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Was it worth it for Birmingham to make that $75 million bid (it’s apparently closer to $65 million, we’re told) for a sporting event that, frankly, few had heard of? Was it worth it for Birmingham to commit $3.5 million of its own taxpayers’ money to honor the sporting achievements of korfballers and competitive lifesavers, to celebrate break dancing, billiards and bowling? I think of that when people ask if it was all worth it. This and what would happen in the next hour or so. It is a moment etched in my memory in this week of the World Games in Birmingham. He struggled to get through the crowd to his wife. His children were gone and would look for him when they returned. The man got up to leave, but looked around frantically. His wife had collapsed from the heat and was being treated nearby by UAB medics - along with hundreds of others over the week. It became a buzz, and suddenly people were pointing at the man, calling him to come, quickly. Then came a commotion to the left, down below the bleachers. That’s when mom also walked away.ĭad was left alone, keeping the seats for his family. They sat sizzling, waiting for the contest to begin, until the children persuaded Dad to let them wander around in search of crushed ice or some similar liquid. A couple and their children – young teenagers, I would say – had prime seats, as they arrived hours early and staked out. It was hot last week – Newsflash - and the bleachers erected at Sloss Furnaces couldn’t hold everyone who gathered to watch Swedish phenom Miranda Tibbling do things on the parkour course that few had ever seen.