Edie Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I back the bid, though there certainly plenty of people that don't. I think it would be a once in a lifetime chance.... A little magic in the next couple days and we'll land them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OOO Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I back the bid! I understand the downsides, but it would be a pretty big deal, and I like boasting about our lil city. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I know what people here are thinking -- Chicagoans are spoiled -- "First you people have Obama, then you get the olympics, and even more importantly, WILCO!" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I was routing for Chicago until I read the olympics have never been in South America! I think every continent should have a go at it eventually (Minus Antartica I Guess)..my vote is for Rio! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I know what people here are thinking -- Chicagoans are spoiled -- "First you people have Obama, then you get the olympics, and even more importantly, WILCO!"Yeah, but you also have Oprah, Blago, and the Cubs. edit: and Billy Corgan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Yeah, but you also have Oprah, Blago, and the Cubs. edit: and Billy Corgan. And Peter Cetera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Yeah, but you also have Oprah, Blago, and the Cubs. edit: and Billy Corgan. The state of Illinois has Blago - he just happens to live here. In the Chicago area he had less votes in the democratic primary for governor against Paul Vallas (and Roland Burris) in 2001-02. He won be getting the vote down state. Sorry for the rant, it just still bugs me. Anyway I back the bid, I am sure it is going to be rough putting on the show, but I think it will be worth it. Will there be corruption - of course. But I think it will be exciting as hell. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 The state of Illinois has Blago - he just happens to live here. My comment was more about the fact that he lives there. He and his jogging suit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I know what people here are thinking -- Chicagoans are spoiled -- "First you people have Obama, then you get the olympics, and even more importantly, WILCO!" So you're saying that beyond Wilco and a possible Olympic bid, Chicago has nothing. I can live with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 My comment was more about the fact that he lives there. He and his jogging suit. Don't forget about his hair, too. Ugh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I was routing for Chicago until I read the olympics have never been in South America! I think every continent should have a go at it eventually (Minus Antartica I Guess)..my vote is for Rio!This is the one thing I fear. Rio has a high crime rate though and that includes a lot of petty crime like pickpocketing. Plus, NPR was saying this am that the Olympics usually bring in about 20% more for the rights to broadcast in the US when they are here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dude Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Giving the Chicago political machine the Olympics will be like giving the keys to a brand new Bugatti Veyron ($1.7 mil, over 1000 horsepower, 253mph top speed) to a 14-year-old kid and telling him to take it around the block a few times. Part of me would be thrilled it have it. I mean, how else over the next 8+ years are we in Chicago going to see great athletes at the top of their game performing at their best? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 This is the one thing I fear. Rio has a high crime rate though and that includes a lot of petty crime like pickpocketing. Plus, NPR was saying this am that the Olympics usually bring in about 20% more for the rights to broadcast in the US when they are here. I think Rio is only 1 hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. Would that make it easier to bring in more money for broadcast rights as opposed to somewhere else in the world? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I don't really have a take on this. Of course, having it in the U.S. would be great. A Chicago Tribune writer wrote a cynical article about it relating to Obama and his ties with Daley. I'm not up on Chicago politics, so not sure if the guy's making good points or not. No doubt would it be great for downtown Chicago. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-30-sep30,0,456539.column Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 This is the one thing I fear. Rio has a high crime rate though and that includes a lot of petty crime like pickpocketing. Plus, NPR was saying this am that the Olympics usually bring in about 20% more for the rights to broadcast in the US when they are here. I hear you about the crime..keep in mind though they had the Olympics in Barcelona which is also a very crime ridden city and I guess it worked out just fine. This might help Rio get serious about security and help Brazil's greater good??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I know what people here are thinking -- Chicagoans are spoiled -- "First you people have Obama, then you get the olympics, and even more importantly, WILCO!" And The Dark Knight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trevor Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I'm currently working for the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee, and I know that pretty much the entire office will grind to a halt tomorrow morning at 9:30 to watch the live feed from Copenhagen to see what happens. Personally, I think Chicago more or less has it in the bag, for the following reasons:-Rio has World Cup soccer in 2014 and I can't imagine them getting back-to-back major sporting events-London 2012, Sochi 2014, and Madrid 2016 would mean three successive Games in Europe-It would be the first Olympics on American soil in 14 years (first summer games in 20)-The Obama factor Granted, there's obviously a billion other things that factor into the decision, political and otherwise, and I'm not totally sure why I've ruled Tokyo out...I haven't given them much in the way of consideration. I do think that it will come down to Chicago vs Rio. I back the bid! Plus, I had a couple hour layover in O'Hare a month ago and was very impressed by the marketing and support the movement seems to have. There will always be naysayers, but everything about the bid so far seems to be very well-managed. (Also, if golf becomes an Olympic sport, Chicago and the surrounding area have several high-calibre courses (I'm looking at you, Medinah)) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I was reading a bit about Rio's chances recently. Rio has some obstacles to overcome that may be more daunting than anything Chicago faces. It hosted the Pan-American Games in 2007 and experienced enormous cost overruns (as in, ten times over projections for many projects) and was not able to fulfill many the promises it made in securing the Games, such as building new commuter train lines and cleaning up the pollution in the bay and elsewhere. There were also rampant problems with corruption and turf disputes between parties seeking to control the hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to provide security and other services. Not that those turf disputes wouldn't also happen in Chicago, but Rio has a demonstrated history of these problems just two years ago with a similar (albeit smaller-scale) sporting event. I still get the sense that Rio is slightly ahead of Chicago (at least until Obama comes to the rescue), but if Rio doesn't assert itself as the clear leader in the early ballots, Chicago may be able to rally and pull off a win by the final ballot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I would be very disapointed if Chicago doesn't land the Olympics. I'm a firm believer in the power of corruption and calculated political moves. If Chicago can't land this then what can we say about corruption and why would Obama fly across the world if the answer wasn't already in the bag? Also I take offense to people dissing the Cubs and what the hell, what do you guys have against Billy Corgan? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I'm kind of rooting for Rio myself, not that I care too terribly much. Without the Olympics, either city would stay pretty much how it is now. With the Olympics, one city would have an opportunity to tremendous revitalization and growth of infrastructure. If either city is really in need of that, I would probably argue that city is Rio. As for the problems with the Pan-American games hosting, I would argue it's the difference between having a friend come over and having a date stop by your house. You don't care if your underwear is on the floor for a friend, but if you think your date will go well you want to make damned sure the place is clean. Reading the Tribune throughout all of this, the city has really come off as whiney and arrogant - nothing new, of course, but it reminds me of the mentalities that annoy me about Chicago. I don't know. The U.S. has hosted the Olympics at least three times, and an entire continent never has. Just rooting for the underdog, I guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dude Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Granted, there's obviously a billion other things that factor into the decision, political and otherwise, and I'm not totally sure why I've ruled Tokyo out...I haven't given them much in the way of consideration. I do think that it will come down to Chicago vs Rio. If Tokyo wins, it will be their second Olympics--their first Summer Games was in 1964. Not that this is stopping London from re-hosting in 2012, but Chicago's (and Rio and Madrid's) compelling case that they have never had the opportunity to host the games should hopefully give them an edge over Tokyo, all other things being equal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Reading the Tribune throughout all of this, the city has really come off as whiney and arrogant - nothing new, of course, but it reminds me of the mentalities that annoy me about Chicago. Chicago is whiney and arrogant? I have literally never heard this. I can give a rat's ass about the olympics being here. This is probably one of the top 5 cities for traffic congestion. I have to think the Olympics wouldn't help that situation for the short-term. It would definitely improve employment to build infrastructure, etc. Either way, I'll watch on the tv box. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I'm all for renting out our house and spending the time on vacation somewhere -- watching on TV. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OOO Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 -It would be the first Olympics on American soil in 14 years (first summer games in 20) I feel like the Salt Lake City Olympics were not 14 years ago, but that might just be me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I feel like the Salt Lake City Olympics were not 14 years ago, but that might just be me.In 2016, they will have been 14 years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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