What a bad idea. A bad idea on so many levels. There will be multiple posts about this folly to come in the weeks ahead. For now, let's just focus on who is supporting the bid. If some of these 'civic-minded' folks have something to gain, it should give us pause.
When I looked at the DC2024 webpage 'boosting' the bid, one pattern was brick-through-the-window obvious. Major league sports are behind the venture. Specifically, Ted Leonis (who owns the Washington Capitals, the Vizards, and the Mystics), Mark D. Lerner (who owns the Nationals), and Paul Tagliabue (a former NFL commissioner). The only major players missing are Dan Snyder and the DC United's Owners. Given Snyder's level of toxicity, Tagliabue is most likely the NFL's stand in. And, DC United is still focused on trying to get a stadium, meaning it doesn't (yet) have a dog in this fight.
I know, at this point, some of you are unhappy with the direction this here tirade is going:
- "Paws off! I'm going to marry Ovi, and for that to happen, he needs to live here"
- "Ladies Love Cool Mystics!"
- "Natitude!"
- "If George Will supports the Nats, then so do I!"
But, I digress. The role of Major Leagues sports give me a stop-me-in-my-tracks-can-I-get-off-this-train level of pause.
Leonis and Lerner both have something to gain from having the Olympics in the city. They respectively own and lease the Verizon Center and National's Park. And, though a successful Olympic bid would likely require building some new facilities, both venues are new enough to get some use (and as a result, to generate fees for their current lease holders). The baseball stadium also has a view and looks great in photographs taken from the other side of the river.
Although Leonis has been a fairly good corporate citizen, it would be hard to put Lerner in that category. He's basically tried to shift the costs for his team onto the city since he first started negotiating for the stadium nearly 10 years ago.
It started when he demanded the city pay for the full costs of his stadium. Apparently, the owners of major league franchises are a lot like the former Governor and First Lady of Virginia--they think someone else should pick up the tab. Since then, Lerner's been late on his rent to the city, and gotten fussy about paying the metro system to keep the system open for games that go late (even though the city will reimburse him if the ridership is high enough).
In my mind, these guys have too much vested interest in an Olympic bid to be viewed as reputable voices on behalf of the city or metro area.
Public investment should be for public, not private gain, and should be substantial rather than ephemeral.
