Olympics In Chicago

In 1896, the Olympic Games were officially reborn into the modern era thanks to a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Lewis, 1992). In 1904, the Games of the III Olympiad arrived in the United States, marking itself as the first Olympics to be held in said country as well as the first hosted outside of Europe. Often forgotten, this specific Olympics also signifies the beginning of the horrible luck Chicago, Illinois, has had regarding the hosting rights. Three years prior, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the city the right to host the third Olympics. Be that as it may, the 1904 games did not take place in Chicago as planned. Instead, Saint Louis, Missouri, captured the rights to host by threatening to host a similar
According to the official website of the United States Census Bureau, an estimated 9.5 million people live in the Chicago metropolitan area (2016). Those millions of people are spread—and sometimes bundled together—around the 7,196.9 square miles that the area encompasses as the third largest metro area in the U.S. (Census Reporter, n.d.). That being said, an Olympics in Chicago would be a very compact one. Census Reporter states that there are 1,327 people per square mile. In other words, travel times would be quite short due to the close proximity of venues and the Olympic Village. This would equate in a higher opinion of the theoretical Olympics in Chicago since commuting is a common annoyance globally. In comparison, the 2022 winter games taking place in Beijing will require spectators and athletes alike to use a high-speed railway system for all outdoor sports that the capital cannot host due to lack of snowfall (Coffey, 2015). Meanwhile, the IOC officials that took a taste of Chicago back in 2009 “said they were impressed with the compactness of the city’s Games” (Macur, 2009). This is due to the fact that a majority of the athletes would only need “15 minutes of traveling time to training and competition sites” (Macur, 2009). That being said, the closeness of events and attractions in Chicago would obviously be a big
Numerous people have and will continue to claim that Chicago is unfit to host. Whether they are citizens of the area or not, there are plenty of people who believe that everyone would be better off without an Olympic Games in this specific city. Despite these objections, Chicago must not allow itself to be discouraged. If residents of Chicago are truly tired of being belittled and want to improve their community, they should prove that they’re worth it, prove that they’re more than just ugly new stories that cover up the beautiful ones. In addition to all of that, they should be ready to advocate for the Olympics as well as for a better Chicago. Think of an Olympics in Chicago as a goal. Said goal would equate to Chicago becoming a city with a more positive outlook as it could finally prove its greatness to the world. Keep in mind, an Olympics would lead to an increase in tourism, a higher desire to improve oneself and stay at that desired level, and the upgraded transportation as well as other city upgrades that always seem to occur in applicant cities. All things considered, an Olympics in Chicago wouldn’t be a short-term change; it is an opportunity that would benefit the city for years to come. For this reason, Chicago, hold your pride in the palm of your hand and keep your heart on your sleeve. Let the world in and prove to all the critics that belittle your