Shocking first-punch knockout for Chicago
Hasty exit, 'Just wait till 2020!' have that old familiar ring
And you thought the Cubs and White Sox had a disappointing 2009.
Are those IOC voters nuts? Don’t they know they’re risking the Wrath of Oprah!?
Apparently there’s a difference between a Michigan Avenue block party and an international voting committee in Copenhagen. And maybe that’s why President Obama was long gone before the first round of voting.
Wow. That was the universal reaction in the city on Friday morning. Whether you were hoping and praying for the Olympics to come here or you were dreading the prospect of seven years of stories about the Games, you had to be shocked that Chicago was knocked to the canvas with the first punch of the morning.
All week, everyone kept talking about how we would know by 12 noon Friday if Chicago had been awarded the 2016 Olympic Games. Nobody was even considering the possibility of a first-round elimination for Chicago. Not since Cubs/Dodgers last year has a Chicago sporting dream died so fast and so hard.
The oddsmakers and conventional wisdom had Tokyo finishing fourth, Madrid third — and then a showdown between Rio and Chicago. (Self-aggrandizing note: earlier this week, I predicted it would be Rio.) So the citizenry was stunned Friday morning when it was announced we were the first city eliminated among the four finalists.
Maybe those hopefuls at Daley Plaza shouldn’t have been prematurely waving those Cubbie-blue “W” signs before the first vote was cast.
Now what? So much for all those projections of a boost to the economy, the prospect of much-needed jobs for so many Chicago-area residents, a showcase for the city, a chance for Chicago to shine on an international stage.
Not that I personally give a good cahoot about Chicago shining on an international stage. I didn’t need an oversized, two-week, track & field and swim meet to feel good about my hometown.
Whoops. Sounds like there’s a little bit of a chip on our Big Shoulders right now.
As I write this, I’m on my way to O’Hare. Those giant “2016” banners are going to seem as anachronistic as Christmas decorations in July.