Hosting gay sports, doesn't pay

[Leafless]

Now if the Quebec government would have ask me first, I would have saved them 5-million.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news...40e&k=53299

[crazymf]

I just don't know where to start with this one.

My first thought is that Quebec is definitely a distinct society.

My second thought is that I hope there wasn't football in those games. The butt slapping would have just gotton right rude. And the poor centers. OMG! I just can't picture the carnage!!

And forget the 'pole vaulting.'

[B. Max]

Gee that's to bad. I'll get it all the consideration it deserves.

[Cameron]

Rock on Quebec...keep pumping money into useless crap...another Big-O anyone?

[theloniusfleabag]

I sure was surprised to tune into the 'drag races' and didn't see any cars...what was even more confusing was when the announcer said "Rock Hudson Jr. just blew a tranny"...

[crazymf]

I sure was surprised to tune into the 'drag races' and didn't see any cars...what was even more confusing was when the announcer said "Rock Hudson Jr. just blew a tranny"...

Ok, TF, that's just plain wrong....

I heard Rock Hudson is doing well. He'll be up on all fours soon....badum dum

BTW (I fondle My Member) probably isn't going to cut it in this thread... hehe

[geoffrey]

I expect that $5 million of transfer money is returned to Alberta and Ontario for this ridiculous expenditure.

I never figured out why we should have to pay for Quebec's programs far beyond what is a minimum standard. When your on welfare, you don't go partying it up everyday. This shows they have way too much money on their hands and their transfers need to be cut considerably to make up for that.

[theloniusfleabag]

What I don't understand is why there even is a 'gay games' (Or is it Gay Olympics?). A gay person can compete at the olympic/professional level in any sport anyway, Mark Tewkesbury or Billie Jean King, for example...(was Martina 'Cunning' Hingus gay?) I mean, it's not like the 'Special' Olympics...(Heard this one years ago...Q: What's better than winning a gold medal at the Special Olympics? A: Not being retarded.)

Is there going to be a special designation or asterisk in the Guinness Book of Records to show the 'World's fastest Gay Man in the 100m? (I'll bet he's from Texas...)

[geoffrey]

Good point. I think we need a straight-only games too. Let's see how fast that goes to the human rights tribunal. A qualified athlete should have taken it there. This discrimination is unacceptable. The fact that the government pays for it, even worse.

[ft.niagara]

I expect that $5 million of transfer money is returned to Alberta and Ontario for this ridiculous expenditure.

I never figured out why we should have to pay for Quebec's programs far beyond what is a minimum standard. When your on welfare, you don't go partying it up everyday. This shows they have way too much money on their hands and their transfers need to be cut considerably to make up for that.

Transfer money? You mean that Alberta transfers money to Quebec to keep them happy? Quebec is resource rich: water, timber, minerals, hydroelectric, tourism. Maybe they should be getting some money subsidy from France for keeping the hometown language going.

I am sure that Quebec expected the gay population of North America would travel there to see the games. It was a tourism promotion that backfired. But you never know, perhaps like Gay Pride Day, maybe it will catch on.

[Borg]

Transfer money? You mean that Alberta transfers money to Quebec to keep them happy? Quebec is resource rich: water, timber, minerals, hydroelectric, tourism. Maybe they should be getting some money subsidy from France for keeping the hometown language going.

Alberta does indeed transfer cashola to the quebekers. Resource rich or not. quebek is always whining about how the money is unevenly distributed and how they want more - or should I say - "Their fair share".

Perhaps france SHOULD indeed send them money.

Perhaps our famous swimmer - Mark - can make up the difference from his own bamk account.

As for the games - well, I am sure the feds will help bail them out. If not, the west can add a few coins to the quebekers "fair share".

Borg

[geoffrey]

Transfer money? You mean that Alberta transfers money to Quebec to keep them happy? Quebec is resource rich: water, timber, minerals, hydroelectric, tourism. Maybe they should be getting some money subsidy from France for keeping the hometown language going.

Yup, Alberta and Ontario have always funded Quebec's socialist paradise.

Like I said, if Quebec has money to throw around, it's time we gut those transfers so they barely have enough to fund health and welfare. Then maybe they can learn to fund their own ridiculous festivals.

I don't get why a have-not province spends considerably more on "crap" like this than the have provinces that pay the bills in this country. It's like someone on welfare driving a nicer car than the corporate exec. It's a joke. Time to cut Quebec off.

I am sure that Quebec expected the gay population of North America would travel there to see the games. It was a tourism promotion that backfired. But you never know, perhaps like Gay Pride Day, maybe it will catch on.

No, people travel to see the best at the olympics. No one really cares about a bunch of amateur gay athletes. As well, the doctors were warning of massive outbreaks of disease, so can you really blame anyone for staying away?

[Charles Anthony]

Yup, Alberta and Ontario have always funded Quebec's socialist paradise.

Hey! If Albertons or Ontarians do not like it, they can move out!

[geoffrey]

Yup, Alberta and Ontario have always funded Quebec's socialist paradise.

Hey! If Albertons or Ontarians do not like it, they can move out!

Can we vote Quebec off the island?

[Charles Anthony]

Can we vote Quebec off the island?

Excellent retort!

[blueblood]

5 million bucks to watch a bunch of queers running around paid for by the gov't??? I feel sorry for the poor cancer patients who might die because of this. I can just picture, sorry this hospital has to close 5 million dollars worth of beds because our government believes it is in the best interest of our dying culture to watch queers running around a race track. Arent the roads falling apart in quebec too?

[Liam]

No, people travel to see the best at the olympics. No one really cares about a bunch of amateur gay athletes. As well, the doctors were warning of massive outbreaks of disease, so can you really blame anyone for staying away?

Actually, prior Gay Games have been enormous draws for gay tourism dollars. The problem all along with the Montreal organization is that their break-even point was overly ambitious. I believe they needed something like 12,000 or 14,000 participants to break even. To be fair, prior Gay Games in NYC, Sydney and Amsterdam had similar high participant rates, but many of them also had money problems. The Federation of Gay Games (the group that officially runs these events), saw prior fiscal problems as a threat to the viability of the event going forward and wanted Montreal to be more conservative in their scope.

By 2004, discussions between the FGG and Montreal broke down and the FGG awarded the official Gay Games to the runner up host city, Chicago. Montreal decided to go ahead with their own games, dubbed them the Outgames, and proceeded with their flawed plans. Chicago held the "official" Gay Games just two weeks prior to the Montreal event and was, by all accounts, a success. It was smaller than it would have been had it been the only major gay sporting event in North America that year, but perhaps its scaled sown size also made it less a financial disaster. I believe the Chicago Gay Games ended up $200,000 in the red but, unlike Montreal, it did not receive any government support or subsidies. It was designed to be a success or failure solely from corporate sponsorship, participant fees, and ticket sales.

Montreal definitely had an advantage over Chicago in that it had a head start of couple of years' planning and publicity activity. On top of that, there was a sense that the Montreal folks would use general dissatisfaction with US foreign policy to lure the sizeable European leagues from Chicago. But the problem with Montreal, as I understand it, is that their plan was too grand and to expensive.

[MightyAC]

My second thought is that I hope there wasn't football in those games. The butt slapping would have just gotton right rude. And the poor centers. OMG! I just can't picture the carnage!!

So you're saying that it is ok for heterosexuals to slap each other's asses but it's wrong for gay men? Are you also saying that it's somehow more acceptable for a straight QB to place his hands against the centers nuts but not a gay man?! I think your joke may be completely backwards…and we may want to start questioning the sexuality of athletes in general.

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear Liam,

Thank you for the clarification. I am personally not against the 'Gay Games', but I don't see why the provincial gov't would have guaranteed any loans, etc (except, as you say, for tourism dollars). Someone I know well had a friend attend these games (as an athlete) and told me it is really just a big piss-up. They might as well just have a big parade or festival, rather than the facade of sports if they are trying to attract tourism dollars based on sexual orientation.

[Liam]

Dear Liam,

Thank you for the clarification. I am personally not against the 'Gay Games', but I don't see why the provincial gov't would have guaranteed any loans, etc (except, as you say, for tourism dollars). Someone I know well had a friend attend these games (as an athlete) and told me it is really just a big piss-up. They might as well just have a big parade or festival, rather than the facade of sports if they are trying to attract tourism dollars based on sexual orientation.

As an American and semi-Libertarian, I don't see the need for government money to support these things, either. (And that also goes for spending five hundred million in city/state/provincial dollars on a stadium so various billionaires can send their millionaire gladiators onto a gridiron or baseball diamond.)

Based on my participation in a chat board for gay athletes, I personally observed a lot of bitterness between the Montreal supporters and FGG supporters. One of the charges the Chicago/FGG supporters kept making about Montreal is that it was geared primarily to be a party (it was timed to coincide with Montreal's gay pride events) and that its focus was not seriously on the sport side of things. I can't comment on your friend's (or friend of a friend's) impression, but it would not surprise me to hear that he or she went to the Montreal games. I had several friends compete in Chicago this summer and their feeling was that it was one of the most rewarding and uplifting sports competitions they've participated in.

[White Doors]

My second thought is that I hope there wasn't football in those games. The butt slapping would have just gotton right rude. And the poor centers. OMG! I just can't picture the carnage!!

So you're saying that it is ok for heterosexuals to slap each other's asses but it's wrong for gay men? Are you also saying that it's somehow more acceptable for a straight QB to place his hands against the centers nuts but not a gay man?! I think your joke may be completely backwards…and we may want to start questioning the sexuality of athletes in general.

YOu checked your sense of humour at the door on that one eh?

Sheesh

[MightyAC]

My second thought is that I hope there wasn't football in those games. The butt slapping would have just gotton right rude. And the poor centers. OMG! I just can't picture the carnage!!

So you're saying that it is ok for heterosexuals to slap each other's asses but it's wrong for gay men? Are you also saying that it's somehow more acceptable for a straight QB to place his hands against the centers nuts but not a gay man?! I think your joke may be completely backwards…and we may want to start questioning the sexuality of athletes in general.

YOu checked your sense of humour at the door on that one eh?

Sheesh

Sorry the tone of my post was came off harsh, I was added it quickly... I should have included a smiley.. The point was the joke attempt failed as the premise is the poster hoped there wasn't football as gay men would be in gay positions. My point was that straight men slap asses and touch nuts and then shower together afterwards...maybe we should be questioning the sexuality of all atheletes.

[crazymf]

No. The butt slapping would get out of hand and take presidence over the football. And the tear in the back of the centers pants? Enough said. It was funny the first time around, until you got ahold of it.

[gc1765]

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the almost $600 million being spent on infrastructure for the 2010 Olympics. That sounds like a bigger waste of money than 5 million. Who cares if the atheltes are gay or not?

[blueblood]

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the almost $600 million being spent on infrastructure for the 2010 Olympics. That sounds like a bigger waste of money than 5 million. Who cares if the atheltes are gay or not?

Yah but a lot of that infrastructure will help out Vancouver and area after the Olympics plus with all the tourists about to come, the games should pay for themselves. That sounds like a wise investment.