The U.S. Olympic Committee is expected to decide on a site to propose for the 2024 Summer Games in September 2015. Under the plans DC 2024 — the group exploring a Washington, D.C. bid — Baltimore-area venues would stage Olympic events and Baltimore would support the games with transit and hotel infrastructure. Critics are asking what benefit this would bring to the city and region, and if the costs could outweigh the revenue.
Econimcs professor Dennis Coates told The Baltimore Sun that the Olympics are a financial boon to the International Olympic Committee, but not necessarily to the host cities. “The question is: How much do we have to pay?” Coates said. “Just putting together a bid is an expensive proposition. It’s not an easy thing to do.”
Even with his misgivings, however, Coates, shared, “This could generate an enormous amount of pride and an enormous amount of happiness among the population, particularly if you pull it off well.”
