Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will fail when the Selection Committee meets in October 2009. Why? It is Chicago and not as exotic or as beautiful as Rio, Prague, Madrid, Tokyo or Rome, it’s competitors.
This won’t keep Illinois Governor Rod Blagjovic, who has had the kind of ethical challenges that so far have eluded Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, from raising millions to grease the palms of Committee members and put a happy face on Chicago. Constructing an Olympic Village and stadiums would reward his political contributors. Presidential candidates will soon advocate bringing the 2016 Summer Games to Illinois.
The Olympic Games have never been held in South America. The choice of Rio means that there will not be the weird tape delay problem for American television viewers and advertisers which plagued the Summer Games in Athens and Melbourne and will plague the forthcoming Summer Games in Beijing.
Rio needs the housing and employment that construction would bring. Chicago would be totally confused by Team Handball, too.
Mark Michaelsen
About Me
- Mark G. Michaelsen
- Mark G. Michaelsen has more than 30 years of broad experience in policy analysis strategic planning, public relations, public speaking, and publications management. Michaelsen’s bylined and ghost-written articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers. He is an experienced political campaign operative.
1 comment:
May I just point out that Tokyo, Madrid, and other such cities are only beautiful from our American sense of exoticism? Tokyo is, for example, just a big city. It's essentially as old as Boston and was destroyed by-and-large in the 1923 earthquake.
Plus, come on, let America have its last hurrah.
"With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the A gaean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery" -Arnold, "Dover Beach"
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