Late Breaking News:  Early Friday evening, Mayor Bloomberg announced he has canceled the NYC Marathon.  And, some lights return to lower Manhattan.

[By Larry Goldfarb]

NYC has decided to proceed with holding the Marathon on Sunday as scheduled.  There are strong feelings on both sides of the issue.  The proponents say:

• The race contributes $350 Million in revenue to the city; an amount needed more than ever after the storm
• The psyche of the city needs a dramatic event. They cite the World Series game proceeding a week after 911
• It’s not logistically possible to change the date because runners, having traveled to NYC from far and wide, would find it difficult to change their plans

The detractors dispute the assessment:

• Equipment and services that are being used for the marathon could be better be used by the population  [NYP, 11/2/12]
• Staten Island, the starting point of the race, was particularly hard hit with over 30 dead and massive dislocation from flooding
• Transporting 50,000 runners to the starting point may over tax the infrastructure of the city

In contrast to the NYC Marathon, the NBA decided to cancel Thursday's opening game at the Barclay center between cross city rivals the Brooklyn Nets and the NY Knicks.  The event, which is dwarfed in scope and breadth by the NYC Marathon, was still on as of Wednesday.  The cancelation was due to two main factors:

• There is currently no working subway lines  between Brooklyn and Manhattan.  The tunnels are flooded and it is very difficult to get between the two boroughs. 
• The players have been dislocated.  Many live in areas that were evacuated and have concerns about their families.

In the end, the decisions have been made and to me, both seem like they are being made for the right reasons.  Were they right?  I suspect they are.

For further details, please read [ CNBC, 11/2/12]   [WSJ, 10/31/12]