ABC says Summer Olympics has 1/10th the number of spectators expected!

[KoKo]

And Half the tickets are unsold, and Greek tourism is down..(CBS Reports)They thought it was because "visitors stayed away because of high prices and terrorism fears and local Greeks stayed away because August is the Holiday (true of all European Holidays).

Scalpers were selling tickets for $150.00 American Bucks...though. The Organizers are thinking of "giving away" tickets to school children...and pictures of empty stadiums signify "desperation."

:shrug:

[BayouBengal07]

1. Too bad.

That really is a shame. I'd go if I could.

[NC_Nurse]

2. Wow...

that's really sad!

They've done such a beautiful job on the stadium. The opening ceremony was great!

[LoZoccolo]

3. I barely even notice that it's happening now.

Like I kept wondering when the Olympics were gonna be up until now and didn't even really know that the opening ceremonies were gonna happen until right before they did, like the day of. I think there's a big element of awkwardness involved too, seeing as a bunch of the parts of the world got caught up in this Iraq mess.

Man, imagine if we didn't start this war, or at least did it honorably and found weapons of mass destruction or made a human rights case against Saddam and executed it properly or whatever...like everyone would be cheering for us.

[jdj]

25. I sometimes think what it could've been like

If the sociopathic opportunists in the white house hadn't used this as an excuse to invade Iraq.

I can't get into it either this year, I can't take the jingoism of athletes competing based on nationality, why can't they just go as individuals instead of teams.

I want to watch women's soccer, and that is it.

[newyawker99]

4. One of the announcers said that August is vacation

time for the Greeks and many have left Athens.

I noticed that some events have better
attendance than others but there are
a lot of empty seats.

[calico1]

5. I feel really bad for the Greeks.

You bid for the games way in advance so there was no way of knowing when they won the bid what could happen. Though I suppose that is a chance they all take. This will probably the first time the games cost the host city more than they put into them. Its not just the game attendance. Its the restaurants and businesses too and hotel stays. I hope things pick up some before they are over.

[Retrograde]

21. and i'm so glad my area's out of the running for 2012

" This will probably the first time the games cost the host city more than they put into them"

Montreal, 1976? The 1984 LA Olympics were noteworthy in that they did make money for a change. Building new infrastructure, staffing the games, bribing the IOC (sorry, they've stopped this bit, right :-) all adds up.

I did see some of the '84 soccer games since they were held within waling distance of my house, and went to the '94 World Cup prelims for the same reason, but I have no desire to travel anywhere in summer. If I want to experience hot smog I can do it closer to home at a fraction of the expense.

[otohara]

6. These Are Not Happy Times

I think the Iraq war has put a damper on everyone, everywhere.

[KoKo]

12. I think you have a point there. Eveyone is gloomy. And, I haven't seen

the ususal pump up hype glorifying the olympics that the cables or networks hosting it used to do.

It's hard to find much about them, and when I do it's boxing.

The whole world is "down" these days...but this is the first time the Corporists are seeing it...and NBC will lose their shirt on this. That's why they aren't pumping it. They knew in advance they weren't seeling tickets and the advertisers wanted figures and with low ticket sales they won't spend big bucks on hype because of no Corporate advertising bucks coming in.

I feel badly for the athletes...but then they aren't "amateurs" anymore they are professionals since they changed the rules...so who cares about the stuff anymore...

Probably lots of reasons..but still sad. I loved the Olympics and looked forward to them...this year it's like there's nothing to really watch with them..:-(

[fujiyama]

19. I'm just so obsessed

with this election. I paid close attention to the '00 election but I found the time to watch some of the Olympics. Now, this election is consuming so much of my time...and partly a worry as well that Bush may "win" again.

This year, I didn't even catch the openening ceremony. It's kind of unfortunate. I've watched the openening ceremonies the last several years.

[Jacobin]

16. Very true

The United States has become the great satan and it is very sad.

[stavka]

7. Entertainment has been priced too high for the common man

...same is true for concerts and sports unless you like 4th grade band and college softball.

I only recently feel my income can support such luxury on occasion, TV has become our circus of choice, because it offers as much for $50 a month for a household as a single middle range ticket to a grade B entertainment costs.

Sad really.

I blame the recording industry, who make it impossible for artists to live on record sales

[eeyore]

8. Why put yourself in a huge crowd?

I personally have no desire in this day and age to put myself into an event that requires that level of security. Not to mention the fact that the US press has been railing for at least a year about how the Greeks have not handled the security well, were behind schedule, etc.

I've never understood the desire to go to places like Times Square for Y2K. Double goes for the Olympics while the US has the larger portion of the world pissed off at us. If I did go I think I'd wear the flag of Canada.

Hard time to go and chant USA! USA! USA! with any sincerity.

-eeyore

[Cheswick2.0]

14. why not?

The world is no more dangerous than it has ever been. bush has ruined all joy in the world with his scare tactics.

[eeyore]

15. Quite true...

When it comes down to it I really just hate being in crowds. Here's one reason why....

I woke up on morning when I was camping at a concert and went to go do my "morning business". I was greeted by the sight of a guy puking into/onto a porta-potty that was literally overflowing with shit. I looked for a cleaner one, and ended up having to leave the site just to take a piss. I've been pretty disgusted by those things ever since.

Just one reason I'm not really into the whole mass humanity experience. We really are disgusting creatures.

But, yeah, I'd like to see some Olympic soccer nonetheless.

;)

[maxsolomon]

9. simply priced too high

just for fun, i checked the rates of the hotel attalus, very close to the plaka, where i stayed in summer 2001. the rates tripled for the games. $300/night.

add the gouging of the tickets, and who feels like watching sweaty shotputters when you could lay on a beach and watch topless girls for a quarter of the price.

its a decent place to stay when the rates are reasonable, though: AC, free breakfast, rooftop lounge with a view of the acropolis - i feel like going back!

[fujiyama]

20. Topless Greek women!

:P

Sorry I couldn't help it.

[eleny]

10. Tera! Terra! Terra!

[Junkdrawer]

11. Yeah. And tourism to Israel is down too. Hmmm wonder why?

:think:

[Cheswick2.0]

13. The venues are spectaculary beautiful. I love their use of the color blue

I feel very bad for the Greeks. They did a wonderful job getting the whole thing together under a lot of pressure. It should be a joyous celebration of their culture like all the other Olympics have been in my memory.

[KoKo]

17. I know.. it's sad the year the Olympics return to their home, and the

culture which Western Civilization has taken so much from...and this year folks really don't care about ideals and Greeks and what our roots are.

It makes one want to cry...but NBC missed their opportunity by not making the link and promoting these Olympics for the best of values civilization can hope to achieve.

Instead of getting people psyched up...they didn't get initial ticket sales and "no tickee sales...no promotion" by the "usual crowd" who forks over big bucks for this...and so no one wins in the end. Public and Athletes lose and the Corporatists haven't had to put out many bucks for their failure.

And, Bush could care less because he's too busy raking in those campaign dollars to notice that "something is going on in Greece."

Has anyone even seen a photo op of Bush with the Athletes giving them encouragement, or any acknowledgement that we are participating? Maybe I missed him doing this..but someone would have posted it on DU for those of us who aren't glued to the TV, I would think. :shrug:

[kittykitty]

24. It is so very well done! I love the olive wreaths for the athletes, and

the way they play "The Star Spangled Banner" when the USA wins a gold.
The opening ceremonies were the best I've ever seen in my 65 years!

[Green Lantern]

18. I am really sorry to see

the stands so empty. It is not fair to the athletes.

I originally thought that the threat of terrorism had a major part in this situation, but I read a news report and heard a piece on Democracy Now about a labor dispute with the laborers who built the complex. They were treated really badly, and I understand, they asked fellow Greeks to stay away in retaliation.

[T Bone]

22. I hope NBC loses its' ASS on this

I have watched a little swimming, but that pathetic new sport? Handball? That is absolutely stupid.

The opening ceremonies were great though. Sort of an anti-Disney ouevre. People I was with sure weren't getting it and I think it was because of the Disneyfication of America. They were lost. But I did get a big hoot out of the glowing stomach of the pregnant woman at the end ! It was like she was carrying ET or something. All the mythology and history, and paganism in the opening ceremony was wild, and done extremely well from an artistic and choreographic standpoint. And usually I skip 'opening ceremony' crap.

[PretzelWarrior]

23. well...there's always Charlie Chan DVDs.

LOL

[gauguin57]

26. Pretty soon, Bush is gonna have people so terra-fied

that no one's gonna want to go anywhere.

The tourist industry in NYC and D.C. will go kaput.

No one will even wanna go to Disney World anymore, and Jebby will get voted out of office and the Bushes will lose their illegal control over Florida.

[Reciprocity]

27. I watched Iraq win over Costa Rica in soccer. It was bloody brilliant.