Los Angeles 2024 Olympics - How it could possibly affect attendance

Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In case anyone didn't know, Los Angeles is one of the five cities being considered to host the 2024 summer Olympics. If chosen, the games will be spread out through Los Angeles County.

Should Los Angeles host, how could it affect the Disneyland Resort? I'm aware the DLR is in Orange County, but Orange County isn't a great distance away from Los Angeles. I think the parks' attendance for those few weeks will either stay the same or slightly dip. What does everyone else think?

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TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
When LA hosted the Olympics in 1984 everyone expected gridlocked freeways and very busy local attractions. The opposite was true, and Disneyland was especially dead and quiet during the summer of '84 when the Olympics were happening. The reality is that everyone was so scared of all the crowds that they either left town entirely, or refused to leave their homes. The freeways were free flowing, crowds were nonexistent, reservations were easily available in all the best restaurants, and Disneyland had one of its slowest summer seasons in decades.

No one could believe it.

I imagine the same will happen again if LA gets the Olympics for '24. But that's a big "if" as the IOC is furious that San Francisco refused to play and then Boston bailed at the last second and left LA to scoop up the US bid. The Euro-centric IOC is now aiming the '24 Olympics at Europe and is mad that their first pick Boston won't agree to host the party over cost concerns. LA has already had two Olympics and the IOC does not want to return to LA. I would expect Hamburg or Paris to be at the top of the list, with Rome and Budapest in third and fourth place, and LA as the desperate longshot and token USA entry.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I hadn't been born at the time of the 1984 Olympics, buy I always hear about the surprisingly lack of traffic during the games, which is hard to believe now, since there's traffic everywhere. It doesn't seem the no traffic deal would happen nine years from now.
 
Phroobar

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
You got the same effect a few years ago when undocumented workers where told to stay home in protest over some immigration rule.
 
rob0519

rob0519

Well-Known Member
Unless one is planning on working at Disneyland 9 years from now, why would anyone worry about what the Olympics would do to traffic patterns or attendance? I'm sure a lot will have changed in L.A. in the 40 years since 1984.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
London also emptied out in 2012 and traffic was very light; many locals left town or hunkered down and tried not to venture out.

LA has changed since '84, mostly in regards to rail transit. There are now hundreds of miles of rail mass transit; light rail, subways, and heavy commuter rail, although much of the rail lines go nowhere near the major sports venues in LA except the Staples Center. There isn't even a rail connection to LAX. Otherwise LA is still LA.

If LA gets the Olympics, and again that is very unlikely, I wouldn't plan on staying for them. I would leave town and go visit relatives out of state for a couple weeks, and maybe rent a cabin on the Oregon coast or something. I just wouldn't want to be part of the mess or have to deal with anything. I would expect Disneyland to have a very slow summer that year, but I won't plan on sticking around to see it.

As in most major cities in the Free World, the locals who can leave during the Olympics leave. The exception is in Communist countries like Beijing where the locals don't have much choice and had to do what the government told them to do (close their factories, restrict travel, etc. to clear out the pollution during the games).
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
rob0519 said:
Unless one is planning on working at Disneyland 9 years from now, why would anyone worry about what the Olympics would do to traffic patterns or attendance? I'm sure a lot will have changed in L.A. in the 40 years since 1984.
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about traffic or attendance (where in the title does it ask about traffic?). I'm speculating about attendance. Speculation and worry are two different things.
 
ForeverAnna

ForeverAnna

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking attendance won't be effected much. People who stay away because of the Olympics might be balanced by people who came for the Olympics and decide to visit DL too.

I live in Salt Lake City and it wasn't too bad when we had the Olympics in 2002. Of course I know SLC and LA are two different beasts and the Summer Olympics are much bigger than the Winter Olympics.
 
Stevek

Stevek

Well-Known Member
By 2024, the attendance at the resort may already be unbearable with the addition of SW land and who knows what else. For some reason, I doubt I will be living in So Cal in 9 years. I will be 58 or so and hopefully retired...may be living closer to WDW by then, but not in Florida.
 
Jiggsawpuzzle35

Jiggsawpuzzle35

Well-Known Member
Being that the press will be housed at Universal and those jerks in LA don't want anything to do with Orange County, I'd see more attention towards Universal Studios Hollywood.
 
Jiggsawpuzzle35

Jiggsawpuzzle35

Well-Known Member
They were actually held at quite a few spots in Orange County. I believed that used Janet Evans earlier this month to promote the 2024 Olympics. Newsflash , she's from Placentia which is in Orange County.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

TP2000 said:
The Euro-centric IOC is now aiming the '24 Olympics at Europe and is mad that their first pick Boston won't agree to host the party over cost concerns. LA has already had two Olympics and the IOC does not want to return to LA.
Click to expand...

This. The Olympics will not be coming to LA in 2024.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

The IOC couldn't care less about existing venues. Just look at that mess that they let the Russians create in Sochi. The organization is incredibly corrupt, as I'm sure everyone here knows.
 
Jiggsawpuzzle35

Jiggsawpuzzle35

Well-Known Member
I don't think they want to tarnish their image anymore. Look at the disaster in Brazil. Their water venues are all polluted and people are getting sick. LA is the safe bet compared to these other cities. Plus there hasn't been a Olympics on US soil since 2002. Most of the corporate sponsors are U.S. based and I'm sure they'll have a say. Plus NBC too with the Billions they've forked over for these events.
 

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