1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Should Mayor Bloomberg have postponed the NY Marathon?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by hondo, Nov 2, 2012.

Page 4 of 8
  1. Bob Cook

    Bob Cook Active Member

    About friggin' time.
     
    Bob Cook, Nov 2, 2012
    #37
  2. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Is one day going to make that much of a difference?

    I would favor postponing the election in areas hit the hardest.
     
    Mark2010, Nov 2, 2012
    #38
  3. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    I'm OK with it as long as the NBA is canceling games in NYC this weekend and the NFL cancels the Steelers-Giants game.

    Oh, wait.

    And yes, I know there is a big difference between organizing a 26.2-mile road race for yuppie marathoners and 15,000 people showing up at MSG for Knicks-whomever. But if you're canceling one, cancel them all.
     
    wicked, Nov 2, 2012
    #39
  4. PaperDoll

    PaperDoll Well-Known Member

    I think the events should go on as scheduled, with the proceeds dedicated to local hurricane relief organizations -- not the top-heavy, expense-laden biggies like the Red Cross.
     
    PaperDoll, Nov 2, 2012
    #40
  5. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Hell no they shouldn't be running this thing. Glad to see the pressure and the outcry finally reached those allegedly in charge. People are waiting in line for three hours for gas. Houses are destroyed. There's a lack of water and food. And they're going to run a freakin' race? Glad someone finally caught a clue.
     
    MileHigh, Nov 2, 2012
    #41
  6. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member


    Bullshit. Last year a total of 46,795 took part. Divide 340 million bucks by 46,795 runners.

    You think each one of those participants was responsible for $7,265.73 of economic activity? Each?


    Remember: Any figure any idiot throws out as economic justification for holding some massive sports event is utterly guaranteed to be absolute bullshit.
     
    Starman, Nov 2, 2012
    #42
  7. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    So, the race was canceled because of "pressure" (read: a potential public-relations problem), rather than because, you know, who actually would, in all real honesty, be caring very much about a marathon -- even the NYC Marathon -- right now?

    Given the devastation left behind by Sandy and the continuing horrible weather conditions, this decision should have been clear-cut -- an easy, simple matter of priorities.
     
    WriteThinking, Nov 2, 2012
    #43
  8. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    With that kind of selective editing, you could work for Fox News. Here is what I wrote: "But the race and the stated $340 million economic impact -- which is probably inflated, so stipulated, but there is a lot of activity."

    Hey, maybe you're Tits McGee!
     
    LongTimeListener, Nov 2, 2012
    #44
  9. waterytart

    waterytart Active Member

    Right on all counts. I've been on the sideline for a marathon. No particular person to root for, just hanging out. It was wonderful fun.

    I think Bloomberg got blindsided by Staten Island's perpetual stepchild status. Should he have known what the whole city looked like before he made the call to proceed? Of course, but I bet those pictures came in late, even to him.
     
    waterytart, Nov 3, 2012
    #45
  10. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Was it not possible to reschedule the race for a couple of weeks later? Or was the damage so bad that the recovery time is going to be far longer?

    I understand how a lot of runners from outside NY would be disappointed, which is why I wonder if rescheduling for a later date might be a viable option.
     
    Mark2010, Nov 3, 2012
    #46
  11. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    Marathoners are an exacting breed of runners. They spend months training preparing for a particular weekend. That, combined with winter moving in, mans you can't bump the NYC marathon back a month or two and have it then.
     
    Inky_Wretch, Nov 3, 2012
    #47
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Seriously selective edit that ignored what he wrote. Wow.

    I think they had to cancel the marathon.

    But obviously you dividing an estimate of the economic impact by the number of runners is a meaningless exercise that tells us nothing. It's not the same, but it would be a bit like suggesting the Yankees don't draw whatever revenue they do, because they have only 9 players on the field.

    The marathon draws 2 million people to its route every year. We're out there. We'll buy coffee, stop for food, grab some dinner afterward. Then add in all of those runners, many of them from other places, including other parts of the world -- and their families, who stay in hotel rooms, go out to eat etc.

    I don't know how much economic activity the marathon creates, but I'd guess it is significant and a number in the hundreds of millions seems as if it could be accurate.

    As you said, it's not a reason to go ahead with the race when you have the runners passing by areas that have been devastated and people are homeless and trying to figure out how they are going to rebuild their lives. But your dollar amount divided by runners was simplistically useless (as is often the case when you try to make a point).
     
    The Big Ragu, Nov 3, 2012
    #48
Page 4 of 8
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page