As a proud Chicagoan I must say that it is exciting knowing that we could be host to the 2016 Olympic games. On the other hand it seems kinda frightening too. I just want to analyze this full situation because I’m kind of on the fence.
The Good
The Obama Effect: There are plenty of reports on how Obama winning the election might help Chicago’s bid for the games, considering this is his home town, and a prominent individual such as the President of the United States might have some pull on the International stage. Plus the peaceful gathering at Obama’s election night rally showed how there can be a huge event without problem. I was actually there and I can say that yes it was a great event all around, and I believe that it is possible to have a great event here in Chicago.
The Economic Effect: With a failing economic system, housing market, etc…The prospect of having the Olympics on USA would do tremendous things for the economy Nationally and Locally. Thousands of jobs, the ability to revitalize business, not to mention the ability to instantly increase property value.
The Bad
Gang Violence: At this years Taste of Chicago there was a shootout Downtown Chicago following the closure of The Taste one night. This shootout took place on Congress Parkway, a heavily populated street in the heart of downtown. With the taste drawing millions of visitors it wouldn’t have taken much for that situation to get a lot worse.
Terrorists: Just as much as local threats are an important issue, there’s always the international threats and national security issues that any Olympic event has to deal with. Thinking back to the Uni-bomber, the Atlanta terrorist attacks, even 9:11 and how the Sears Tower has already been a target in an uncovered terrorist plot. The terrorist threat would been I think inevitable.
The Ugly
Chicago’s Murder Rate: With the number of murders steadily rising to half a thousand it is an even bigger issue to get a handle on the crime issue here in Chicago, before we can host an event as great as the Olympics and vow to protect millions of extra people in the city we have to be able to protect our own citizens. Hopefully the problems can be corrected well before 2016.