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For NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012
For NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012
jake
· 2005-04-21
For NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012
http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.html NYU's Daily Student Newspaper Issue date: 04.21.2005 For NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012 by Matt Shapiro Columnist The advertisements line subway cars, plaster billboards and hang on bus stops, while the image of the Statue of Liberty fused with a victorious athlete can be seen all over Manhattan. The multi-colored ads proclaim: "Every country gets home field advantage" and "We're in an Olympic state of mind," just to name a few. Unlike an ad for an injury lawyer or a state-of-the-art dermatological procedure, these ads are pitching a product that has a much more positive effect than getting an unsightly mole removed. And while these ads may be simple and direct, their goal is much more grand: bring the 2012 Olympic Summer Games to New York City. The biggest hot-button topic surrounding the games is the possible construction of the "Olympic Stadium," better known to most New Yorkers as the "West Side Stadium." The new facility would provide a new home for the Jets as well as give New York a beautiful new venue for concerts, sporting events and bigger conventions. However, like any run-of-the-mill, billion dollar project, New York's Olympic bid - and all of the facilities that would come with it - has drawn both proponents (Michael Bloomberg) and critics (James "anti-anything except his own wealth" Dolan, owner of Madison Square Garden). New York is one of five candidate cities, and is believed to be trailing Paris and London in the race to win the bid. The other two candidates are Moscow and Madrid. Of the five, there is no better or more deserving city to play host to the games than New York. The beautification of all five boroughs will be terrific, the city will be booming with an influx of revenue, and most importantly for me, the Jets will no longer have to play under a big blue sign that reads "Giants Stadium." Guy Masterman, a modern Olympic historian and professor of sports management at NYU, also believes that the legacy the facilities would leave - not only in Manhattan, but in the other boroughs as well - is something that helps set New York's bid apart. He also spoke of "white elephants," a term that refers to large facilities that go virtually unused once the Olympics leave town. "One key for the [International Olympic Comittee] in evaluating a bid is whether or not anyone has been put into place as an after-user," said Masterman, noting that New York would have no trouble making use of the new buildings after the Olympics left town. The city has an intricate plan for each of the new facilities and none of them will be under-used. "White elephants happen because not early enough strategic planning was done." Whether it is a lack of interest or simply lack of knowledge, many at this university seem to be apathetic towards the possibility of the Olympics coming to New York. Even big sports fans like myself are more inclined to talk about the most mundane pro-sports topics than delve into the Olympics debate. However, NYU does in fact have good, strong ties to the NYC2012 campaign. Other than the obvious - the fact that our campus would be near the central hub of the five-borough event - there are other ways that NYU is woven into the fabric of New York's Olympic bid. From NYU President John Sexton to diving coach Scott Donie, members of the NYU community are very much involved in the push to win the games for New York City. Sexton is on the NYC2012 ethics committee. Donie, a silver medalist in the '92 Olympics, is a member of the NYC2012 board of directors. But Sexton and Donie are not the only ones who should be pushing for the Olympic Games - students stand to gain tremendously. The 2012 Olympics would be a huge moneymaker for local businesses and individuals - an economy in which NYU grads will surely be involved. The West Side Stadium would undoubtedly provide more jobs - not only for recent college grads, but also for those already in the work force. The Olympics coming to New York would be great for the city, and Donie said he is confident that New York will win the bid. "We'd be hosting the world," Donie said. "It's like hosting a party - you put your best face on." Party or not, the biggest reason to support the Olympics in New York City can be found in six letters: legacy. While the two weeks in 2012 may be hectic and congested, the facilities and renovation that the games would leave would last forever. Sexton also supports the idea that the games would have a strong residual effect on New York. "The future of this great city increasingly lies in what I call the ICE sector of the economy: Intellectual, Cultural, and Educational," Sexton wrote in an e-mail. "The Olympics can be an enormous boost to that sector, and the effects will be long-lasting." However, not everyone in the NYU community is as gung-ho about the possibility of New York City hosting the games. The financial frivolousness of the city, along with the threat of terrorism are both popular arguments of those who oppose New York's bid. But to those who argue that New York City would be a sitting duck for terrorists, I would say this: The Olympics will be the most "locked down" event in the history of the country. I'd feel less safe at a state fair in Kansas than at the Olympics in New York. The NYPD has already created their extensive security plan for all of the venues as well as all athlete transportation routes. Imagine this past summer's Republican National Convention times 10. And to get this column nominated for the cliche of the century award, let me truly say that if we are scared to hold the Olympics in the world's greatest city because of terrorism, then those terrorists have succeeded. One of the biggest groups to publicly rip the idea of the stadium - and therefore the Olympics, as there will be no Olympics without a stadium - is Cablevision, the media conglomerate that also owns Madison Square Garden. The group, headed by James Dolan, claims that the money that goes into the stadium could be used for firefighters and school teachers. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the needs of firefighters just as much as the next guy. But let's look for a second at whether or not Cablevision may have an ulterior motive here. Madison Square Garden is currently one of the larger venues for sporting events and concerts in Manhattan. If a new and better facility moves in just blocks away, will they still have a stranglehold on the market? I think not. They are claiming that they really just want to beautify the West side of Manhattan and that the rail yards the stadium would be built on could be used better. Donie posed a great question to those at Cablevision. "If they wanted to rebuild the West side, why didn't they do it first?" Donie said. "Cablevision isn't doing what's best for the community. They want to do it for themselves. It seems a little bit shady to me." In 76 days, the location of the 2012 games will be determined. In seven years, one of the five candidate cities will be basking in the glory of the international spotlight. Here's to hoping that - like the subway ads say - "Every country gets home field advantage." ISSN 1549-9375 Copyright © 2004, Washington Square News, all rights reserved. http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.html
http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.html
jake · 2005-04-21
http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.html NYU's Daily Student Newspaper Issue date: 04.21.2005 For NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012 by Matt Shapiro Columnist The advertisements line subway cars, plaster billboards and hang on bus stops, while the image of the Statue of Liberty fused with a victorious athlete can be seen all over Manhattan. The multi-colored ads proclaim: "Every country gets home field advantage" and "We're in an Olympic state of mind," just to name a few. Unlike an ad for an injury lawyer or a state-of-the-art dermatological procedure, these ads are pitching a product that has a much more positive effect than getting an unsightly mole removed. And while these ads may be simple and direct, their goal is much more grand: bring the 2012 Olympic Summer Games to New York City. The biggest hot-button topic surrounding the games is the possible construction of the "Olympic Stadium," better known to most New Yorkers as the "West Side Stadium." The new facility would provide a new home for the Jets as well as give New York a beautiful new venue for concerts, sporting events and bigger conventions. However, like any run-of-the-mill, billion dollar project, New York's Olympic bid - and all of the facilities that would come with it - has drawn both proponents (Michael Bloomberg) and critics (James "anti-anything except his own wealth" Dolan, owner of Madison Square Garden). New York is one of five candidate cities, and is believed to be trailing Paris and London in the race to win the bid. The other two candidates are Moscow and Madrid. Of the five, there is no better or more deserving city to play host to the games than New York. The beautification of all five boroughs will be terrific, the city will be booming with an influx of revenue, and most importantly for me, the Jets will no longer have to play under a big blue sign that reads "Giants Stadium." Guy Masterman, a modern Olympic historian and professor of sports management at NYU, also believes that the legacy the facilities would leave - not only in Manhattan, but in the other boroughs as well - is something that helps set New York's bid apart. He also spoke of "white elephants," a term that refers to large facilities that go virtually unused once the Olympics leave town. "One key for the [International Olympic Comittee] in evaluating a bid is whether or not anyone has been put into place as an after-user," said Masterman, noting that New York would have no trouble making use of the new buildings after the Olympics left town. The city has an intricate plan for each of the new facilities and none of them will be under-used. "White elephants happen because not early enough strategic planning was done." Whether it is a lack of interest or simply lack of knowledge, many at this university seem to be apathetic towards the possibility of the Olympics coming to New York. Even big sports fans like myself are more inclined to talk about the most mundane pro-sports topics than delve into the Olympics debate. However, NYU does in fact have good, strong ties to the NYC2012 campaign. Other than the obvious - the fact that our campus would be near the central hub of the five-borough event - there are other ways that NYU is woven into the fabric of New York's Olympic bid. From NYU President John Sexton to diving coach Scott Donie, members of the NYU community are very much involved in the push to win the games for New York City. Sexton is on the NYC2012 ethics committee. Donie, a silver medalist in the '92 Olympics, is a member of the NYC2012 board of directors. But Sexton and Donie are not the only ones who should be pushing for the Olympic Games - students stand to gain tremendously. The 2012 Olympics would be a huge moneymaker for local businesses and individuals - an economy in which NYU grads will surely be involved. The West Side Stadium would undoubtedly provide more jobs - not only for recent college grads, but also for those already in the work force. The Olympics coming to New York would be great for the city, and Donie said he is confident that New York will win the bid. "We'd be hosting the world," Donie said. "It's like hosting a party - you put your best face on." Party or not, the biggest reason to support the Olympics in New York City can be found in six letters: legacy. While the two weeks in 2012 may be hectic and congested, the facilities and renovation that the games would leave would last forever. Sexton also supports the idea that the games would have a strong residual effect on New York. "The future of this great city increasingly lies in what I call the ICE sector of the economy: Intellectual, Cultural, and Educational," Sexton wrote in an e-mail. "The Olympics can be an enormous boost to that sector, and the effects will be long-lasting." However, not everyone in the NYU community is as gung-ho about the possibility of New York City hosting the games. The financial frivolousness of the city, along with the threat of terrorism are both popular arguments of those who oppose New York's bid. But to those who argue that New York City would be a sitting duck for terrorists, I would say this: The Olympics will be the most "locked down" event in the history of the country. I'd feel less safe at a state fair in Kansas than at the Olympics in New York. The NYPD has already created their extensive security plan for all of the venues as well as all athlete transportation routes. Imagine this past summer's Republican National Convention times 10. And to get this column nominated for the cliche of the century award, let me truly say that if we are scared to hold the Olympics in the world's greatest city because of terrorism, then those terrorists have succeeded. One of the biggest groups to publicly rip the idea of the stadium - and therefore the Olympics, as there will be no Olympics without a stadium - is Cablevision, the media conglomerate that also owns Madison Square Garden. The group, headed by James Dolan, claims that the money that goes into the stadium could be used for firefighters and school teachers. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the needs of firefighters just as much as the next guy. But let's look for a second at whether or not Cablevision may have an ulterior motive here. Madison Square Garden is currently one of the larger venues for sporting events and concerts in Manhattan. If a new and better facility moves in just blocks away, will they still have a stranglehold on the market? I think not. They are claiming that they really just want to beautify the West side of Manhattan and that the rail yards the stadium would be built on could be used better. Donie posed a great question to those at Cablevision. "If they wanted to rebuild the West side, why didn't they do it first?" Donie said. "Cablevision isn't doing what's best for the community. They want to do it for themselves. It seems a little bit shady to me." In 76 days, the location of the 2012 games will be determined. In seven years, one of the five candidate cities will be basking in the glory of the international spotlight. Here's to hoping that - like the subway ads say - "Every country gets home field advantage." ISSN 1549-9375 Copyright © 2004, Washington Square News, all rights reserved. http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.htmlFor NYU’s sake, bring the Olympics in 2012
http://www.nyunews.com/sports/columnists/9514.html