1. A deadline for public transportation improvements.
Pittsburgh officials began to seriously consider an extension of the "T" light rail system across the Allegheny River back in the early 1990s. Almost two decades later, the North Shore Connector will finally be completed in 2011. In those twenty years, millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted in bureaucratic red tape, rising oil and material costs, and inflation, because officials did not have incentive to complete the project quickly. A large-scale event creates a deadline for improvements. Pittsburgh needs expansions in mass transit and light rail, and a 2020 deadline eliminates the excuses and gets residents the improvements to both the public transportation and road infrastructure improvements that they want and need.
2. Go from "Smoky City" to "International City"
City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials are in the process of "re-branding" Pittsburgh for the G-20 as a green city, not as the smog-filled metropolis of the past that too many people around the world still see the city. And while their efforts should provide considerable improvements in "branding," there's only so much that a two-day spotlight can accomplish. Hosting the Games not only provides the two-week international coverage, but also the months and years leading up to 2020, just as future hosts Vancouver, London, and Sochi, Russia are currently being covered.
3. Leave a sports legacy only the Games can offer
A common misconception about hosting the Games is that it requires billions in taxpayer dollars for a "two-week festival." This is simply not the case. As Chicago's 2016 bid and past American Games have shown, taxpayers only put up the money for infrastructure improvements that the city already is in need of. Most of the money that goes into the actual "hosting" of the Games (competition venues, athlete accommodation, marketing, logistics, etc.) are paid for by television revenues, sponsorships, ticket sales, merchandise sales, and more. In addition, this influx of private investment often leaves host cities with world-class sporting venues that can be used by the entire community. In Pittsburgh's case, we would be privileged with an aquatics center in Schenley Park, a cycling velodrome on the South Side, a slalom kayak course in Moraine State Park, and much more, all paid for without one cent of tax dollars.
