No, Virginia, there was no Santa Claus for Chicago on Oct. 2.
Within hours, considerable analysis—with more for sure still to come—was emerging as to why Chicago lost.
Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune quoted NBS Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol as saying Chicago never even had a chance.
Some Olympics insiders, quoted in the same story, blamed troubled USOC-IOC relations and said the loss had very little or nothing to do with Chicago or its bid.
I, for one, think Chicago 2016 and our public and private sector leaders did an outstanding job putting the bid together and representing Chicago all the way up to the bitter end.
As a weary Gordon Kane, who was in Copenhagen, wrote in a note earlier this evening to friends and contacts in Chicago, “Chicago came together in a truly unique way. Corporate and civic leaders shared their willingness to invest in putting this city at the center of the world stage.”
He added: “Many great people dedicated years of their lives to this effort. They gave up lucrative careers to champion this effort. Yesterday they lost the competition and their jobs. They deserve better. Period.”
And the Chicago Tribune, in a gracious editorial today, made similar points and was complimentary to all involved, from the bid committee and Patrick Ryan to Mayor Daley and the Obamas.
On yet one more thought, I agree with Gordon, and I’ll use his words in place of mine, “I sincerely hope that people will embrace the members of the bid team and find ways to harness their enthusiasm and skill.”
I admire and greatly appreciate President Obama for expending the political capital to go to Copenhagen. Everyone thought he could make a difference and, while his remarks didn’t carry the day, we now know they couldn’t have, but his words, I believe, will be seen soon enough as a huge deposit into the IOC goodwill bank for future Chicago or U.S. tries.
I marveled when listening to Michele Obama speak and gained even more appreciation for her. And I admire Oprah Winfrey for doing what she did, along with the many Olympic athletes who gave it their best.
Like everyone else, I’m still asking where my hero, Michael Jordan, was, not that he would have garnered Chicago even a single additional vote, given what we now know we were up against.
Besides Jordan’s absence, I am troubled that two polls—the Tribune’s (showing support at just 47%) and Chicago 2016’s (showing support at 72%)—could be so far off. Very odd.
I also am deeply troubled, and will be for a long time, by the nasty, hateful and vitriolic tone of so many of those who opposed the Olympics coming here.
Reading the invective-filled online commentary after almost every Olympics story in the Tribune, Crain’s and the Sun-Times made me ask myself many times why I would want to continue living in the midst of so many small-minded, mean-minded people.
Not that there wasn’t a legitimate opposing point of view. It’s just that it was rarely articulated in a civil and rational way, though virtually all commentators supporting the Olympics managed to make their points in that manner without bashing or demonizing the opponents.
As I read one vitriolic comment after another, it often felt like the only responsible adults were the proponents while the opponents, to a great degree, were paranoid, foul-mouthed, frequently illiterate conspiracy theorists and haters of achievement and bold vision.
Shame on so many in the opposition camp for demonizing Chicago 2016, Mayor Daley, President Obama and all involved.
And shame on those crass and disingenuous Republicans and pundits who jumped on President Obama for going to Copenhagen. As Michelle Obama said in one news story, you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Mark Kirk, I know you supported both Obama’s trip and Chicago’s bid. While I’m behind you in your Senate run, why couldn’t you have come out and reaffirmed your support shortly after Michael Steele made a fool of himself and your crumbling party once again?
While it is hard for me to understand why Kevin Lynch of Energy BBDO’s digital arm, Proximity, tried to single-handedly—and for a while, very secretly—sink Chicago’s hopes with his Chicagoans For Rio web site, which is now down, by the way, at least he stayed on message with reasons not to support the bid vs. attacking its proponents.
That said, I’m sure glad he doesn’t work at my agency, and I feel for Energy BBDO President & CEO Tonise Paul who clearly wasn’t happy to be ambushed with the news of his efforts last week.
Bottom line, with an IOC mainly looking to make a statement (which they’ve done very effectively in the past by awarding the Games to Sydney and China, among others) by assigning the games to South America, it just wasn’t Chicago’s year.
As Cubs’ fans always say, there’s always next year, although Mayor Daley said a 2020 Games bid is unlikely because the IOC would want to switch hemispheres.
Last time I checked, though, we are in the northern (and, therefore, different hemisphere), so maybe we could spin it (even if the Earth doesn’t) that way in a 2020 bid.
Once the temporary depression everyone now feels lifts (maybe in months or a year), I could see Chicago quickly finding the gumption to try again.
Let’s fix the USOC and the USOC-IOC problems and maybe find a way to play on the guilt that some, if not all, IOC members apparently feel about voting Chicago out first.
Someone is already thinking this way, as I just checked a popular domain registration site (OK, Go Daddy…forgive me, but it was most top of mind) to see if Chicago2020.com and Chicago2020.org are already taken, and they are, but by whom I don’t know.
I’ll leave that to the digital slueths out there.
Gary — I, like you, am very disappointed at the IOC decision and the way it came about.
I have to say though, my larger disappointment is with the behavior of the vocal minority of nay-sayers that took a potential positive for this city and region and turned it into a hipster counter-culture issue, obnoxiously dancing on its ruins as though they had somehow “won” something through its demise. I am also mystified, like you, by the so called “Republicans” that used this as just another attack point on the Obama administration.
The odd thing I do note, however, is that while these “hipsters” and “Republicans” are supposedly so completely opposed, their boorish and immature behavior is so shockingly similar.
I think the bid was an inspired attempt to use a Burnham like plan to both highlight our great city on the world stage, and revitalize the southern district of our city. I guess as you said, the big plan was just a little too voluminous for some smaller minds to take in.