Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunk
I think you'll hear a lot more "Good deal for Calgary. Local taxpayers put in x, other parties put in y, we get most of the benefit."
I don't think the difficulty in attracting bids is that competition is obsolete, it's that they let the games hosting get out of hand - hence Agenda 2020. It's still quite a bit of money, but I think the benefit - tangible and less tangible with the cost and risk spread across multiple parties will on balance be really worth it for the city.
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The problem is the benefit. Some people are over the moon at improving winter sports facilities, the majority of Calgarians simply will never benefit from the facilities and thus do not care. It's not moving the needle like a new arena or transit investment would. The fieldhouse is basically the big selling point, and I actually think the McMahon renovation shouldn't be touted at all because it isn't what most people wanted which was something new. It sort of reinforces the poverty/refurb nature of the games, which isn't exciting at all.
And I do think the competition is obsolete. It's too expensive and the events the vast majority want to see are basically impossible to attend unless you are rich, or connected. Sports are more and more becoming an elitist thing, not so much for the plebs. Events like this really serve to reinforce that.