Should Londoners Get Olympics Tickets Before Everyone Else

Posted on: May 27th, 2010 by Blog

People travel from around the globe to experience the Olympics every four years. A few citizens have the opportunity to experience that thrill in their own back yard. The Summer Olympics make their way to London in 2012 and thousands of residents are registering for a chance to purchase tickets to the many different venues.

The host country at any Olympics tries to build the home court advantage. Offering tickets to locals may be the best way to stack the deck in the favor of that home team. Having the ability to fill the stands with the home country supporters might be possible, but that does not mean it is the right way to do things.

The locals already have it easier than everyone else. Londoners live in the very city where the events will take place. There will be no expense for overseas travel or even necessarily for meals during the Olympics. The only expense for the Londoners will be the actual tickets (which come at no small price).

Spectators traveling from outside the host city have to sacrifice a bit more to experience the Olympics. There will be more cost involved in getting and staying at the Olympics and more time required for travel to the destination. Many of the athletes will not have family in the stands cheering them on because of the expense and time involved. Adding another stumbling block – by giving Londoners the chance at tickets before everyone else – only makes it more difficult.

Londoners can continue to go about the days as normal days and only need to take off time when attending the actual events. While other attendees to the London Olympics have to plan around attending the Olympics, Londoners continue on despite the Olympics being in town.

Stacking the deck may not be the primary reason that Londoners should be able to get tickets for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games before everyone else. Londoners may not have to adjust their schedules drastically to attend the games, but the games have (and will) drastically impact the schedules of everyone in London.

It will be the citizens of the host city that pay for the Olympic Games even if they never attend a single event. The citizens have to deal with the construction leading up to the games that impacts being able to do anything, from going to the store to getting to work. For weeks leading up to the games, the local citizens will be dealing with crowds. Once the Olympics are over, the locals will be facing massive clean up to get the city back to normal.

Allowing Londoners to buy Summer Olympic tickets before everyone else has its positive and negative points.

Negative

  • It gives the home team and additional advantage by stacking the stands in their favor.
  • Locals are already sacrificing less in time and money to attend the Olympic events.

    • Positive

  • Londoners are paying for the 2012 Summer Olympics even if they never purchase a single event ticket.
  • The inconvenience of hosting the Olympics can be offset a little by the once in a lifetime experience of living in the city where the games take place.

    • Fans around the world want the opportunity to experience the Olympic Games. Even non-fans that live in the host city will want to be a part of all that comes with hosting an Olympics. The best answer may not be giving Londoners the first chance at tickets for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but it may be the only way to balance out all that Londoners are doing to make the 2010 Games a reality.

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