[slackline]

There is something very weird about 'having to have a Visa card' to purchase tickets. Sponsorship is one thing but what next? You can't enter an Olympic Venue without a Big Mac and bottle of coke in your hands?

Pernicious!

[chris20]

I'm surprised volleyball hasn't been mentioned yet.... http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/volleyball-sold-out-201103163631/

[rich d]

I don't think it's being negative about the sporting endevour etc. I accept that large multinationals will sponsor events as a way to make them more appealing-fair enough that's their role. However I resent that 9.3billion of tax payer's (my) money has been spent on this. It's hidden in the legacy of the games and the sporting glory of the nation - as far as I can see the legacy is a knockdown priced football stadium - to be used by a small amount of londoners, the ticket prices mean that the legacy of kids being able to be inspired first hand is limited to a handfull. Like so much it's a power and ego trip of politicians and would be politicians who like to pretend that they're important and have a standing and impact on the world stage. I'm sure even the incompetent set of fuckwits who run the country could find a more productive use of 9.3billion to provide a legacy, that shock horror might even have an impact outside of London.

[SA Chris]

Clearly I'm in the minority and no point in trying to stand against a tide of ill feelings.

In spite of all the financial/political/corporate issues the naysayers are hammering on about I'm more excited by the Olympic Games than any of the "major tournaments" that happen every 4 years, and are full of the same financial/political/corporate bullshit, but people are strangely happy to take a blinkered view of because they actually like the game being played.

[slackline]

No blind eye here, they're all as bad as each other, in fact "Professional" Football is one of the worst with the ridiculous amounts of cash that get chucked around.  "Sheffield for 2018" - no thank you!


(I suspect many of the contributors to the Balls to Fiend thread would probably agree on this front too).

Nothing wrong with standing against the tide 


Come back by slack---line, on Flickr

[nik at work]

I'm going out in a minute but just want to make the point that you don't stand alone SA Chris, I too am ludicrously excited about the olympics coming here.
Yes it's a shame it's not all going to cost £50, and yes it would be nice to get tickets for 5p a pop but hey-ho. Corporate blah-blah-blah is terrible and etc etc, but it's pretty inevitable and hardly a problem unique to the Olympics. The Olympics in your country is a once in a lifetime experience for most major countries, whereas football is ripping off punters week in week out. OK the Olympics will cost a hundredty-sixty-trillion squids, but so what? It's happening once, then it will disappear from our lives. We may be paying for it for the next twenty years, but so what? I'm also paying shit loads for a big boat that planes can land on whilst not buying any planes, that seems more silly to me.
If you're not interested in the Olympics don't go. Maybe you object to money been spent on things you don't like but if the government only invested in the shit I'm interested in then the UK would be in big trouble.

If I do go I'll take a pepsi t-shirt and an AMEX flag though...

[Falling Down]

 

I'm standing with Chris too...

[dave]

Anyone know how much tickets for shorties beach volleyball are?

[Stubbs]

I suggest having a read about the legacy, it's a lot more than just a football stadium.

It's great living so close to the site and watching it change and grow each week, we haven't decided whether we are going to get tickets yet, but I'm sure the atmosphere in the city is going to be amazing.

Re tax payer's money, it could be considered that they are just spending the money on the Olympics they didn't spend on a nuclear warhead delivery system!

[SA Chris]

Anyone know how much tickets for shorties beach volleyball are?

http://www.tickets.london2012.com/olyschedule.html

Dates and prices here.

[slackline]

I suggest having a read about the legacy, it's a lot more than just a football stadium.

So they can fall into disrepair like White City Stadium (about the only venue from the 1908 games still standing)?  Ah yes, but that would be considered "outdated" now, so a new one is needed anyway.....and the same would be true whether its built for the Olympics or not.  In fact what about all the other parts of the country that don't get any legacy, they need some facilities too, but hang on, we can't have Olympic stadiums everywhere now can we!

Re tax payer's money, it could be considered that they are just spending the money on the Olympics they didn't spend on a nuclear warhead delivery system!

Has Trident been discontinued?  Don't remember hearing that?

A point from Wikipedia

Another criticism is that the Games are funded by host cities and national governments; the IOC incurs none of the cost, yet controls all the rights and profits from the Olympic symbols. The IOC also takes a percentage of all sponsorship and broadcast income.

Oh and as for it being a once in a lifetime chance, the Olympics have been held in London in 1908 1948 (delayed from 1944) and will now be held here in 2012, so every 40-60 years which isn't a lifetime (these days in the UK at least).

[nik at work]

Slackers do you really not have a job to do?

It may surprise you to hear that huge numbers of buildings since 1908 have fallen into disrepair and even been demolished, some of them were alledgedly unconnected with the Olympics.

You seem to be arguing for not building Olympic stadiums whilst at the same time building them accorss the country, I'm confused.

People have already said it's a shame that the corporate structure of the Olympics is the way it is, but it's not BIG NEWS in this day and age. Lets move on and worry about something that happens more than once (or twice, or if you're very lucky thrice) in a lifetime. If you can't enjoy it for what it is, a great sporting spectacle where the worlds best will be in our country doing amazing things in a hugely broad spectrum of disciplines, then don't. But at least don't quietly in the comfort of you own home a safe distance from a keyboard. To quote the the venerable Mr Ryder all your negativity is "twisting my melon man".

[slackline]

It may surprise you to hear that huge numbers of buildings since 1908 have fallen into disrepair and even been demolished, some of them were alledgedly unconnected with the Olympics.

You seem to be arguing for not building Olympic stadiums whilst at the same time building them accorss the country, I'm confused.

The point I appear to have failed to convey is that using the fact that there will be a legacy to justify/support hosting the Olympics, as Stubbs was suggesting, isn't a particularly good reason because there is a need for such facilities across the country, and such facilities need rebuilding every few decades anyway, thus the "legacy" doesn't mean much from my perspective (especially as its mostly London-centric).

Does that make sense?

But at least don't quietly in the comfort of you own home a safe distance from a keyboard. To quote the the venerable Mr Ryder all your negativity is "twisting my melon man".

Sorry to twist your melon, but its an open forum where someone started a thread.  If positive lovey-dovey posts were all that was wanted then that should have been pointed out, clearly my opinions don't dovetail with the majority but its no reason not to engage in dialogue, in fact I'm receptive to others opinions and may even revise mine in light of them.

[Falling Down]

The East Manchester redevelopment as a result of the Commonwealth Games and the subsequent acquisition of the Stadium by MCFC is a great example of where a 'legacy' has had a very positive impact both socially and commercially.  The recent announcement by MCFC and the City Council's new JV is another step in the right direction.

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2011/March/Club-announcement-East-Mcr

[SA Chris]

That's just not fair. Scotland should have got some of the new facilites from the Manchester Commonwealth games too. How dare they. It's just too Manchester-centric for my liking, for Manchester to be the only city to benefit from the Manchester Commowealth Games.

[slackline]

That's just not fair. Scotland should have got some of the new facilites from the Manchester Commonwealth games too. How dare they. It's just too Manchester-centric for my liking, for Manchester to be the only city to benefit from the Manchester Commowealth Games.

Now you're getting it! 

There is a bit of a parrallel there with a point made in the article Jasper posted about private and commercial companies in the US getting facilities funded by state/community, but it sounds different as MCFC are still engaging with and giving back to the community.

[nai]

That's just not fair. Scotland should have got some of the new facilites from the Manchester Commonwealth games too. How dare they. It's just too Manchester-centric for my liking, for Manchester to be the only city to benefit from the Manchester Commowealth Games.

Calm down dear, you'll get your legacy if you're patient

[SA Chris]

That's just not fair. Scotland should have got some of the new facilites from the Manchester Commonwealth games too. How dare they. It's just too Manchester-centric for my liking, for Manchester to be the only city to benefit from the Manchester Commowealth Games.

Calm down dear, you'll get your legacy if you're patient

That's just too Centralbelt-centric for my liking too.

[rich d]

I've got nothing against the olympics - in fact I will watch them on tv and even occassionally get excited by GB performances. I will also end up watching some obscure sport I've never seen before as we have the chance of getting a medal. It's the feeling that the legacy is probably bollocks that winds me up. We're not going to have a nation of enthused fit kids who suddenly stop eating loads of crap and do exercise because the olympics are here, Alfreton (where I live)is not going to be ecconomicaly and culturally  rejuvinated by the "greatest show on earth". Yet to hear the politicians and olympic bods speak, holding the olympics here will have long term positive effects on everything. Let's be honest it costs a lot to put on the olympics - it will probably be a short term feel good shot in the arm. For the majority of the population it will be a tv spectacle, that would be the same which ever country it would be held in (as long as time zones were similar). The opening and closing ceremonies will be wank, the sports (with the exception of football, tennis, basketball) will be world class. The biggest winners will be the multinationals and the broadcasting companies alongside the IOC - fairenough. But let's stop pretending that the legacy is value for money.

[SA Chris]

I personally thought Alfreton made a pretty strong bid, but Shepton Mallet and Cwmbran did too. A pity

[Jaspersharpe]

The East Manchester redevelopment as a result of the Commonwealth Games and the subsequent acquisition of the Stadium by MCFC is a great example of where a 'legacy' has had a very positive impact both socially and commercially.  The recent announcement by MCFC and the City Council's new JV is another step in the right direction.

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2011/March/Club-announcement-East-Mcr

That's great. It helps if you have a friendly multi billionaire to fund it all too.



 

[rich d]

Alfreton's bid was mainly let down by the fact it's a shithole.

[Falling Down]

I'm pretty sure that he's on the record stating that the redevelopment around the stadium was a big factor in the club purchase - lot's of opportunities for investing his wads of cash.

[Jaspersharpe]

Just need Sheffield United to attract one of his mates.........   

[Jim]

we really would like to go but the price of tickets and all this bullshit about the advertising is very off-putting