Latest news with #SummerOlympic
Mint
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
FIFA World Cup 2026: Will US hostility trump its hospitality?
Not long after Los Angeles (LA) was selected as one of 11 American cities to host next summer's FIFA World Cup, tourism officials started predicting the potential economic impact. Among the most optimistic? That the weeks-long tournament could pour almost $600 million into the local economy, mostly from international fans of football. Pessimism has since taken over. At a time when the US should be preparing to roll out the proverbial welcome mat to the world, President Donald Trump's erratic immigration policies and draconian rhetoric are instead scaring tourists away. Also Read: Trial by Trump: Ramaphosa may well have emerged stronger from the Oval Office Stories abound of travellers with visas in hand being denied entry at the border over minor infractions or, in some cases, being held for weeks before being allowed to return home. The World Travel & Tourism Council, pointing to the Trump administration, recently projected that spending on international trips to the US would reach only $169 billion this year, down $12.5 billion compared to 2024 and well below the 2019 peak of $217 billion. Travel from Canada is down for the third straight month. Numerous countries, including Germany, have issued travel advisories warning their citizens to strictly follow the United States' tighter rules for entry, or risk being detained. Trump, however, appears unconcerned. During his visit to Qatar, where the previous World Cup was held, he insisted that next year's tournament— billed as the largest ever, with 48 teams playing matches in the US, Mexico and Canada—is 'going to be really exciting." Also Read: Race in Trump's America: One step forward and two steps back Meanwhile, his Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem has promised that travel for tourists 'will go smoothly." FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a long-time Trump ally, has claimed that the world is welcome in America. 'This doesn't come from me. This comes from the American government," he told the FIFA Congress. Such empty boosterism hasn't gone over well in LA, the US city with arguably the most at stake when it comes to sports tourism. Not only is it hosting eight World Cup matches, including the high-profile men's opener, it's also on the hook to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. Planning is well underway for both mega events, which, so far, have largely been funded with sponsorship and licensing deals. However, taxpayers and the city's depleted coffers will be on the hook if there are cost overruns, which is usually the case. Also Read: Euro Cup 2024: Corporate boardrooms should tune into football Of the last 14 World Cups, all but two ended up in the red for their host countries, researchers from the University of Lausanne found. And with the Olympics, most host cities usually exceed their budgets and fail to recoup their expenses. London broke even in 2012 and that was considered a success. Hotels and restaurants, flush with customers, tend to turn a profit during mega events. But with many expecting the Trump administration's policies to act as a tourism deterrent, exactly how much profit is now in question. This was the gist of a heated debate before the Los Angeles City Council recently, as tourism officials and business leaders objected to a plan to ramp up the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $25 per hour in time for the World Cup and to $30 per hour in time for the Olympics. 'An overwhelming majority of visitors from our key international markets now have an unfavourable view of the United States as a travel destination," warned Adam Burke, president of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, citing the projected slowdown in international travel, which is already being felt in California resort towns, such as Palm Springs. 'The 2025 outlook is not encouraging," Burke added. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | Trump's $5 million price tag on a US visa is no big shock Also of concern is whether the Trump administration even has the resources to quickly process millions of applications for tourist visas, and, if so, whether it has the patience to manage the flow of fans and players repeatedly crossing into Mexico and Canada during the World Cup. To this, US Vice-President J.D. Vance recently joked—at least, I think it was a joke—that the US wants tourists to 'watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, meanwhile, encouraged tourists to take a road trip, but 'don't overstay your visa." Such comments are unlikely to inspire confidence in any would-be tourists. As Adam Sacks, president of the research firm Tourism Economics, recently told the New York Times: 'The brand of the country has taken a beating." It seems the bruises will show up first in Los Angeles . ©Bloomberg The author is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pelissero: Inside the Heated Tush Push Vote at NFL Owner's Meetings
There are some BIG CHANGES coming to the NFL! Kyle Crabbs discusses NFL Owners agreeing to allow players to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympic games and speculates on their votes for NFL Playoff reseeding as well as the Tush Push!
The Star
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
FIFA's World Cup is coming to Los Angeles. Will tourists follow?
NOT long after Los Angeles (LA) was selected as one of 11 American cities to host next summer's FIFA World Cup, tourism officials started predicting the potential economic impact. Among the most optimistic? That the weeks-long tournament could pour almost US$600mil into the local economy, mostly from international fans. Pessimism has since taken over. At a time when the United States should be preparing to roll out the proverbial welcome mat to the world, President Donald Trump's erratic immigration policies and draconian rhetoric are instead scaring tourists away. Stories abound of travellers with visas in hand being denied entry at the border over minor infractions or, in some cases, being held for weeks before being allowed to return home. The World Travel & Tourism Council, pointing to the Trump administration, recently projected that spending on international trips to the United States would reach only US$169bil this year, down US$12.5bil compared to 2024 and well below the 2019 peak of US$217bil. Travel from Canada is down for the third straight month. Numerous countries, including Germany, have issued travel advisories, warning their citizens to strictly follow the United States' tighter rules for entry or risk being detained. The Netherlands and Belgium have issued specific warnings for transgender travellers, advising them to be prepared for difficulties at the border if they use the non-binary gender option on their passports. Trump, however, appears unconcerned. During his visit to Qatar, where the previous World Cup was held, the president insisted that next year's tournament – billed as the largest ever, with 48 teams playing matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada – is 'going to be really exciting.' Meanwhile, his Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, has promised that travel for tourists 'will go smoothly.' And FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a longtime Trump ally, has claimed that the world is welcome in America. 'And let's be clear about that,' he told the FIFA Congress. 'This doesn't come from me. This comes from the American government.' Such empty boosterism hasn't gone over well in Los Angeles, the United States city with arguably the most at stake when it comes to sports tourism. Not only is it hosting eight World Cup matches, including the high-profile men's opener, it's also on the hook to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. Planning is well underway for both mega-events, which, so far, have largely been funded with sponsorship and licensing deals. However, taxpayers and the city's depleted coffers will be on the hook if there are cost overruns – and there are usually cost overruns. Of the last 14 World Cups, all but two ended up in the red for their host countries, researchers from the University of Lausanne found. And with the Olympics, most host cities exceed their budgets and fail to recoup their expenses. London broke even in 2012 and that was considered a success. Hotels and restaurants, flush with customers, tend to turn a profit during mega-events. But with many expecting the Trump administration's policies to act as a tourism deterrent, exactly how much profit is now in question. This was the gist of a heated debate before the Los Angeles City Council recently, as tourism officials and business leaders objected to a plan to ramp up the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to US$25 per hour in time for the World Cup and to US$30 per hour in time for the Olympics. 'An overwhelming majority of visitors from our key international markets now have an unfavourable view of the United States as a travel destination,' warned Adam Burke, president of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, citing the projected slowdown in international travel, which is already being felt in California resort towns, such as Palm Springs. 'The 2025 outlook is not encouraging,' Burke added. Also of concern is whether the Trump administration even has the resources to quickly process millions of applications for tourist visas and, if so, whether it has the patience to manage the flow of fans and players repeatedly crossing into Mexico and Canada during the World Cup. To this, vice-president JD Vance recently joked – at least, I think it was a joke – that the United States wants tourists to 'watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. 'Otherwise, they'll have to talk to secretary Noem.' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, meanwhile, encouraged tourists to take a road trip, but 'don't overstay your visa.' Such comments are unlikely to inspire confidence among any would-be tourists. As Adam Sacks, president of the research firm Tourism Economics, recently told the New York Times: 'The brand of the country has taken a beating.' It seems the bruises will show up first in Los Angeles. — Bloomberg Erika D. Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
Miami Herald
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Roger Goodell: USA Football will select Olympic flag football rosters, not NFL
While the NFL has approved active players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympic flag football tournament in Los Angeles, commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear that the NFL will not determine which players will compete for the United States. Rather, Goodell said during last week's meeting of league owners, the roster selection will come down to a separate group: USA Football. 'That's actually a function of USA Football that will be making that decision,' Goodell said. 'The NFL will not have any involvement in that selection process.' According to USA Football bylaws, Goodell will appoint three individuals to the 15-member board with at least two of them serving on the five-person executive committee. This all comes just a few days after NFL owners unanimously voting in favor of allowing active players to compete in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. No more than one player from each NFL team will be able to participate in the games, which will feature six men's teams and six women's teams consisting of 10 players apiece. 'I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage,' Goodell said at the time. 'We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.' The 2028 Summer Games are scheduled to take place from July 14-30, 2028. NFL players generally are off from mid-June until the start of training camp in late July. Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL Stars Headed to the Olympics? Mahomes & Jefferson Eye 2028 Flag Football Gold!
There are some BIG CHANGES coming to the NFL! Kyle Crabbs discusses NFL Owners agreeing to allow players to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympic games and speculates on their votes for NFL Playoff reseeding as well as the Tush Push!
