To would-be Olympian in Boston, Atlanta is a ‘second-rate’ city
For the years its baseball team has stood up to the pinstripes in New York City, we doff our caps to Boston. For the way the New England city refused to allow the bombers of the famous marathon to steal its soul, we salute its residents.
But there are limits.
The city that harbored the original American tea party is on the short list for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and has been worrying about the billions it would cost. From the Boston Globe:
The former chief executive of John Hancock, a company that previously sponsored the Olympics, has been skeptical of a Boston bid.
No more.
"Is it technically feasible? Of course it is," said D'Alessandro, who has attended eight Olympics. "If Atlanta can do it, Boston can do it, please. Atlanta is a second-rate city at best. And they pulled it off in 1996."
We haven't heard from Mayor Kasim Reed on this, but the AJC's Katie Leslie tapped former mayor Shirley Franklin. Her reply:
In conclusion: We already have Brian McCann as a reason to root for the Yankees. Don’t tempt us.
About the Author
Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.
