|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Gay Games tries to make up for shortfall

News 2006-10-14 Gay Games tries to make up for shortfall The Gay Games has been plagued by financial shortfalls following several previous events, and this year was no exception. But organ


The Gay Games has been plagued by financial shortfalls following several previous events, and this year was no exception. But organizers of this year's Games in Chicago say they have a plan to fill the gap.

With a $200,000 budget shortfall on an event that was predicted to at least break even, organizers are selling off all of their assets to make up the difference, the Chicago Tribune reports. The massive signs from opening and closing ceremonies and the very desks where workers plotted the event that brought a world of gay and lesbian athletes to Chicago this summer can be anyone's for the right price, they say.

By shedding these assets and soliciting donations, organizers who ran the Games on a $10 million cash budget say they will get back to zero or maybe even generate a slight surplus by the spring. Either way, Gay Games leaders say they have proved the event doesn't need to be a notorious money-loser.

Kevin Boyer, a spokesman for Chicago Games Inc., the local nonprofit that staged the event, told the Tribune there is little chance the Chicago Games won't at least break even. He acknowledged that some bills have been paid a bit slowly but insisted there will be no financial losers when the final tally is done. "The question was always, Would we be able to break even without asking for a little money from the community?" he said. "Of course we would prefer if we didn't have to raise additional money, but we're pleased it's modest."

Boyer told the Tribune the Chicago Games had been on track to break even but were set back by a heat wave early in the Games. Last-minute spending on water, ice, drivers, and trucks resulted in additional costs, he said. "These events have some wild cards in them all along," Boyer said. "You get a massive heat wave and ensure the health of the athletes, then let the dust settle."

The Chicago Games assets will be sold at warehouse sales at two Brown Elephant stores, resale shops that benefit Chicago's Howard Brown Health Center. Available items will include country and state banners used at opening and closing ceremonies, T-shirts, posters, pins, music CDs, and furniture. "We plan to have a lot of fun with that," Boyer said. "And it will lower the bills." (The Advocate)

Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter. Page 1 of 1



More Online Only
  • Commentary What Marriage in Maine Meant for Me

    Dana Hernandez is a straight white married mother of two young children. But in campaigning for No on 1 and reporting Election Night outcomes for Advocate.com, defeat hit her like a ton of bricks.

  • Marriage Equality Video Content Flag Terri White Stages Her Leather Encore

    Last year, acclaimed stage performer Terri White was homeless and living in a public park. On Sunday, she and her partner held a leather-themed commitment ceremony onstage following her triumphant Broadway turn in Finian’s Rainbow. 

  • Music Ghost Story

    Out singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile discusses working with her childhood mentor, coming out publicly, and joining next year's Lilith Fair.

  • News View From Washington: GOP Upheaval

    Now that the only pro-marriage equality candidate in New York's 23rd Congressional district, Republican Dede Scozzafava, has dropped out of the race, Tuesday's election holds any number of political lessons for both the GOP and the LGBT community.

  • Books Hot Sheet: Ditto Knocking 'Em Dead

    This week might not bring anything to the screen other than a Boondock Saints sequel, but there are plenty of reasons to sit at home on the couch or head to your local concert venue.

  • News Features Sailor Speaks Out

    Sailor Joseph Rocha endured years of hazing until he spoke out — then he was discharged for revealing his homosexuality. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is itching to suit back up.

  • Music Rainbow High

    Busy Broadway heartthrob, gay rights activist, and former Advocate coverboy Cheyenne Jackson chats about his Finian’s Rainbow revival, his politically charged cabaret CD, and laying around in his underpants (pic on page five).

  • Television Another Tough Broad

    After being outed by a Nazi and locking lips with a hook-up three times in one episode, Christine Woods's tough-talking FBI agent Janis Hawk on ABC's FlashForward might just be prime time's best gay offering — who isn't in Glee club, that is.

  • Books Video Content Flag In Sickness and in Health

    Mary Cappello’s memoir Called Back takes readers on a white-knuckle journey through the experience of cancer treatment in America — especially disorienting to navigate as a woman and a lesbian.

  • Books An American Crime

    Best-selling novelist Patricia Cornwell made headlines last week when she filed suit against a New York investment firm for losing $40 million of her money. But she'd much rather talk about her new book, hate-crimes legislation, and Angelina Jolie.

  • Comedy Gilded Lily

    After conquering Broadway, movies, and television, out funny lady Lily Tomlin prepares for the final frontier — Las Vegas.

  • Entertainment News Ricky Martin, No Shirt and a Baby

    Ricky Martin knows how to get the camera's attention. Take a look at the many pictures of Ricky uploaded to his Twitter account in the past three months, always shirtless, frequently carrying one (or both) of his babies.

  • Television Fresh Blood

    With True Blood a bona-fide cultural phenomenon, producer Alan Ball offers tantalizing hints about what to expect on season 3.

Most Popular Stories