It started to go downhill when Greece tried to recapture its original luster with the 2004 games. The luster was clearly lost and the rapid deterioration of those Athens facilities sadly reflects the decline of the Olympic games themselves. In the shadow of those modern Greek ruins, the 2014 Sochi games were nothing short of a colossal farce and now the one positive aspect of Rio 2016 may be the world gaining a better understanding of the effects of unchecked pollution.
Why would any country want to host the Olympics without the infrastructure or facilities to host a national event, let alone the Olympics? The games are now regularly riddled with epic monetary blunders. As seen in previous countries, the Olympics can single-handedly cripple economies and displace thousands. Do ill-equipped countries clamor to host the Olympics because they represent a status-enhancing publicity opportunity? I certainly don’t see Brazil in a better light than I did 6 months ago. In fact, it is a sad sight to see countries reach such despair for the “glory” of the games.
The I.O.C. has a responsibility to say “no” to countries that for obvious reasons have no business bidding let alone hosting the Olympic Games. At Juniper Capital, we continue to tune-in to the Olympic games because the spirit of competition and hard work still shines bright even in the worst conditions, but the lack of responsibility shown by the I.O.C. is not lost on us.
As leaders in private money lending for real estate, we have a responsibility to our borrowers regarding their loan requests. We don’t fund loans just because we are assured a fee. We fund investments with the goal of a successful transaction from start to finish. We want our borrowers to have success, so they must have the capacity and a high probability of a positive outcome. We have no problem sitting down with a borrower and letting them know that their requested loan doesn’t make sense and therefore they should walk away from the transaction. At Juniper Capital, we will not fund a loan in knowing detriment of the borrower. We bring savvy and experience to the table to help borrowers make solid decisions and avoid pitfalls, so that everybody wins.
Sometimes “no” can be the best advice or answer you can get. It may not sound like it at the time, but look back at the no’s in your life and consider the trouble they may have saved you. We should all keep that in mind as we go about our personal and professional lives. A quick “no” is better than a “yes” that leads to significant failure… just ask the residents of Greece, Sochi, and Rio.
