Ask people around the world about Atlanta, and before 1996 they would say they loved the city and especially its casinos.

They thought it was Atlantic City.

Obviously, the Georgia city had a branding problem. But then hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics transformed its image.

"After the event, no one mistook us for Atlantic City, anymore," says professor Harvey Newman at Georgia State University. "It certainly put Atlanta center stage for international tourism and international investment."

Even decades later, the afterglow from the Games is still going strong, too.

"I've been in cars jammed with people from international flights, and they see the Olympic torch caldron and they jump up and down with excitement," he adds.

Atlanta may have benefitted from the recognition, but Los Angeles already has a strong reputation around the world.

So why even host the Games?

Newman says it can light a fire under politicians to move ahead on public works projects.

"To see our subway system cars jam-packed," he recalls of that time, "for Atlanta, that was a remarkable event to depend so heavily on our public transportation system."

Los Angeles has many infrastructure needs, from building more homes to improving the roads and railways.

Hosting the Olympics, he says, would be great leverage for public leaders to get them approved.

"The Olympics made people feel that that generation of civil leaders were up to the task of staging an incredibly complex event," says Newman. "This is a task – a monumental one – for a new generation of leaders in your city."