The U.S. Olympic Committee meets Thursday and may decide which American city will move forward with a bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. The finalists are Boston, Los Angeles,  San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The costs of putting on an Olympiad are well known  – the Sochi Winter Games cost more than $50 billion. What kinds of civic events are actually moneymakers for cities? Super Bowls? Political conventions? What gives the best return on investment?

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