Olympic Glory or Olympic Gory?

Chicago is making a bid to host the Olympics in 2016, and there's been quite a bit of buzz lately, as they made it into the top 4 finalists recently, along with Rio de Janerio, Tokyo, and Madrid.

It has been an interesting introduction into Chicago politics, which really are their own entertainment. My impression is that this is the pet project of Mayor Daley, and he's just pulling along everyone else for the ride. It was interesting that even at Taste of Chicago this weekend the most conspicuous presence was that of Chicago 2016 T-shirt clad volunteers handing out stickers with the proposed logo.

Those I have spoken to about it seem pretty divided. The younger, the more excited they seem to be about the idea, whereas older folk are already convinced it's little more than a massive expense and a huge potential drain on the city's infastructure, especially transportation (which is bad enough already).

I have no idea if this is a legit copy of the bid video submitted to the committee (my guess is not), but it has some cool footage of the proposed staduim and other sites. It seems to match what I have read so far in the papers.

Regardless of whether or not Chicago "deserves" it (apparently, the real question is whether or not the US "deserves" it), it is pretty cool think about having the Olympics in the midwest. Imagine the opportunities it could present for kids from Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin to get to see a world-class event, just a few hours away.

I think St. Louis should make a bid. Good sports town, needs the shot in the arm, and goodness knows there's enough under-used real estate downtown to re-purpose.