The Providence Journal (R.I.), July 31:
The Olympic Games are the best known and most celebrated sporting event in the world. Athletes from dozens of countries gather to show their competitive spirit and go for the gold in a grand display of pageantry and skill.
So it was disappointing to learn that Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics had collapsed under the weight of public indifference and concern about a possible hit to Boston taxpayers.
Had the plan become a reality, the region would have been on the front line for the world’s premier sporting event. And Greater Boston and points nearby ”“ such as Rhode Island ”“ would have seen a boost in tourism and economic activity.
Instead, we’ll be watching on TV as the 2024 Games happen somewhere else.
Still, it is understandable that many people in Boston and the surrounding area had reservations, for it was not clear whether Boston taxpayers would have been on the hook for some of the costs. A report that is supposed to shed light the financial risks is due in August. To ask such questions are only natural, and people from the Boston area are hardly alone in asking them. As the Associated Press reported this week, officials in other cities around the world are more likely nowadays to weigh the costs and benefits of hosting the Olympics, and in some cases, the costs are “scaring off” cities, as they question the long-term value of the infrastructure to be built.
In Boston’s case, the lack of answers left Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker unwilling to embrace the proposal. The United States Olympic Committee, meanwhile, was pressing for a commitment, even as it reportedly was talking with officials in Los Angeles about their interest in hosting the 2024 games.
With that in mind, we hope that Los Angeles or another American city steps forward with a strong proposal. The 2024 games could still be a showcase for the United States, which last hosted the Summer Games in 1996, in Atlanta. It would be a shame if the Olympics were increasingly confined to totalitarian regimes where dictators are not concerned about public opposition and can exploit the event for propaganda purposes.
As for Boston’s bid, we’ll close by saying that we think officials from Boston and Massachusetts should have had a little more time to make an informed decision. At the very least, it seems unfair to demand a commitment when local officials are still trying to determine the price tag.
The Valley News (N.H.), July 28:
When it came to this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame inductions in Cooperstown, the attention of New England was understandably riveted on Pedro Martinez, the most dominant and entertaining pitcher to perform for the Boston Red Sox in many a long year ”“ maybe ever. And by all accounts, Martinez’s speech on Sunday delivered everything fans were yearning for.
We hope, though, that parents of young baseball players ”“ and, in fact, of all participants in youth sports ”“ paid close attention to the remarks of John Smoltz, the great Atlanta Braves pitcher who was inducted along with Martinez, Craig Biggio and Randy Johnson.
Smoltz now has the distinction of being the only member of the Hall of Fame who underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his pitching elbow. It is more commonly known as Tommy John surgery, after the first player to undergo it, in 1974. Smoltz had the surgery in 2000, at age 34, and, after recovery, continued his stellar career undiminished.
Since then, severe elbow injuries have become epidemic in baseball. Since 2000, 276 players have undergone Tommy John surgery, including 13 this year, according to USA Today. Of the 31 surgeries performed last year, 11 players were undergoing their second one within three years of the first. Just 67 percent of those who have had Tommy John surgery return to pitch even another 10 games in their career. Even more alarming is a study reported on by Forbes indicating that the majority of Tommy John surgeries are done on 15-to-19-year-old patients.
There are many theories on why this is taking place, but we think Smoltz, who is now an accomplished broadcaster, got very close to the truth. Taking the opportunity that the Hall of Fame stage provided, he implored parents to limit their children’s participation in organized baseball at a young age: “I want to encourage the families and the parents that are out there that this is not normal, to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old. That you have time, that baseball is not a year-round sport. That you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports. Don’t let the institutions that are out there running before you guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses (convince you) that this is the way.”
Indeed, there is every reason to believe that by specializing in baseball too early and throwing too many pitches in competition at too young an age, young pitchers are virtually guaranteeing a breakdown later on.
Of course, baseball is not a year-round game in New England. But the larger point is well taken: Young people are too often encouraged (or indulged) by their families to pick a single sport and concentrate on it to the exclusion of others, in the hope ”“ even the expectation ”“ that the youngster will eventually participate at the college level or even beyond, with all the financial advantages that implies.
That these hopes are most of the time illusory is almost beside the point. Far too often, the world of travel teams, endless practice and distant tournaments every weekend shrinks rather than expands a child’s horizons. Single-minded concentration on a particular sport can script young lives in a way that precludes the development of other interests, athletic and non-athletic.
When kept in the proper perspective, sports can contribute greatly to the development of young people into well-rounded individuals who have learned some important life lessons on the diamond or on the ice or on the court. It is a shame when total immersion in a single sport stunts that kind of personal growth.
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