4 American Cities Vying To Host The 2024 Olympics

Right now, seven American cities are vying to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. This isn't an easy task: Each city representative must state its case before the United States Olympic Committee, which then selects just one metropolis to pitch to the International Olympic Committee. Recent bids for the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics didn't go so well, even though President Obama and the First Lady personally visited the I.O.C.'s voting session in 2009 to campaign on behalf of Chicago (which lost out on the 2016 games to Rio de Janeiro).

Basically, the USOC is trying to save face and put forward a more feasible bid. These U.S. cities could be the future host of the Summer Olympics — and sorry, Chicago, but it looks like 2024 Chicago still isn't happening...

1. Los Angeles

Los Angeles hogs all the Olympics bids. The sprawling metropolis has already hosted two Olympics, but that hasn't stopped it from wanting one more go around. Fortunately, that's a good thing for L.A.: The city already has an Olympic Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is managed by the nearby University of Southern California and already has to undergo a $70 million-dollar renovation. What's a few more million dollars for a new Olympic Village?

The other plus side for Los Angeles? It's star power. The 2024 Olympics would have no shortage of media attention and endorsements — all it needs is to roll out a red carpet. Steven Spielberg might lend a hand directing the Opening Ceremony.

2. Boston

As one of America's oldest cities and the heart and soul of the American Revolution, Boston would be a great choice for the 2024 Olympics on the strength of its historical tie-ins alone. Not to mention, Boston is a true sports town, where watching the Red Sox win the World Series matters more than, well, everything. But can the geographically small city sustain a two-week-long, multimillion-dollar sporting event?

According to a report from the Massachusetts State Legislature, the city would need to build a slew of new amenities, including a velodrome, an aquatics center, an Olympic Village and an Olympic Stadium. Plus, the city is lacking in hotel rooms.

Considering downtown Boston is cramped with 250-year-old buildings, there's no room inside the city for an 100-acre stadium. However, the dozens of Boston colleges and their empty dorm rooms could be used for extra accommodations for travelers. Sorry, Olympic fans, but this may the Olympics of shared bathrooms and five-foot-high mattresses.

On the bright side, the Red Sox would probably have won about three more World Series by then, so the Boston camaraderie should be strong.

3. Philadelphia

Like Boston, Philadelphia also has deep historical roots. With the city's abundance of Revolutionary War impersonators, these Olympics could easily double as a history lesson — or an ultimate celebration of America.

Philadelphia, though, has a bit of an underdog status. The city is currently experiencing some financial woes, including a $5 billion pension shortfall and a $1.3 billion school-budget deficit. Philadelphia may not even be able to afford putting together a bid, which can cost up to $10 million. The city would also need to construct an Olympic Village and a new track and field stadium, since the already existing Lincoln Financial Field is too small.

But if Philadelphia is successful, the 2024 Olympics could have the greatest mascot ever: Rocky Balboa.

4.

San Francisco is quickly becoming America's most popular city, thanks in part to the growth of nearby Silicon Valley. Because these Olympics would technically be held in the whole Bay Area, and not just tiny San Francisco, there's already a slew of facilities that could serve as Olympic venues.

The biggest draw to the San Francisco Olympics would definitely be its tech personality; with so many tech companies and programmers in the area, expect this to be Olympics 2.0 with fancy apps, live-streams and maybe even holograms of past Olympians.

But the biggest turn-off for San Francisco is the weather. As Mark Twain once said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco."