Judging the olympic bids

They announce the host of the 2016 Olympics tomorrow and that is obviously a subject of interest given the strong possibility that Chicago might win the rights. I’m kind of torn as to how I feel about it so I might as well write up my thoughts and then tomorrow we can figure out if I am right or wrong.

(For those wondering, the 2010 games are in Vancouver, 2012 is in London and 2014 is in some two bit Russian town whose name I can’t recall offhand.)

As a sports fan and Olympics buff I would of course be thrilled to have the Olympics in my hometown. It would truly be a once in a lifetime moment and something absolutely spectacular. To have the eyes of the world on our skyline would be absolutely amazing. I know that I would make my way back to the city for at least part of the games and just soak up the amazing atmosphere. It would give the city some additional prestige and maybe cement the city as one of the greatest places in the world.

However, I have a hard time buying the idea just based on the fact that it would be really cool to have them. For one thing, the Olympics don’t mean nearly as much as they used to. Given infinite cable channels and year round sports seasons and the end of the cold war the Olympics just don’t carry as much weight as they used to. Before they were the only time every four years you would even be able to watch something like gymnastics. Now the meets are shown every other week. Plus, the thrill of the US versus the Soviets are gone and now the focus is on pro athletes who may or may not be on drugs. That innocent thrill of the Jim McKay era is gone.

I also don’t know if the Olympics really bring that much in terms of long term benefit to a city. True, tourism spikes during the games and maybe a little afterwards but are you planning a trip to Beijing or Torino at the moment? Yes, Barcelona made a name for itself but Atlanta pretty much ruined its rep. The best Olympics in recent memory was the Sydney games, which made me want to visit a city that I already wanted to visit. So there is that to consider.

Finally, there is the financial aspect. Basically, cities always lose money on the Olympics. You have to build aquatic centers and cycling tracks and a place for fencing competitions that will never be used again. It is really the curse of the games. Remember that awesome stadium in Beijing that was used for the ceremonies and track and field? It is sitting empty right now and costing the country a ton of money in the process. No matter what they say the games will go over budget and lose money, especially factoring in the typical Chicago corruption. I’m no longer a taxpayer there so I guess this shouldn’t worry me as much but on the whole it is still a big issue.

In the end that is what we are weighing. It would be super cool to have them but it really wouldn’t mean that much and we’d lose money on the deal. If Chicago doesn’t get them Rio will. I don’t know why but I really have a feeling that Rio will get the games just so they can finally be held in South America. Maybe it would be a blessing in disguise for the city if that happened.