Mayor Walsh makes the pitch for Boston 2024 in front of the USOC (Photo via U.S. Olympic Committee)

On Tuesday evening, the Boston 2024 Partnership, the group representing the possible Boston 2024 Summer Olympic bid, formally made its pitch to the United States Olympic Committee in California. Aiding the presentation was Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who flew out to the West Coast specifically for the event. It’s a momentous day for the city, but also for arguably Boston’s most important demographic: young professionals.

A 2024 Olympic bid will affect Boston’s younger generation considerably (be they “young professionals,” or soon-t0-graduate-students who can be defined as “millennials”), given Boston’s unique demographic breakdown.

The 20-34 year-old age group is a larger portion of the population in Boston than it is in any other major U.S. city, including the other cities bidding to host the 2024 Games.

First, however, some important points about why Tuesday’s round of presentations to the USOC (and the subsequent decision to make a bid) were important:

  • It was the day when the USOC formally decided that it will pursue a United States bid for the 2024 Summer Games.
  • The USOC did not decide which of the four domestic bids it wants to back, but only that it will make a bid at all. It will decide which U.S. bid it wants to support in “early January.”
  • Other than Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. are all vying for the U.S. support as well.
  • A USOC backing doesn’t mean the Olympics are automatically going to that city. It only means that the full weight of the nation’s Olympic resources go behind one bid. There is still tough competition from international bids, such as Rome and even Doha, Qatar. The International Olympic Committee is not expected to decide an actual host for 2024 until 2017.
  • Since the U.S. won’t have hosted a Summer Olympics for 28 years by 2024, and since the Games will have taken place on the continents of Asia, Australia, Europe (twice), and South America in that span, it seems favorable that a U.S. bid will have a good chance (though that is still very speculative).
  • While Boston’s bid has not been made public (a point of definite controversy), many of the details in the prospective plan have, including the first budget estimate, possible venue selections, and many other relevant details.

Now that the USOC has, in fact, decided to pursue a bid, it means that Boston’s conversation about the Olympics needs to accelerate into a higher gear. While it has not been endorsed specifically by the USOC, it has cleared another hurdle in the process. This has particular ramifications for Boston’s young people.

Why it matters for millennials

While those in favor of a Boston bid and those against it differ on many major issues, there is at least one area where they agree: Millennials are a critical demographic in the process. Here’s why:

A 2024 Olympics will mean that those in their 20s and 30s in 2014 will be more settled when the actual Games occur. For anyone who stays in the region, they will reside in and support a city that will be transformed should Boston be selected for the Olympics.

Arguments abound on both sides for those for and against the bid, and the younger generation is on the front lines of both groups. Chris Dempsey, a spokesperson and co-chair of “No Boston Olympics” (whose purpose is obviously against the bid), and who is himself a young professional, spoke about the subject with BostInno:

The corps of our group (“No Boston Olympics”) is really made up of young professionals, most of whom were born and raised in the Boston area, and who are looking forward to raising our families here, and building our careers here.

The 2024 Partnership, which is lobbying to host the Games in Boston, also view the Olympic bid as a subject with a long term goal. Dan O’Connell, President of the 2024 Partnership, discussed this in a separate conversation with BostInno, and how Mayor Walsh’s priorities intersect with the bid’s.

It’s what the Games lead to. It’s not 2024, it’s 2030, he (Walsh) mentions a lot because that will be the 400 anniversary of the founding of Boston. The great thing about this is it’s all about 2030, it’s not about the Games, it’s about where the city’s going in the 21st century. It’s about where the innovation and technology industries are taking the city in terms of jobs and opportunities. It’s about retaining talent. We educate people from all over the world, but we lose too many of them on graduation day. Part of that talent retention is housing.

O’Connell’s mention of how a Boston Olympics would be a catalyst for new housing relates to Mayor Walsh’s recent housing plan. Here it is in its entirety. It attempts to alleviate the quandary of housing for several demographics, but inevitably also for the largest portion of the population (millennials). In this capacity, an Olympic bid involves them, even if the project (for housing) doesn’t have a direct tie to the 2024 Summer Games.

With housing as only one example, it’s clear that all of this is a conversation that the younger generation of Boston should not only be aware of, but have a voice in. Regardless of what “side” someone takes (or even if they remain undecided on the Olympic question), it’s important to stay tuned, should the USOC move forward with a bid, and should they select Boston as the candidate.

There is a lot more to the discussion than the mere logistics of hosting a three-week sporting event. It’s about the city’s future as a whole, and no group has a larger presence in Boston, and thus has more at stake, than the city’s younger crowd.

Featured image via Boston 2024 Partnership

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