Is It Worth It?

Hosting the Olympics or FIFA World Cup is a feat that many nations aspire to.  The pros of hosting such a large supporting event are increased tourism, improvements on infrastructure of the country, venues can be used after, somewhat free advertisement for the areas with in the country and citizens become nationalistic, which increases their trust in their government(Zimbalist).  Millions of people will come around the globe to watch 2 weeks of sports.  This does not give them a lot of time to go sightseeing.  However, they will most likely come back or tell their friends about the nation and tourism will increase in the years following the Olympics or World Cup.  In order for the athletes to play, there needs to be a solid transportation system in the host country.  Areas that were lacking repairs would then need to be fixed and this also allows more people from the surrounding areas to come to the games as well.  Venues become multipurpose after these events, which allows economic gains within the host nation.  Areas around the games will receive almost free publicity around the globe, which again boosts tourism and the economy after the games.  By hosting the Olympics or World Cup, citizens of the host nation find commonalities and have a sense of pride for their nation; which is called nationalism.  They begin to believe in their government and define a culture for themselves.  Although hosting the Olympics or World Cup can be expensive and daunting, the pros of hosting outweigh the cons, which culminates in a unified country and revitalized economy.