Chicago does not receive Olympic bid - Page 2

ThetaDancer · #1 10-02-2009, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Exactly..I mean LA and Atlanta both had one recently, let someone else wreck their city!

And Salt Lake City had the winter Olympics recently...so for me it wasn't that much of a surprise that they would go to another country.

Shellfish · #2 10-02-2009, 03:32 PM

Congrats, Rio! I've never been, but probably anyone who's ever seen the movie Black Orpheus has wanted to go there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0jZRkFtksI

pbear19 · #3 10-02-2009, 05:05 PM

I definitely think Rio was the right choice.

But I am completely amused by the FB posts I've seen by some conservative friends who are blaming the loss on Obama, saying that it was his speech that caused Chicago to not get it.

MidwayManiac · #4 10-04-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbear19

But I am completely amused by the FB posts I've seen by some conservative friends who are blaming the loss on Obama, saying that it was his speech that caused Chicago to not get it.

Objectively, I think the Obamas did a poor job selling the IOC on what Chicago could do for them. It also seemed to me that Obama was lecturing the IOC a little bit, and that is one group that does not take kindly to being lectured.

To borrow a phrase from Jim Rome of all people, just look at the scoreboard. Before the Obamas' presentation, conventional wisdom was that Chicago would be 1 or 2. After their pitch Chicaco came in fourth. There are two explanations for this. Either the Obamas actually hurt, or it was a lost cause and there is nothing they could have done. I personally think their speeches were a lost opportunity and were not that effective. If it was a lost cause from the get-go, I wonder why they were over there in the first place, exposing themselves and the country to a humiliation, which is what happened. Either way I think it was a misjudgment by Team Obama.

I'm happy for Rio. Their timezone is close to the US's so we'll get to see a lot of stuff live. The basketball will probably be amazing. I was at a party yesterday with a bunch of Brazilians and while happy they are skeptical that all the construction can get done in time!

KSigkid · #5 10-04-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidwayManiac

Objectively, I think the Obamas did a poor job selling the IOC on what Chicago could do for them. It also seemed to me that Obama was lecturing the IOC a little bit, and that is one group that does not take kindly to being lectured.

To borrow a phrase from Jim Rome of all people, just look at the scoreboard. Before the Obamas' presentation, conventional wisdom was that Chicago would be 1 or 2. After their pitch Chicaco came in fourth. There are two explanations for this. Either the Obamas actually hurt, or it was a lost cause and there is nothing they could have done. I personally think their speeches were a lost opportunity and were not that effective. If it was a lost cause from the get-go, I wonder why they were over there in the first place, exposing themselves and the country to a humiliation, which is what happened. Either way I think it was a misjudgment by Team Obama.

Correlation does not equal causation.

One of the NPR shows did a lot of coverage of the site selection process, and one of the interviewees was talking about how Chicago was a favorite of the newer IOC members, while Rio was a favorite of the older IOC members.

I'm not an Obama fan overall, but I don't think you can blame him for this. I think that a much more likely explanation is that the IOC just wanted to hold the Olympics in a brand new venue. The US has had the Summer games twice in the past 20 years, and 3 times in the past 25. It just wasn't Chicago's time.

Psi U MC Vito · #6 10-02-2009, 05:08 PM

Did Rio officially win it?

epchick · #7 10-02-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Did Rio officially win it?

Yep, it was between Rio and Madrid.

Chicago "the city of shattered dreams" really CBS? The Olympics are cool, but they aren't that big a deal.

ThetaPrincess24 · #8 10-03-2009, 10:01 AM

I was rooting for Chicago because I always root for the USA, however, I am happy that if we werent picked, that Rio got it. South America is due for an Olympic games.

Congrats to Rio!!

thetygerlily · #9 10-02-2009, 05:15 PM

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.

bostongreek · #10 10-03-2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Chicago does not receive Olympic bid