Build a casino, trim the municipal payroll, privatize services, lure employers. It seems like Chicago has explored every option under the sun to nurse its finances back to health.
How about bidding on the Olympics?
It hurts to think about, we know. That dream seemed to die when the International Olympic Committee chose Rio de Janeiro over Chicago to host the 2016 Games.
Turns out, the U.S. Olympic Committee has until Sept. 1 to float a candidate city for the 2020 Games. With the skeleton of its failed bid still intact, Chicago would be in a better position than just about any other U.S. city to try again.
The city’s fiscal health has only gotten worse since then-Mayor Richard Daley put so much hope in that Olympic basket. An Olympiad that prompted a building boom might seem like a gift from the skies for the new team at City Hall.
Nah. Chicago would be a fabulous Olympic host, but let’s sit this one out.
An Olympic bid is an all-consuming exercise not only for a mayor but for corporate leaders and philanthropists. We backed the bid two years ago, but a lengthy bidding process now would hinder, not help, new mayor Rahm Emanuel’s focus on reinventing government and promoting economic development.
And let’s face it, there’s an Olympic-size sense in these parts of, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…”
Anyway, it seemed like Chicagoans cooled to the Olympics as time went on. A bid from a U.S. city remains unlikely. U.S. Olympic officials say they will not bid unless they resolve a dispute with the IOC over television revenue. The bad feelings over that dispute are cited as one factor the IOC chose Rio.
Still, the Tribune’s Philip Hersh reported that the window has opened just a smidge for a U.S. bid. Observers see renewed optimism for the IOC and USOC to reconcile, now that NBC has agreed to pay more than $4 billion for broadcast rights through 2020.
USOC officials say they have had no formal discussions with any potential candidate city. Chicago would certainly be near the top of their wish list, however, especially with a condensed window for planning.
A spokeswoman for Emanuel would not categorically rule out a bid, but said he is focused on short-term challenges, such as education and public safety.
Good enough. Good luck, Rio. We’ve moved on.
