Chicago 2006 continues our efforts to prepare the re-bid for Gay Games VII in 2006. Local sports and
culture groups have been sending letters of support, in addition to letters of support from individual athletes
and teams around the world, including Team Paris, Team New York, rowers, sailors, runners, cyclists, and
many more.
That is not to say, of course, that there is unanimous support for this effort.
Local critics
point to several reasons this may not be a good idea. In fact, the healthy debate which we have witnessed has
been a good way to strengthen our bid. And it also helped as we made the difficult decision whether or not to
even bid.
The core issues we had to decide on locally were:
1) Is there enough time to do these
right?
2) What about the competition with Montreal?
3) How can we do this successfully when the past
three Gay Games have lost money?
4) Can Chicago work with the Federation of Gay Games given that
Montreal could not?
On the Web site for Chicago 2006, these questions and many more are answered in
greater detail than I have space for here. But I will address as best as possible, from my own personal point of
view, why we proceeded with the bid once we researched these critical issues.
First, I want to say that all of
us on the Chicago 2006 board and all of our volunteers did not march into this lightly. Until the day of the vote,
we went back and forth on an hourly basis about what was right. Up until the last minutes, we were assessing
the letters of support, the finances, the sports program, and all the other important points.
What swayed
us? Our original bid book, two years ago, actually had most of the work gearing up in 2004. The Sydney Gay
Games registrations mostly occurred in the 12 months prior to the events. Most of the difficult work, especially
that involving volunteers, starts up in mid-2005. That was according to our original plan, and also makes
sense in our revised bid.
The issue of international competition is very relevant. We had to assess input
from other athletes around the world to decide if the 'brand' of the Gay Games carries enough weight to
overcome the competition. Our feeling, in the end, was that athletes want the Gay Games. Some may also
compete in other sports/culture events like Montreal, Eurogames, or Hotlanta, but the Gay Games are the Gay
Games—and nothing else is like them. This is what Chicagoans have told us, this is what Americans have
said, and this is what we hear from around the world.
Some may choose Montreal, some Chicago, some
both. But we do feel there is enough of a history that the Gay Games will have a unique draw for this city.
Remember, too, that the majority of athletes in every Gay Games have been from the U.S.—far outpacing even
the host countries of Amsterdam and Australia.
On the issue of finances, we have spent a great deal of
time reassessing and downsizing our original bid, focusing exclusively on sports and culture requirements.
The Federation has also emphasized the things they have learned from past Gay Games—that the parties can
drain the mission of the event. Let's license outside groups to host the social and cultural events—and then
we can focus on the required sports and culture.
We have also included reduced expectations on the
fundraising side, trying to create a break-even budget that emphasizes revenues from participant fees, and a
lesser amount from corporate donors.
Another important question is how to judge success. Both the
Amsterdam and Sydney economies benefitted from tens of millions of dollars from tourists—and not just
during the Gay Games. Sydney is now known worldwide as a gay-friendly destination, and the Gay Games
have gone a long way to make that a reality. The local organizations did lose money, but the overall events
make the cities money. So the model of how to measure success of events must also include economic
impact. Every gay bar, and many other gay and straight businesses, will benefit by the huge influx of
tourists—and that benefit will come for years beyond the Gay Games.
Finally, can Chicago work with the
Federation of Gay Games? Many of our volunteers have worked with the Federation for years, as Gay Games
athletes and as supporters of the movement. The recent annual meeting in Chicago went smoothly, and the
Federation proved to be a group of dedicated, hard-working volunteers. They certainly have made
mistakes—including allowing the negotiating process with Montreal to go on for two years—but their
commitment, in my opinion, is clear. They are stewards of the Gay Games movement and they have every right
(legal and otherwise) to oversight of the Gay Games brand. If they do not end up choosing Chicago, perhaps
because our financial model pushes for a shared-risk model they do not agree with, I will still wish them great
success in 2006. This is an issue far larger than Chicago or Montreal or Los Angeles. This is about a
movement which has impacted tens of thousands of people, started by a man (Dr. Tom Waddell) who saw
athletics as a means to push for social change.
We decided to move forward because we looked at the
questions, saw the obstacles, and—after much research—decided that pursuing the bid was in the best
interests of all of Chicago's communities. We don't expect everyone to agree, and we hope that if we do win the
bid that people will not create new obstacles. I love this city and see the Gay Games as a way to showcase it to
the worldwide GLBT community. I understand and respect the opposition, and I certainly don't underestimate
the worldwide barriers. But hundreds of us have stepped forward to try to make this dream a reality.
Sometimes the process of creating such a dream is in itself the reward. If we are selected as the winning city
in mid-March, I look forward to working with even more people to make this a reality.
Technical and
Fundraising Proposals
Chicago Games, Inc., the nonprofit organization preparing Chicago's bid to host
Gay Games® VII in 2006 is seeking qualified contractors to submit proposal for services in the following areas:
RFP #1: Technology, Database, Registrations, Online Ordering, E-mail and Web Support. RFP #2: Corporate
Sponsorship and Fundraising.
Details regarding the RFPs are available online at
www.ChicagoGamesInc.org . Proposals are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 21, 2004.
Chicago Games, Inc. c/o
5443 N. Broadway, Suite 101, Chicago, IL 60640, ChicagoGamesInc.org, or e-mail to
Volunteer@ChicagoGamesInc.org .
Sport Shorts
Windy City Athletic Assc. men's
basketball, with recreational and competitive play, is at Margate Park Fieldhouse, 4931 N. Marine, call (773)
327-WCAA, or e-mail mens.basketball@wcaa.net, www.wcaa.net .
CMSA Women's Volleyball Call (312)
498-5159 or (773) 972-2787, e-mail jraimond@mmbmlaw.com
WCAA's Women's Basketball See
www.wcaa.net or email womens.basketball@wcaa.net .
Chicago Gay Hockey Association hosts Open
Hockey / Practice / Skills Clinic, for details see www.chicagogayhockey.org .
Women's Sports Association
Floor Hockey League is forming. Games will be played at Windy City Fieldhouse, Friday nights starting, Dec. 12
thru March 12. Martha @ 847-452-2561 or marthavaldes816@yahoo.com .
CMSA Friday night doubles
tennis is at Midtown Tennis, 2020 W. Fullerton. See secondcitytennis@hotmail.com,
www.secondcitytennis.com .
Chicago Force Women's Pro Football Team Tryouts info at Web site
chicagoforcefootball.com . With an undefeated 9-0 regular season record in their inaugural 2003 season,
Chicago Force is preparing for another unforgettable year. They are looking for female athletes, 18 or older, to
join their ranks. The team has switched divisions this year, to the Mid-Atlantic Division, where they will be up
against the feared New York Sharks ... one of the dominant teams in all of women's football. The matchup has
all the makings of a great rivalry.
The I.W.F.L. (www.iwflsports.com) is getting bigger and better. This year,
the league is up to 30 teams from throughout the nation ... and will likely grow in the coming months. 'We've
also introduced a new game ball designed especially for us by Nike. It's red, white, and blue and called the
'All-American Girl' ball. We're looking forward to getting our hands on it when our season begins on April 3,'
the team stated.
