Boston, MA

Score one for the little guys in fending off Boston’s Olympic bid – The Boston Globe

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2024

Score one for the little guys in fending off Boston’s Olympic bid – The Boston Globe

Jeff Jacoby is exactly right that Boston dodged a bullet — no, make that a cannonball — in not hosting the Olympic Games this summer (“I rejoice that Boston didn’t get the 2024 Olympics,” Ideas, May 12). The likely costs and disruption were staggering. Imagine Boston’s current fiscal woes with a few hundred million dollars of Olympic shortfall added to the mix.

Unfortunately, the laudable goal of international, peaceable athletic competition has been sullied by an untransparent, unaccountable organization, the International Olympic Committee, and the trail of financial and physical ruin to its host cities is long and well-documented.

So it’s especially heartening, and an important lesson for us today, that the determined efforts of a few committed citizens can overcome the powers that be every once in a while. The grass-roots effort that beat back Boston’s proposal about 10 years ago was much like the successful effort in the late 1960s to prevent the Inner Belt freeway from destroying city neighborhoods. A few so-called little guys said no to the self-aggrandizing plans of Boston’s monied and political elite and won. Sometimes it takes a few Davids to take down a Goliath.

Mark Lohr

West Roxbury

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Boston, MA

What a World Cup ‘fan zone’ is and what Boston fans can expect in 2026

Published

8 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

What a World Cup ‘fan zone’ is and what Boston fans can expect in 2026

The FIFA World Cup is coming to Massachusetts, and when it comes to having a place for people to hang out together, there will be a free fan zone where everyone can celebrate the big event.

Seven World Cup matches will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA this summer, and the first one is right around the corner, to be played on June 13, with Scotland taking on Haiti.

Fan Zones are a public space to watch the game for people who don’t have tickets to the actual game. Held in public places, they broadcast the mach on giant screens to offer an immersive experience to watch the game, according to FIFA>

“At the heart of FIFA Fan Festival Boston, (a) Cultural Showcase will ignite the stage with a vibrant celebration of the spirit, creativity, and cultural heartbeat of Boston and communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” FIFA said.

Where will the fan zone be located when the World Cup games start in just 11 days?

Where is the World Cup fan zone going to be in Massachusetts?

The official FIFA Fan Festival for the 2026 World Cup in Boston will be located at Boston City Hall Plaza at 1 City Hall Sq. Boston, MA.

“The festival will run daily from June 12 through June 27, offering live match broadcasts, cultural showcases, food vendors, and entertainment,” according to FIFA.

The fan zone will open between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will stay open until after dark, between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. according to reports.

Activities at the fan zone

Here are some of the offerings at the fan zone in Boston, according to the FIFA website:

Live broadcasts: Giant outdoor screens that broadcast tournament matches in high-definition.
Entertainment & music: Live concerts, DJ sets, and performances celebrating global culture.
Interactive activations: Skills challenges, mini-pitches, inflatable games, and sponsor booths.
Food & merch: International food stalls, local beverage offerings, and official tournament merchandise.

How to go to the fan zone

While the game is free, you do need to register in advance.

“You can select which days and matches you plan to attend through the FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 website or the Meet Boston events page. Up to six people can register on a single application,” the World Cup Boston website says.

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Boston, MA

Who Will Form the Boston Bruins’ Future Core?

Published

19 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Who Will Form the Boston Bruins’ Future Core?

The Boston Bruins increasingly relied on a new wave of young players in the 2025-26 season. Their speed and energy became an intrinsic part of the team’s structure, complementing a more experienced core. Boston entered the offseason on May 2 after a 4-1 loss to Buffalo in Game 6 of the first round. Despite this, […] The post Who Will Form the Boston Bruins’ Future Core? appeared first on The Lead.

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Boston, MA

Updating Red Sox’s Playoff Chances: Numbers Never Lie | NESN

Published

1 day ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Updating Red Sox’s Playoff Chances: Numbers Never Lie | NESN

So you’re saying there’s a chance? Despite an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix for a playoff spot. At least according to FanGraphs, who gives the club a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.

Boston’s likely path to October means winning the wild card. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 26.1% chance of winning an American League wild card. The team currently sits threes games back of the third and final wild card, despite a record of 25-33.

Don’t look for a division title this year in Beantown. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 1% chance of winning the AL East. Which makes sense, since the team currently sits in last place, 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.

But SI’s Tom Verducci and Will Laws thinks Boston has a much tougher chance of making the playoffs. In their deep dive of the postseason, the pair came up with what they call the “Line of Doom.” According to their research, a team that starts “no better than 23–31 and your season is almost over only one-third of the way through the schedule.” Here’s why.

“In the wild card era (since 1995), only one team made the postseason starting with less than 22 wins in the first 54 games, the 2005 Astros (20–34). Of the 231 teams to start 23–31 or worse, only seven made the playoffs—once every 33 times,” Verducci and Laws note.

“Since the postseason field expanded in 2022, 31 teams began 23–31 or worse. Only one, the 2024 Mets (22–32), made the playoffs. That leaves such slow starters with a 1 in 31 chance—virtually the same as the larger sample size,” the pair add.

“The fact is one-third of the season does a good job separating pretenders from contenders. And as the calendar flips to June, understand that the playoff spots won’t change very much. In the four seasons with 12 playoff spots up for grabs, teams in playoff position when May ended kept a playoff spot 73% of the time—35 of 48 teams,” Verducci and Laws conclude.

So what does this have to do with the Red Sox, you ask? It’s Boston’s record after 54 games: 23-31. The “Line of Doom.”

More MLB: Red Sox Legend Backs ‘Worried’ John Henry

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