White Games wouldn't go over well and shouldn't. We are talking about minority groups which white people aren't. I don't see the problem.

White Games wouldn't go over well and shouldn't. We are talking about minority groups which white people aren't. I don't see the problem.

 

So what you're saying, is that it's ok to name an event after a group because they are the minority versus naming after a group that represents the majority? How so?

 

Also, does minority mean: Black, Hispanic, Gay, or does it mean population differing from the majority in characteristics -which obviously changes depending on what part of the country you're in?

The gays are hosting the events, and they are open to all.

If you want to grab a bunch if white people together and put together what amounts to a mini Olympics and call it the White Games, go for it!

From the official website of the gay games...

 

it is a fundamental principle of the Federation of Gay Games that all activities conducted under its auspices shall be inclusive in nature and that no individual shall be excluded from participating on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, political belief(s), athletic/artistic ability, physical challenge, age, or health status.

 

saying it discriminates or is exclusionary of anyone is moot point...

 

http://www.gaygames.com/en/federation/purpose.htm

 

End of discussion??  Probably not!

The gays are hosting the events, and they are open to all.

If you want to grab a bunch if white people together and put together what amounts to a mini Olympics and call it the White Games, go for it!

 

If you read my original post, this was a common question among a few posters over at SSC. I didn't even think about this point until I read the post ... which by the way, was also seconded by someone that happened to be gay. Your comment is directed towards the wrong person. Personally, I think it's a valid question and I'm just playing devil's advocate here ... this is something that I've been thinking about for the past few years.

 

Christian® University, United Negro College Fund, The Gay Games, Confederacy Heritage, etc, etc ....

Replace White with Irish, Italian, German, etc. and I don't think that people would bat an eye. Even the majority can be subdivided into minority groups. I think it would have to do with the perception that events exists that are all inclusive and if you try to create an event to exclude the minority then it is bigoted, etc, however if you create an event to  exclude the majority (meaning here not of whatever minority is sponsoring the event) that's OK.

 

I guess another way to put it is it that most people find it is OK to celebrate what you are  Gay, Christain, Irish, etc.Whatever makes you unique.Along those same lines is not OK to celebrate  what you are not, which is inferred by the "White Games" meaning not Black, Hispanic, etc.

 

I gave explaining this rational a shot. Let the flames begin. I am ready. :shoot:

 

 

 

I love Chris Maag's work ...

 

Forget Chicago: Cleveland Gets the Gay Games

By Christopher Maag, Time Magazine

Thursday, Oct. 01, 2009

 

Let Chicago and President Obama compete for the Olympics. Cleveland — yes, Cleveland! — just won the Gay Games. Citing the city's world-class athletic facilities, hotels and public transportation, the Gay Games Federation announced that Cleveland will host the games in 2014. An abundance of enthusiasm, some Midwestern pluck and a boisterous night on Lake Erie didn't hurt ...

 

More at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1927211,00.html.

BTW, my Mom talked to her neighbors, who were part of the committee heading up the efforts to bring the games here. They are still in Germany and are exhausted. They have traveled all over the world in the efforts to bring these games here, S. Africa, Europe, all across America, etc.  I'm so happy for them.

Hate to take us off the topic of the White Games (:)), but how exciting - the favorable national press coverage has arrived! Regardless of your feelings about the Gay Games, I think this is going to be a multi-year PR boon for Cleveland, particularly if we can segue this into coverage of our increasingly progressive civic policies ... the completion of the Towpath Trail, which if complete in time for the games, would give participants the option of riding between the site locations through a National Park; a massive planned investment in bike lanes; the conversion of the Shoreway; a downtown bike station and bike rental; an offshore wind farm; Amtrak service from three directions; creative re-use of vacant lots; a burgeoning local/organic food scene and an urban farming movement; door-to-door strategic foreclosure prevention, etc., etc. We just have to be proactive and make sure the recurring story isn't "Cleveland, rocked by decades of industrial decline and devastated by foreclosures, still managed to secure the Gay Games".

 

Interestingly, I think this is also going to be a PR boon for the Games themselves. I think they'll get a lot more coverage for choosing a city that's perceived as being an unusual choice, rather than if they had gone with DC or Boston and a lot of credit for reaching into a (perceived) non-traditional location when it comes to gay population.

White Games wouldn't go over well and shouldn't. We are talking about minority groups which white people aren't. I don't see the problem.

 

Exactly!

 

When the majority segregates and minimalizes minorities (gay, ethnic, etc) those minorities develop separate and distinct cultures.  Being gay, there are even sub-cultures within the gay community.  When a minority group decides to celebrate what makes it unique; in a "friendly" atmosphere, what can be wrong with that?  IF the larger society had been more inclusive in the first place the discussion would probably be moot.

 

Did I make sense?

Hate to take us off the topic of the White Games (:)), but how exciting - the favorable national press coverage has arrived! Regardless of your feelings about the Gay Games, I think this is going to be a multi-year PR boon for Cleveland, particularly if we can segue this into coverage of our increasingly progressive civic policies ... the completion of the Towpath Trail, which if complete in time for the games, would give participants the option of riding between the site locations through a National Park; a massive planned investment in bike lanes; the conversion of the Shoreway; a downtown bike station and bike rental; an offshore wind farm; Amtrak service from three directions; creative re-use of vacant lots; a burgeoning local/organic food scene and an urban farming movement; door-to-door strategic foreclosure prevention, etc., etc. We just have to be proactive and make sure the recurring story isn't "Cleveland, rocked by decades of industrial decline and devastated by foreclosures, still managed to secure the Gay Games".

These games could be a catalyst for getting these projects completed within the next 6 years.

Hate to take us off the topic of the White Games (:)), but how exciting - the favorable national press coverage has arrived! Regardless of your feelings about the Gay Games, I think this is going to be a multi-year PR boon for Cleveland, particularly if we can segue this into coverage of our increasingly progressive civic policies ... the completion of the Towpath Trail, which if complete in time for the games, would give participants the option of riding between the site locations through a National Park; a massive planned investment in bike lanes; the conversion of the Shoreway; a downtown bike station and bike rental; an offshore wind farm; Amtrak service from three directions; creative re-use of vacant lots; a burgeoning local/organic food scene and an urban farming movement; door-to-door strategic foreclosure prevention, etc., etc. We just have to be proactive and make sure the recurring story isn't "Cleveland, rocked by decades of industrial decline and devastated by foreclosures, still managed to secure the Gay Games".

 

Interestingly, I think this is also going to be a PR boon for the Games themselves. I think they'll get a lot more coverage for choosing a city that's perceived as being an unusual choice, rather than if they had gone with DC or Boston and a lot of credit for reaching into a (perceived) non-traditional location when it comes to gay population.

 

This is what gets me excited about hosting this event...Cleveland has an event - with specific dates, big crowds, and lots of attention - which they can really show off the city.  Not only make it a great time for the participants, but also showcase what a great city it is and hopefully make some people come back, or send off some great word of mouth about "what a great time we had in Cleveland".  So many of these projects - Towpath Trail, FEB, filling in Euclid Ave, etc - have been in the proposal stage.  Well, now you have something to shoot for.

 

That and my wife went to Gay Disney with her brother (who is gay) and she said it was a pretty ridiculous time, so should be, if nothing else, a fun week or so!

Cleveland was selected to hold the Gay Games in 2014. Boston and Washington D.C. were the other contenders. The following link provides further details:

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/09/28/daily19.html?ana=tt3245

Hate to take us off the topic of the White Games ( :) ), but how exciting - the favorable national press coverage has arrived! Regardless of your feelings about the Gay Games, I think this is going to be a multi-year PR boon for Cleveland, particularly if we can segue this into coverage of our increasingly progressive civic policies ... the completion of the Towpath Trail, which if complete in time for the games, would give participants the option of riding between the site locations through a National Park; a massive planned investment in bike lanes; the conversion of the Shoreway; a downtown bike station and bike rental; an offshore wind farm; Amtrak service from three directions; creative re-use of vacant lots; a burgeoning local/organic food scene and an urban farming movement; door-to-door strategic foreclosure prevention, etc., etc. We just have to be proactive and make sure the recurring story isn't "Cleveland, rocked by decades of industrial decline and devastated by foreclosures, still managed to secure the Gay Games".

 

Interestingly, I think this is also going to be a PR boon for the Games themselves. I think they'll get a lot more coverage for choosing a city that's perceived as being an unusual choice, rather than if they had gone with DC or Boston and a lot of credit for reaching into a (perceived) non-traditional location when it comes to gay population.

 

Again, it will only work if Cleveland's PR strategy is in check

Cleveland was selected to hold the Gay Games in 2014. Boston and Washington D.C. were the other contenders. The following link provides further details:

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/09/28/daily19.html?ana=tt3245

 

Welcome to the boards kg.  We actually already know this and have been posting about it since Tuesday, if you go back to previous pages.

Cleveland was selected to hold the Gay Games in 2014. Boston and Washington D.C. were the other contenders. The following link provides further details:

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/09/28/daily19.html?ana=tt3245

 

Welcome to the boards kg.  We actually already know this and have been posting about it since Tuesday, if you go back to previous pages.

I think he or she was just posting the blurb from the article according to the new rules. Thank you for the link kg.

Replace White with Irish, Italian, German, etc. and I don't think that people would bat an eye. Even the majority can be subdivided into minority groups. I think it would have to do with the perception that events exists that are all inclusive and if you try to create an event to exclude the minority then it is bigoted, etc, however if you create an event to  exclude the majority (meaning here not of whatever minority is sponsoring the event) that's OK.

 

I guess another way to put it is it that most people find it is OK to celebrate what you are  Gay, Christain, Irish, etc.Whatever makes you unique.Along those same lines is not OK to celebrate  what you are not, which is inferred by the "White Games" meaning not Black, Hispanic, etc.

 

I gave explaining this rational a shot. Let the flames begin. I am ready. :shoot:

 

 

 

 

Probably the best response so far.

 

IF the larger society had been more inclusive in the first place the discussion would probably be moot.

 

:roll:

Enough of the White Games discussion.  If you want to continue that discussion, you may start a thread on Urbanbar about it.  Let's keep this about the Gay Games coming to Cleveland in 2014.

What about the fact that Akron played a big roll in winning this gig and will be a part of the event. I can see now how Cleveland will treat Akron...like a suburb at best and in all likelihood as though it doesn't exist. That fact is that Cleveland and Akron got the gay games and not just Cleveland.

The main focus is always on the host city which in this case is Cleveland. Like the Olympics the events are spread out into neighboring cities but they usually don't receive much recognition.

What about the fact that Akron played a big roll in winning this gig and will be a part of the event. I can see now how Cleveland will treat Akron...like a suburb at best and in all likelihood as though it doesn't exist. That fact is that Cleveland and Akron got the gay games and not just Cleveland.

 

Where's Akron?  ;)

IIRC Summit County, not Akron, contributed 100k after it looked like Cleveland would get the games.

 

....that's all!

Golf will be at Firestone.  Im not sure if any other events will be there

Cleveland's 'square factor' helps land the Gay Games

By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer

October 07, 2009, 3:55AM

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Founded in San Francisco 28 years ago, the Gay Games have been held in New York City, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Chicago and Sydney, Australia.

 

Last week, the Federation of Gay Games announced from Europe that the 2014 edition will unfold in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Or, as they are saying across much of the gay world, "Cleveland?"

 

The news elicited widespread curiosity and incredulity, sour grapes in the runner-up cities of Boston and Washington, D.C., and plenty of griping that Cleveland is not gay-friendly enough nor interesting enough to deserve the international games.

 

 

MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/10/clevelands_square_factor_helps.html

^Yeah, there's no way Cleveland could be cool enough to land any event, especially the Gay Games.  Cleveland's too square.

 

WTF is wrong with this "paper"?  I'm not even going to bother reading the article. 

^You probably don't want to read the comments either.  Just more gay bashing from suburbanites.

 

The point of the article is actually a valid one though.  They basically say that there's no point in going to place that's already been changed (D.C. and Boston) when they could go to a Midwestern city in a state that doesn't yet recognize gay marriage.  They think they can more effectively change the perception of the gay community by having Cleveland and the state of Ohio as the back drop.

The obligatory 'river fire' comment was also mixed into this article. Thanks PD!

They didn't want to preach to the choir, its a good strategy

The obligatory 'river fire' comment was also mixed into this article. Thanks PD!

 

And the obligatory smear from a Bostonian who had probably never been to Cleveland.

 

I am fine with the article. Basically I read it that the committee saw Cleveland that was a good place to make inroads, that we as a city were in a position to help.

They didn't want to preach to the choir, its a good strategy

 

I agree that that's what the article implied, although I do have to wonder if the FGG used the same line of reasoning when the games were held twice in San Francisco, and in NYC, Chicago, Amsterdam, Vancouver... 8-) (not directed towards you, but rather to the PD's interpretation.)

 

The first time I heard this "we're going someplace we can make a difference" line was in an interview this guy gave a reporter from DC.  The reporter basically fed him the idea, and Dahl said something along the lines of, "we always strive to improve the community's image."  I guess he's decided to run with that since then.

 

Regardless, I would think that a more valid reason for having the games in Cleveland would be to show that we're just as accepting as any other major city, and to defy the stuffy, conservative Midwestern stereotype.  I mean, look at the community support (and not just from the gay community) that Cleveland demonstrated during the site-selection process compared to the other candidate cities.  To me, that's evidence that it's the "conventional wisdom" about Cleveland, about Ohio, and the rest of the Midwest that needs changed, rather than ourselves. 

 

(Disclaimer:  I do think we as a city, state, and region could be more tolerant of diversity, but that's true of the whole country.  Even most areas that are stereotyped as "liberal" aren't as tolerant as they could or should be, but I think we're making progress.)

I think the comment by some of the game organizers that Cleveland is a " city changing economically and socially" is really the story. Think about it, we're are one the most "blue collar" towns in America and we've landed the Gay Games. This says a lot about the region and city and how much has changed over the last decade. Could any of you have imagined this ten years ago?

^You probably don't want to read the comments either.  Just more gay bashing from suburbanites.

The point of the article is actually a valid one though.  They basically say that there's no point in going to place that's already been changed (D.C. and Boston) when they could go to a Midwestern city in a state that doesn't yet recognize gay marriage.  They think they can more effectively change the perception of the gay community by having Cleveland and the state of Ohio as the back drop.

 

I read the comments and unless your clairvoyant, how do you know where each poster resides.  I see equal comments on both sides.

 

You labeling people as "suburban haters" is just as offensive as some of the posts.

 

They didn't want to preach to the choir, its a good strategy

 

I agree that that's what the article implied, although I do have to wonder if the FGG used the same line of reasoning when the games were held twice in San Francisco, and in NYC, Chicago, Amsterdam, Vancouver... 8) (not directed towards you, but rather to the PD's interpretation.)

 

The first time I heard this "we're going someplace we can make a difference" line was in an interview this guy gave a reporter from DC.  The reporter basically fed him the idea, and Dahl said something along the lines of, "we always strive to improve the community's image."  I guess he's decided to run with that since then.

 

Regardless, I would think that a more valid reason for having the games in Cleveland would be to show that we're just as accepting as any other major city, and to defy the stuffy, conservative Midwestern stereotype.  I mean, look at the community support (and not just from the gay community) that Cleveland demonstrated during the site-selection process compared to the other candidate cities.  To me, that's evidence that it's the "conventional wisdom" about Cleveland, about Ohio, and the rest of the Midwest that needs changed, rather than ourselves. 

 

(Disclaimer:  I do think we as a city, state, and region could be more tolerant of diversity, but that's true of the whole country.  Even most areas that are stereotyped as "liberal" aren't as tolerant as they could or should be, but I think we're making progress.)

 

Personally as a person who's lived a few places and travels quite a deal, Cleveland/NE Ohio is as progressive as many other cities, we just don't have the media coverage of a London, Paris, NYC, San Fran.

 

That will all change in the next 5 years.

 

 

^You probably don't want to read the comments either. Just more gay bashing from suburbanites.

The point of the article is actually a valid one though. They basically say that there's no point in going to place that's already been changed (D.C. and Boston) when they could go to a Midwestern city in a state that doesn't yet recognize gay marriage. They think they can more effectively change the perception of the gay community by having Cleveland and the state of Ohio as the back drop.

 

I read the comments and unless your clairvoyant, how do you know where each poster resides. I see equal comments on both sides.

 

You labeling people as "suburban haters" is just as offensive as some of the posts.

 

Easy now... several of the comments indicated that they no longer lived in the city of Cleveland.  Phrases such as "glad I moved out of that city 20 years ago" and "good thing I moved out when I did" tend to make me think these are people that presumably live in Northeast Ohio, but not in or close to the city of Cleveland.  I know too many families that have moved to the suburbs to get away from anything that makes them uncomfortable and their ignorance has left a sour taste in my mouth.  That's all...

My only objection to this square city concept is the repeated description of Cleveland as "the Heartland."  That makes me bristle so bad.  The Heartland is like "the Orient"- a lazy grouping of everything you don't know to be like you into a giant catch-all category.  If the point is purely PR (the country thinks of Cleveland as the Heartland, so gay rights are advanced if the City pulls this off), fine, but if the promoters really think Cleveland is broadly representative of inland US, then they're idiots.

^You probably don't want to read the comments either.  Just more gay bashing from suburbanites.

The point of the article is actually a valid one though.  They basically say that there's no point in going to place that's already been changed (D.C. and Boston) when they could go to a Midwestern city in a state that doesn't yet recognize gay marriage.  They think they can more effectively change the perception of the gay community by having Cleveland and the state of Ohio as the back drop.

 

I read the comments and unless your clairvoyant, how do you know where each poster resides.  I see equal comments on both sides.

 

You labeling people as "suburban haters" is just as offensive as some of the posts.

 

Easy now... several of the comments indicated that they no longer lived in the city of Cleveland.  Phrases such as "glad I moved out of that city 20 years ago" and "good thing I moved out when I did" tend to make me think these are people that presumably live in Northeast Ohio, but not in or close to the city of Cleveland.  I know too many families that have moved to the suburbs to get away from anything that makes them uncomfortable and their ignorance has left a sour taste in my mouth.  That's all...

 

And those posts look to be by the same person.  However, pointing the finger at and labeling them is no better than what they say.

^Point taken.

Good lord; carelessly attributing that hateful bile to suburbanites is most certainly not as bad as  the posts themselves.

 

Anyhoo, go Cleveland.  And to the rest of the country: please ignore the bitter losers who comment after Cleveland.com stores.

"Or, as they are saying across much of the gay world, "Cleveland?" "

 

Isn't Lakewood a pretty well known gay area?  It doesn't seem like a huge stretch then to have the games around there?

 

 

My only objection to this square city concept is the repeated description of Cleveland as "the Heartland."  That makes me bristle so bad.  The Heartland is like "the Orient"- a lazy grouping of everything you don't know to be like you into a giant catch-all category.  If the point is purely PR (the country thinks of Cleveland as the Heartland, so gay rights are advanced if the City pulls this off), fine, but if the promoters really think Cleveland is broadly representative of inland US, then they're idiots.

 

And anybody who knows anything about our history knows that we are actually New Englanders because we were part of Connecticut!

 

I'll take Rustbelt over Heartland. Heartland makes me think of Kansas and Iowa.(Not that there is anything wrong with those states)

Good news! Glad to hear we won it. Now there's more of a reason to get 3C trains up and running!

My only objection to this square city concept is the repeated description of Cleveland as "the Heartland."  That makes me bristle so bad.  The Heartland is like "the Orient"- a lazy grouping of everything you don't know to be like you into a giant catch-all category.  If the point is purely PR (the country thinks of Cleveland as the Heartland, so gay rights are advanced if the City pulls this off), fine, but if the promoters really think Cleveland is broadly representative of inland US, then they're idiots.

 

And anybody who knows anything about our history knows that we are actually New Englanders because we were part of Connecticut!

 

I'll take Rustbelt over Heartland. Heartland makes me think of Kansas and Iowa.(Not that there is anything wrong with those states)

 

that why I prefer Great Lakes State over "midwest"

 

anyway none of this has anything to do with the event itself.  the best thing we can do is comment on cleveland.bomb to come here for information or other websites with correct information.

GAY GAMES Optimism reigns in Cleveland

 

And organizers are already predicting many other incredible, eye-popping numbers for the event, which will carry a registration fee of $135, regardless of the date. Just consider that there will be:

 

—15,000-20,000 participating athletes;

—4,000-5,000 participants for cultural events;

—250,000 attendees over a 10-day span;

—7,000 rodeo participants, since rodeo will be at the Games for the first time; and

—70,000 attending the opening and closing ceremonies, both to be held at Cleveland Browns Stadium, home of the National Football League franchise, with the Goodyear blimp flying overhead.

 

"We absolutely believe that this is going to be one of the greatest events that the Federation [ of Gay Games, FGG ] has ever had," said Doug Anderson, 54, one of the three co-founders of the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, the Cleveland bid committee that presented its case for 2014 to the FGG in September in Cologne, Germany, site of the 2010 Gay Games.

 

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23710

I see gay people!  Yay.  But for the love of Christ, Cleveland get it together so we can attract and retain them!

 

I'll say another prayer to the God of Halston....Please give us a downtown luxury department store! Amen.

How about this for the feel good story of the day

 

Gay Games judge loved Cleveland so much he moved here: Michael K. McIntyre's Tipoff

By Michael K. McIntyre

January 25, 2010, 7:00AM

 

Cleveland didn't just win the 2014 Gay Games when it went all out to woo organizers this summer. It won the heart of the site Darl Schaaffselection committee's top judge, too.

 

Darl Schaaff, who has lived in Alaska for more than three decades, bought a condo in Ohio City after he was "blown away" by Cleveland.

 

MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2010/01/gay_games_judge_loved_clevelan.html

We are just that awesome :-D

I would attribute the move more to the fact that he lived in freaking Alaska!  Probably trying to get away from the Palin-effect up there...and the lack of normal daylight.

 

Seriously though, that's awesome. Way to go Cleveland.

yay! no grizzly bears, but watch out darl cleveland does have a manbearpig problem -- i'm super serial!

 

CLEVELAND’S ANNUAL 2014 GAY GAMES PARTY “FRIVOLITY”

 

Cleveland + Akron Ohio USA has the honor and privilege to be the host of the 2014 Gay Games!

 

Cleveland's annual 2014 Gay Games party is "Frivolity" – our community party! to be held August 20, 2010, 5PM-1AM. This event drew 7000+ guest last year... This year's event will have more entertainment, more vendors and will be much bigger!

 

Cleveland Synergy Foundation will host A night of music and entertainment to celebrate the 2014 Gay Games coming to Cleveland + Akron!. This is a great opportunity to uplift our community and show vigorous support for Cleveland Synergy Foundation and the 2014 Gay Games, an important social and economic development.

 

To attend "Frivolity", an invitation will be posted on our website www.synergyfest.org in the near future. You must print and present this invitation for access to the event. This is your chance to tell the world, "My Games Rock!" This is a free event to our guest.

 

Vendors: Go to SynergyFest.org to sign up for a space. These spaces will go fast.

Entertainers: Go to SynergyFest.org to sign up. These spaces will go fast.

 

All paper invitations collected for this event will be recycled. For more information please call: 216-664-9551

 

www.clevelandsynergyfoundation.org

www.synergyfest.org

 

Thank you!

Cleveland Synergy Foundation

216-664-9551 phone

216-664-9553 fax

[2/22/10]

 

http://www.outinindy.com/home/news.asp?articleid=33900

I wonder if we should rent out our condo....

Boston lashes out at Cleveland Gay Games

Jul 7th, 2010 by Cyd Zeigler jr..

 

Boston organizers claim the bidding process wasn’t fair or transparent, and that they had the best bid for the 2014 games. They claim the FGG played favorites with Cleveland. One of the organizers, Steve Harrington, is so upset he says he won’t attend the 2014 Gay Games because the FGG didn’t choose Boston.

 

“This is really systematic of the Federation itself,” [boston Pride president Linda] DeMarco retorts. “They put themselves out to be an organized organization that is moving forward and growing and they wanted to have sponsorships that would stay with them and take it to the next level. We were able to do that. In the end in Cologne, all they did was step back and use us as a catalyst to go with something far less because we were a threat to them. We were too good.”

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure that having the attitude that you’d already won the bid (which is what the article says) is the best way to approach a final meeting, but that’s allegedly how Boston approached it. DeMarco said, “I don’t think any of us involved in the process thought that Cleveland was part of the scenario.” That was a huge strategic error on their part. Rule No. 1 in sports: Don’t underestimate your opponent. Hopefully the Boston folks will come around and support Cleveland wholeheartedly, and Harrington will bring his ball back and play.

 

Frankly, I’m glad Cleveland won. Boston organizers complain that the idea of hosting the Gay Games in a less-gay-friendly place (to make a political statement) was given too much weight by the FGG. I don’t know how much weight it was given, but that’s why I’m glad they picked Cleveland. Part of the FGG’s mission is to change minds and be a visible agent of change. That’s a huge part of why Tom Waddell started the Gay Games. It’s a huge part of why Outsports exists. And I’m glad the FGG is taking their message to Ohio.

 

Did the FGG make a mistake in picking Cleveland? I don’t know; I guess we’ll find out in four years. But I know this: I’ll be attending the Gay Games in Cleveland for sure, and I hope they have a record number of participants.

 

 

http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2010/07/07/boston-lashes-out-at-cleveland-gay-games/