Praise for No Boston Olympics: How and Why Smart Cities Are Passing on the Torch
“The defeat of Boston 2024 by a grassroots movement was an important moment in our city’s history—a ‘successful’ bid could have been disastrous for the city of Boston’s future. The debate our region had over the pros and cons of hosting the Olympics holds lessons for civic leaders here in Boston as well as in cities around the world.”
—Tito Jackson, Boston city councilor
“No Boston Olympics and its authors demonstrate that facts plus argument plus organization are potent enough to stop the Olympic juggernaut. Think what else they still might do. . . . This is real populism.”
—David Goldblatt, author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics
“In October 2004, Bostonians felt they had witnessed an upset for the ages when the Red Sox came from three games down to beat the Yankees and win a World Series. But the fact that common sense, a clear vision of sensible urban policy, and a small, determined, dedicated, and well-informed group of young men and women helped defeat a power-brokered boardroom plan to bring the Olympics to Boston was just as huge an upset. . . . And No Boston Olympics: How and Why Smart Cities Are Passing on the Torch shows that it was just as meaningful, too.”
—Mike Barnicle, MSNBC Morning Joe contributor
“A comprehensive chronicling of Boston’s aborted bid for the Games—and a cautionary tale for other cities with five-ring fantasies.”
—John Powers, Boston Globe correspondent