Oprah, Obamas, Olympics...Oh No!

Well fair citizens of greater Chicagoland and throughout the U.S., the IOC just gave us all a quick slap across the face. Not only are you not getting the Olympic games, but shame on you to think that we were really considering you. Most of us were considered fencesitters when it comes to the games. I don't know any hardcore Olympic fans, and most people I know either don't live within the city limits or won't live there seven years from now. Either way, civic pride starts to take over on a morning like this one as we all enjoy big celebrations. Today's event must be what it feels like to have John Calipari as your head coach. Hey congrats on the great season, but we're taking back all your victories due to multiple violations.

Now in the aftermath of the Olympic bid, we're all wondering what went wrong and what happened. I would imagine there are multiple reasons behind all of this. I bet that a large contingent of the Americas vote did likely side with Rio since there has been no Olympic event in that country. To a larger extent, I hope this vote serves as a giant wake up call to those in charge of the bid and the city of Chicago and maybe even the U.S. to a larger extent. The city infrastructure is abysmal, and I'm sure the IOC thought there would be a high percentage chance that many of the facilities would not be completed on time. If a city doesn't have enough money to pay the employees that are already on staff, I don't see where they come up with the dough to build major athletic venues.

Chicago already hosts teams in every major sport and most minor ones down to professional lacrosse and softball. What could we possibly do with more venues? Lord knows we could use a new ampitheater to replace that pile of garbage known as World Music Theatre in Tinley or whatever the hell it is known as these days. The true shame in losing the bid is that still to this day the largest sporting event (and I use that term loosely) that this city has hosted is Wrestlemania. That's brutal. No major professional events, no major collegiate events, and not event the state championships at the high school level. Sorry fitness friends but having the Solheim Cup in Sugar Grove doesn't count in my world.

My hope is that this shot across the bow to those in charge will help fortify the city itself. Use that money to serve multiple purposes. We still need to find a way to get skilled laborers back to work without crippling the city. More importantly, don't stop plowing the friggin streets. Maybe fix the potholes in the roads. There are plenty of things for this Olympic committee to work on now that their bid failed miserably. I will have to give a quick bit of kudos to them as two years ago I spent an hour in a full presentation, and they really did put on a hell of a show. It would have been magnificent to see them pull it off, but miserably all at the same time. Looks like Daley will have to actually come up with something in house to help this city and secure his legacy.

Weekend Wonderment

This weekend is not shaping up to be a great one in the Chicagoland area weatherwise. It may be lame, but doing a nice fall cleaning might be your best bet. Maybe rent some movies that you missed over the summer and put on some food in the crockpot or dutch oven. If the weather does break, it would be a good time to hit the links once again or take an extended bike ride. The good part about all this is that it comes with a pretty cheap price tag. Enjoy the weekend however you choose to utilize it.