# Pan Am Games - Toronto (happening now) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 12, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903 "2015-07-12T00:08:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/1 "2015-07-12T00:08:33Z")
Is anyone outside of Toronto even interested in these games? For that matter, is anyone _in_ Toronto interested? Call me an old curmudgeon but the only thing these games represent to me is worse traffic congestion than usual (and that is saying a lot). Of course, it goes without saying that their $2.5 billion cost is a joke. Some believe that the main purpose in having Toronto host the Pan Am Games was to demonstrate to the International Olympic Committee that the city could also be a good site for a future Olympic Games. Gawd forbid! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/2 "2015-07-12T04:35:06Z")
So far it appears traffic congestion has eased off because so many people have left to avoid the games, and the tourists are staying away. The marketing of the games has been an absolute perfect example of how not to do it. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/3 "2015-07-12T14:48:00Z")
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn’t any worse than usual yesterday. I thought about watching some events, but I never got around to buying any tickets. I was a bit reluctant to buy a ticket to watch volleyball (say) and then finding out that it was Peru vs. Dominica (no offense to Peruvian and Dominican volleyball teams). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/4 "2015-07-12T15:58:19Z")
I’m only 4 hours from Toronto and put me in the group that thought the Pan Am games no longer occurred. I watched them on TV in the late 80’s or early 90’s, but I thought they had died. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/5 "2015-07-12T17:36:58Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > it goes without saying that their $2.5 billion cost is a joke. Wasting billions of dollars to host a useless event in Toronto? [That’s a first!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=568597) Now for nostalgia’s sake let’s blockade a bunch of streets and arrest a few thousand people. Seriously though… if it weren’t for [this guy](http://www.macleans.ca/society/elton-mcdonald-and-the-incredible-true-story-behind-the-toronto-mystery-tunnel/) I never would have even known it was happening. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/6 "2015-07-12T22:33:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The marketing of the games has been an absolute perfect example of how not to do it. And just in case you thought they couldn’t do it any worse, [the official Pan Am site has forbidden any sites from linking to it without written permission](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/panamgames/2015/07/12/toronto-pan-am-games-website-forbids-linking-to-it-without-written-permission.html)! Seriously? Is that even enforceable (especially if the site doing the linking is outside of Canada)? Regardless, it sounds like a good way to prevent free publicity (not to mention that it’s quite assholish). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/7 "2015-07-12T22:54:50Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > And just in case you thought they couldn’t do it any worse, [the official Pan Am site has forbidden any sites from linking to it without written permission](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/panamgames/2015/07/12/toronto-pan-am-games-website-forbids-linking-to-it-without-written-permission.html)! > > Seriously? Is that even enforceable (especially if the site doing the linking is outside of Canada)? Regardless, it sounds like a good way to prevent free publicity (not to mention that it’s quite assholish). I have a feeling the IOC does the same thing with the Rio 2016 site. It’s not aimed at the casual fans posting Facebook links; it’s aimed at companies with sponsors of products that are not official PAG sponsors linking from their websites. Meanwhile, while USA’s Olympics and World Championships rosters are filled with NBA players, the only NBA player on the PAG roster is Ryan Hollins, who played 46 games (9 as a starter) for the Kings last season, although there’s talk that the Clippers want him back. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/8 "2015-07-12T23:07:24Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > It’s not aimed at the casual fans posting Facebook links; it’s aimed at companies with sponsors of products that are not official PAG sponsors linking from their websites. Yes, I think you are right about that. But, if that’s the case, then what should be banned is not the presence of a simple link. After all, that’s just equivalent to saying, ‘look [HERE]([http://Pan](http://Pan) Am site) if you want to visit the Pan Am site’. No, what should be prohibited is a site saying something along the lines of, ‘Hey, check out [the Pan Am site]([http://Pan](http://Pan) Am site) and see how many athletes are using our track shoes’. The Pan Am people took the lazy way and banned all links. In any case, can it ever be a tort simply to link to a publicly available web site? (Maybe I’ll ask in GQ). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/9 "2015-07-13T01:05:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m only 4 hours from Toronto and put me in the group that thought the Pan Am games no longer occurred. I watched them on TV in the late 80’s or early 90’s, but I thought they had died. I had no idea that they were on until I was watching the start of the Pirates game tonight and saw that the USA had gotten a gold medal in dressage and qualification to Rio. Not to be dismissive of the athletes, but does this event even matter? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/10 "2015-07-13T01:28:51Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > … and saw that the USA had gotten a gold medal in dressage and qualification to Rio. Not to be dismissive of the athletes, but does this event even matter? It matters to people who like putting clothes on horses. What? That isn’t what dressage means? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/11 "2015-07-13T01:45:24Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I had no idea that they were on until I was watching the start of the Pirates game tonight and saw that the USA had gotten a gold medal in dressage and qualification to Rio. Not to be dismissive of the athletes, but does this event even matter? I’d say that qualifying for Rio in anything definitely matters - especially to the athletes. As for the event itself, if it was up to me, I’d get rid of it as a separate discipline and just have it in eventing (which I would limit to dressage and stadium jumping - cross-country is just too dangerous for the horses and the riders). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/12 "2015-07-13T01:53:25Z")
Sorry for the back-to-back posts > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Meanwhile, while USA’s Olympics and World Championships rosters are filled with NBA players, the only NBA player on the PAG roster is Ryan Hollins, who played 46 games (9 as a starter) for the Kings last season, although there’s talk that the Clippers want him back. Also, it appears that our women’s gymnastics program sent a “B” team like it always does (the oldest girl - and I mean “girl” - is 17). I remember a time when it pretty much had to, as the Pan-American Games used a different, easier, set of compulsory routines, and the top gymnasts didn’t want to disrupt their training having to learn a separate set of routines they would use once, but compulsories no longer exist. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/13 "2015-07-13T14:41:37Z")
By all accounts the opening ceremonies were spectacular; it’s a shame the city and organizing committee scared the residents of the city away. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/14 "2015-07-13T15:23:14Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Is anyone outside of Toronto even interested in these games Soon as I seen the rule that professional grade camera’s were not going to be allowed in,I said nope. Declan ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/15 "2015-07-13T16:34:13Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Soon as I seen the rule that professional grade camera’s were not going to be allowed in,I said nope. Were professional-grade still cameras banned? The list I saw said that professional-grade _video_ cameras were banned, but didn’t mention still cameras. However, it did say “professional-grade lenses” without making it clear if those applied to still cameras as well as video cameras, and I am under the impression that the lens is pretty much what makes a still camera “professional-grade.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/16 "2015-07-13T16:57:44Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Is anyone outside of Toronto even interested in these games? > > For that matter, is anyone _in_ Toronto interested? > > Call me an old curmudgeon but the only thing these games represent to me is worse traffic congestion than usual (and that is saying a lot). Of course, it goes without saying that their $2.5 billion cost is a joke. > > Some believe that the main purpose in having Toronto host the Pan Am Games was to demonstrate to the International Olympic Committee that the city could also be a good site for a future Olympic Games. Gawd forbid! Totally agree. Frankly I’m getting a little jaded by the Olympics, too, sick of Toronto’s pretentiousness, and really and truly sick of its traffic. So you can just imagine. Fortunately I hardly ever go there except for the occasional fling of superbly pretentious shopping or dining out. 😃 > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Were professional-grade still cameras banned? The list I saw said that professional-grade _video_ cameras were banned, but didn’t mention still cameras. However, it did say “professional-grade lenses” without making it clear if those applied to still cameras as well as video cameras, and I am under the impression that the lens is pretty much what makes a still camera “professional-grade.” There’s not much distinction between “still” and “video” when you consider that many professional-grade SLRs are capable of high quality HD video. In fact to the point that some Canon professional SLRs (and possibly other makes, too) have been equipped with special mounts and used in theatrical cinematography. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/17 "2015-07-13T19:28:57Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Some believe that the main purpose in having Toronto host the Pan Am Games was to demonstrate to the International Olympic Committee that the city could also be a good site for a future Olympic Games. Gawd forbid! It’s possible that the thinking is along the lines of, “North America hasn’t hosted a summer Olympics since 1996, so unless you want them in Africa, it’s North America’s ‘turn’ in 2024, so the choices are: (a) “Oh, dear God, don’t tell me we have to give it to the USA” (b) Taking a chance with, say, Mexico or Cuba; (c) Canada.” > [@KarlGauss](#): > > Yes, I think you are right about that. But, if that’s the case, then what should be banned is not the presence of a simple link. After all, that’s just equivalent to saying, ‘look [HERE]([http://Pan](http://Pan) Am site) if you want to visit the Pan Am site’. > > No, what should be prohibited is a site saying something along the lines of, ‘Hey, check out [the Pan Am site]([http://Pan](http://Pan) Am site) and see how many athletes are using our track shoes’. There’s no significant difference between the two. Ever see the commercials that pop up during, or right before, summer Olympics, where non-official companies (e.g. American Express, Converse) show athletes in Olympic events and mention the host city and things like “gold medals,” but just don’t use the 8-letter O-word? _ **UPDATE: The ban on links has been removed - now it is just a ban on “the use of, or embedding of, content” from the website.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/18 "2015-07-14T05:43:17Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Were professional-grade still cameras banned? The list I saw said that professional-grade _video_ cameras were banned, but didn’t mention still cameras. However, it did say “professional-grade lenses” without making it clear if those applied to still cameras as well as video cameras, and I am under the impression that the lens is pretty much what makes a still camera “professional-grade.” As you might imagine, I took it as professional grade still camera’s after I seen the part about the lens, so not so much joy in bringing the 5D with the fifty mil lens on it, and the 600 mil lens in the bag. I would have been fine with restricted access to the athletes pavillions , but no way spectators should not have been allowed to photograph anything on the field, unless someone sold exclusive rights away to some third party. Sides, all I really wanted to watch were the equestrian events, dont really get a lot of venues that do English style horsey stuff around here. Declan ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/19 "2015-07-14T13:23:27Z")
Anybody else watching the ESPN2 daily coverage? Can it be any more painfully obvious that the main commentator, when he’s doing the “minor events” recap at the end, is just watching the video and trying to ad lib from it? Is it _that_ hard to prepare something for the teleprompter? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903/20 "2015-07-17T14:56:32Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Anybody else watching the ESPN2 daily coverage? Can it be any more painfully obvious that the main commentator, when he’s doing the “minor events” recap at the end, is just watching the video and trying to ad lib from it? Is it _that_ hard to prepare something for the teleprompter? And if you think he’s bad, then you should listen to the wrestling commentator (although he might be from CBC or whoever is covering the event in Canada); either he has little idea as to what’s happening, or he’s a former wrestler himself who has little business being in front of a camera. However, I will give credit to the ESPN2 coverage for one thing; for the first time that I can remember, a USA commentator pointed out that pretty much every country outside of the USA “ranks” countries by gold medals and not total medals. I might start believing that silver and bronze medals count the same as golds when people stop complaining about what happened to the 1972 USA men’s basketball team, Roy Jones Jr., and Evander Holyfield. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pan-am-games-toronto-happening-now/724903.md?page=2)