I was just getting off the treadmill at the Athletic Club when it was announced that 2016 summer Olympics would be held in Rio de Janeiro. I guess I was rooting for Chicago but then I began to wonder if Chicago had lost the bid but was really the winner. It reminded me of when I ran for the school board and lost but less than a year later I realized how lucky I had been. The present board just keeps creating more unnecessary messes for itself.
But back to the Olympics: Rio, with almost a caste system between the poor and the wealthy, will have to pony up around 10 billion dollars by early estimates. The venues and housing are just part of the problem. The Olympics can't be run like Beijing's, which is a repressive communist country where monies could be diverted to wherever the country wanted and the consequences of the games to Chinese citizens was never a concern.
Security will be a big issue. Even Athens, which is sort of a democratic junta, spent billions on just that item. Would Americans be willing to give up their way of life for the honor of hosting athletes from around the world. Interesting-in recent polls only 47% of Chicago's residents favored being the Olympic host verses almost 87% in Rio.
Price: Yes, it would put a lot of people to work but the payback is way in the future.
I guess I wonder: Did Chicago lose or just dodge a bullet?