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Hey RealJocks!

The International Olympic Committee will be making their decision as to who will host the 2016 Summer Olympics in just 43 days!

Just 3 years ago, Chicago successfully played host to the Gay Games and has since played a part in many major national and international sports events.

Check out their website, www.chicago2016.org for more information. For those RealJocks that live in the Chicago area, check out the 16 facts about how the Olympics will help the Second City!

Make sure to register your support!!

Thanks!!!

I just recently moved from the Second City and let me tell you. While I am a big fan of the mayor. We were told that the Olympics would be funded completely by private funds and now the City is on the hook for up to 500 million dollars if the games lose money. Now not really a concern, I guess, since no American Games have ever lost money. But a 10.25 percent sales tax and parking at a corporate controlled parking meter downtown for $6.50 an hour. Well let's say I'm completely ambivalent about the games. And I think a lot of people there are tired of being pick-pocketed. I know it'll be a boon for the city and the state, but the cronyism here has gotten out of control and you wonder how many more scandals this will launch. Here's to hoping the best thing will happen, games or no games!

No. Way.

This city deserves everything good, including being on the world's stage. But this mayor and his corrupt cronies deserve nothing, and that includes the feather in the cap 2016 Games. Daley is making it exceedingly expensive to live in this city, all so that he can pay for this Olympic bid. Meanwhile, no one has yet to offer any concrete longterm benefit from the games for the average resident. His administration is paying people off and mounting a massive (geez, almost Beijing-like) PR effort to get people (and bullying business owners) to support the city's bid. He has hemmed and hawed, prevaricated and outright lied about how this would be paid for and how it would affect the city. Meanwhile, the police department is short thousands of officers, cops haven't had a contract in more than two years, the streets are crumbling, serious, frightening crime is moving into the city's 'good' neighborhoods, public transit is a joke, and the city has completely shut down for business this week, as it will have to do many more times after this, to save money, and he wants to spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions to bring the games to chicago just so his already rich developer pals will get even richer? No thank you.

http://nogameschicago.com/

The Olympics, while fun (I've coached at three), are a disaster.

- bottomless corruption involved in getting the games to your city
- years of construction
- even more years of huge bills and cost over-runs
- tons of very important officials
- congestion, growing from the construction and then increasing up and through the games
- high prices (everything goes up during the games, including wait times everywhere)
- tons of money poured into things that will never be used and/or aren't needed
- tons of people you've forgotten who want to come stay with you
- general hysteria where the ends justifies the means (anything goes if it "supports" the Olympics)

And from the athlete's point of view:

- drugged athletes who steal medals
- pressure, pressure, pressure - gotta perform, possibilities of drugs, money...
- tons of very important people that come out of the woodwork and "have" to be on the staff or delegation; these are usually totally useless and a drag
- disappointment, disappointment, disappointment
- politics of making the team
- politicians who want to use the team for everything from a photo op on...

There has been a suggestion on and off for years that the Olympics should find a permanent site, and the site would be built and maintained by all Olympic nations to a level determined by the size of their delegation. This would be in a neutral country, or be on extra-territorial ground. Probably way too idealistic.

The Greeks maintained a cease fire during the games. Way too idealistic.

The Greeks mandated that all athletes train at Olympia for the last month (or six weeks?) under the same trainer. (This might do away with the drug problem). Way too idealistic.

Who is Chicago's greatest rival? Start a committee to send the Olympic there, and then sit back and enjoy.

iGator said

Just 3 years ago, Chicago successfully played host to the Gay Games and has since played a part in many major national and international sports events.

I guess that depends how you define "successfully". Yes, the 2006 Gay Games were in the black - an accomplishment that hadn't been made since the NYC Gay Games (I think) in 1994. Still, it was at the expense of quality. Across the board, the venues and facilities of the 2006 Gay Games were some of the worst out there. Easily the worst water polo pool I've ever played in. I heard similar horror stories from wrestling, martial arts, and others.

On the other hand, I'm sure the Olympics can afford to have the best facilities in the city and won't be limited to scraping the bottom of the barrel. I just cringed a little at the use of "success" to describe the Chicago Gay Games. The Sydney Gay Games were amazing, and Amsterdam seemed at least acceptable. Chicago - not so much.

Well, good luck with that... as Monterrey's bid was killed by the president here I have no horse in the race, but the games in Chicago or Madrid would be nice. (Selfish Thought: Tokyo is too far away!)