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Many of my college friends are in the Chicago area (went to school in WI) and the multitude of Facebook messages are mixed. Some were really rooting for Chicago and were absolutely crushed, while others vehemently opposed it and are extremely pleased that the Olympics won't "ruin" the city. Their words, not mine!
Personally I've been hoping for Rio the whole time... and not just because my husband is from Brazil :-) I think it's great that they are FINALLY expanding it to South America for the summer games. And to be honest, it kind of bothered me that Chicago put in a bid. As a country, we've hosted the Olympics many a time (8 according to Psi_U_MC_Vito) including Atlanta very recently, and that's plenty for right now. If it's truly an international event, there should be an effort to share the love and let the other countries have their time to shine. Not just from the committees, but from who applies.
For some countries hosting the Olympics will truly make a difference- I look forward to going back to Rio to see it post-games. Sometimes the Olympics are just the push that certain areas need. And I'm not just talking third world! The Vancouver 2010 Olympics have done wonders for some of the major roads up in BC, and even in WA they're prepping for it. If anyone's ever been to Whistler, they're completely redoing the Sky to Sea Highway to add lanes and beef it up a bit. As someone who's driven on it at night while it was snowy and icy, it's much needed for safety & will be a benefit to the hundreds of thousands of people who go to the area each year.
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And in the years after, with tears or with laughter, we'll always remember our dear Kappa days.
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