Letters to the Editor: Will the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles become the 'dictator games'?
To the editor: The 2028 Olympics, if they are held in Los Angeles, will come to be known as the "dictator games."
Why? Well, after the president completes his scorched-Earth foreign relations plan and creates enemies out of allies, those who are left standing will share a common but infamous brand of governance. We can count on Russia and North Korea. China is a maybe. And that's probably about it.
Every other country (and their close friends) will have suffered ridicule or alienation at the hands of our great leader. As such, their boycott of the Olympics is a reasonable response.
The White House reaction will be, "Great, more medals for us!" But if I was a sponsor or in charge of ticket sales for the L.A. games, I'd be preparing for a bloodbath.
And if I was at the International Olympic Committee, I would have already embarked on finding an alternate venue — one in a country that is not increasingly loathed by the rest of the free world.
Come to think of it, as the U.S. continues to alienate Mexico (and by proxy Central and South America) along with Denmark (and by proxy most of Europe), a boycott of the 2026 World Cup by these two soccer-crazed regions seems a logical outcome.
J.A. Hamilton, Boston
..
To the editor: L.A. hosting the 2028 Olympics sounded great last year. However, we are not that city anymore. Fires have since burned thousands of homes, leaving people homeless or facing the huge task of rebuilding, selling or doing something else.
Everyone acknowledges that there has been a housing crisis for years. Now, this crisis is monumental. Los Angeles needs to concentrate on helping its residents recover. This is a gargantuan task, and we have to look inward to heal and think how best to rebuild our hometown.
I've read about all the big plans for the Olympics, and they sound great. But are they really what we need right now? The IOC could step in and move the 2028 Games to another worthy city, one that doesn't have the tremendous challenges that Los Angeles faces.
Maturity is the intelligence that tells us when we've taken on too much, and we must concentrate on the people who need our help and service. Our friends and neighbors who have lost everything deserve this love and attention more than they need the festivities of the Olympics.
Jeanne Field, Los Angeles
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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