bulbs were included.  Worse yet, plugging in an extension cord counted as "installing an electrical device."  They actually had to call in union electricians to "install" extension cords.   

So no wonder people fear cost overruns.

"Chicago/Obama crooks?"

Nice try to link the two Cubs, but Obama has had little/nothing to do with local politics.
Never elected as alderman.  Never worked for the city. 

TYPICAL PARTISAN REPUBLICAN VENDETTA.

You know why Daley's not nearly as popular as he used to be, CUBS?

It's because he's been TOO MUCH OF A CONSERVA-DEM in selling the Skyway, outsourcing anything and everything he could get his hands on, gentrifying the city, overuse of TIF districts to satisfy developers with "public-private partnerships," and the last straw...... privatizing public parking....

Vallas admits he's been a Republican for years. Will America's privatization mayor -- Richard M. Daley -- be next?
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?section=Article&page=620

As Olympics vote looms, Daley struggles
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-daley-bd13sep13,0,7290701.story

Cubs has written a semi-lucid post. Hell has frozen over.

(http://phoenix.fanster.com/files/2009/01/hellfrozenover.jpg)

(http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1002/oly_u_livereaction_576.jpg)

If you could only add audio to a picture...

The "you lost" rift from the Price is Right would be perfect for that picture.

"bum bum bum bumdadumb... bAAaaahhhhh"

Flag of the City of Chicago . . .

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Municipal_Flag_of_Chicago.svg/720px-Municipal_Flag_of_Chicago.svg.png)

I am pretty sure when Mark Perkins is mayor during the 2013 bids and the city murder rate is cut in half, we will be a front runner for sure.

Looks like the USOC sent a letter to 35 US cities asking them to consider bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, and Tulsa is on that list.

http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/olympic_bids/future_bids_2016/1216136491.html

SCAM!


Scram....

I'm boycotting any Olympics until wrestling is reinstated.

Like him or not, Rummy's comments are spot-on:


Someone care to tell me what wushu is?  I mean really, wrestling has been an Olympic sport since the very first olympiad, if memory serves me correctly. According to the IOC, the idea is to make sure all the sports are relevant to fans.  Table tennis is one of the 25 core sports, looking at youth and collegiate participation rates in wrestling just in the United States alone, I suspect there's far more interest in wrestling.

You are absolutely right - wrestling is part of the definition of "Olympics".  What a bunch of idiots they have running that little wingding....

And while I really enjoy curling, it certainly AIN'T no Olympic sport!!  It is shuffleboard for younger people...

In the event that they actually take Tulsa seriously as a host. Where would we build a new Billion Dollar Stadium? and how in the World would little old Tulsa afford it?
I like pipe dreams too. Just not smoking from one when I am having them.

What would we do with that stadium after the Olympics leaves??  Couldn't even afford to keep it painted!

Even with the wild success of the BOK center, my guess is that is about as big a facility as we can effectively use for a long time to come...

We'd need to sell Broken Arrow and Owasso to raise the money.  We'd then build it in the River by dredging.  Then, when it's over, we let it fill up and use it as a water park.

Evan's Fintube Site? (That is if Blake isn't using it).

History teaches us that ultimately.... He who has the most people wins.  

US= 5% of world population.    China= 20%     = Wushu and Table Tennis in, wrestling out.  

 Keep watching, more of these "perplexing little surprises  :-\, to the average American" to come.

Is the USA population still watching the Olympics like it used to?

If they set out a minimum number of hotel rooms needed why do they send these letters to cities (like Tulsa) that aren't even remotely close to that threshold?  Also, as noted, there would be little use for the facilities once the games are over.  This is just silly.  I really hope no one is spending any serious time or money on this.

  I still say lets do a Worlds Fair, build a tall architectural viewing structure (no indian statue please) on the hill just north of downtown, and have each country build something kewl in all the empty parking lots downtown  ;D or on the Fin Tube site and around that. Also have it be 100 years of progress and energy/art themed and task each country with having a structure that will have modern take on 1920's "modern/Art Deco" style. 

I think we could actually do that and come out much the better for it.

Picture is worth a thousand words....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVDPoyVuZZg

There are several more cities that could pull this off easier than Tulsa, but it could still be done.  This is for an Olympics that is 11 years away.  That is plenty of time to build the hotels and facilities.  We definitely have the room to build the facilities.  Many of the stadiums could be built to be deconstructed or reduced in size, just as they did in London.  It's not as big of a pipe dream as people make it out to be.  If they announced Tulsa as the 2024 site, there's no doubt in my mind we could pull it off, there would be hiccups, just as every Olympic site has, but we'd pull it off and overall our city would be a better place to live. 

How is just "more" making the city a better place to live....??

That is a lot like the idea that "volume" in a house somehow equates to a "better" standard of living.  The McMansion School of thought.

All the money that would be spent on infrastructure, tourism, facilities would enhance the quality of life in Tulsa.  Sure there would be less beneficial ways of staging an Olympics but chances are what remained after the Olympics (including the people that moved here) would be an upgrade to Tulsa or to any city.

They say it takes billions and billions of dollars to stage an olympics.  If there were billions and billions of dollars in Tulsa for use to improve and promote the city I can think of a whole bunch of ways to use that money.  The first would be to repair the Zink dam with something other than duct tape.

Most of the olympics wouldn't be in Tulsa.  It'd be farmed out.

Much of the money wouldn't be raised locally or by the city.

I think we've covered all this earlier in the thread. 

In any case, our state isn't accepting enough to host international groups.