Chicago To Host 2016 Olympics?
I heard on the news last night that Chicago is considering putting in a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. While the decision won’t be made until 2009, the ball has started rolling and I think it’s great. Mayor Daley in Chicago is thinking of making it more of a regional Olympics, thus including cities like South Bend, IN and Milwaukee as part of the games.
Can you imagine? The Olympics in Milwaukee??? And even if that doesn’t fly, I think I could handle the 1 1/2 hour drive down to Chicago to check out some events.
Back in July, after NYC was shot down for the 2012 Olympics, Maggie Haskins, a writer for cnnsi.com, wrote why she thought that Chicago has a decent shot at the Olympics.
- The Second City’s beaches, museums, zoos, aquariums, parks and harbors could be mixed with Olympic venues such as beach volleyball, track and swimming. Massive Grant Park, which sits in between the iconic Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, could serve as the center of the Olympic celebration.
- Grant Park, along with the newly unveiled Millennium Park, could be transformed into an Olympic Park where visitors congregate for concerts (the Petrillo Band Shell and the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion), food, kids’ games and evening parties (perhaps the famed Holland House that was the center of the Athens 2004 nightlife can set up shop here as well). Just east of Soldier Field, Northerly Island could serve as the site for the Aquatic Center, placing one of the game’s premier events at a central location. The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Navy Pier also will serve as attractions during the Games.
- Just up Lake Shore Drive, which would serve as the major artery for Olympic buses, a beach volleyball venue could sit at the east end of North Avenue. Each summer, Chicagoans congregate there to play volleyball, and it seems only fitting to place the stadium at the beach. I can’t say I know exactly where the Olympic stadium would be located – perhaps newly renovated Soldier Field or another location a bit south?
- It should be noted that, like New York City, Chicago’s government has a very solid relationship with the private sector, and Mayor Richard M. Daley always has been a major force behind Chicago’s public works and summer festivals.
- Transportation is always a topic of contention and here, Chicago is again a unique city. The “El” can be expanded and updated. As an above-ground rail line, it allows visitors traveling to events an opportunity to view the city.
- Another major asset of Chicago and the Chicagoland area is the number of universities with existing athletic venues that could renovated over the next 11 years to accommodate the Olympics. Northwestern, UIC, Loyola, Chicago State, NIU, or even the University of Illinois. All of them could be hosting sporting events.
- Imagine the gold-medal baseball game played against the backdrop of the Ivy at Wrigley Field (if baseball is voted back into the Games in 2016). Imagine Lake Shore Drive filled with cyclists for the road race. Imagine the Chicago skyline at night with the Olympic flame burning brightly. And lastly, imagine two-time gold medalist and world sports icon Michael Jordan lighting that very flame, a moment that will rival Muhammad Ali’s lighting of the Atlanta torch.
I think it’s a great idea. And my opinion matters, damn it! I want to host the javelin throw in my backyard.
I agree with you. Having the gold medal baseball game being played at Wrigley Field would be extremely cool and Navy Pier would be an amazing spot to have a celebration/party for the athletes!
Comment by Greg Harrington — 1/6/2006 @ 5:52 pm
They could do high jump over the Sears tower. They could also do that shooting range thing pretty much anywhere they wanted to in the streets.
It would be assome!
Comment by Neill — 1/6/2006 @ 8:56 pm
Ferris bueller could carry the torch down michigan avenue while singing “twist and shout, thus giving cameron even one more thing to be pissed off about!
Comment by Urban — 1/7/2006 @ 11:37 am
oh, and they dont need an olympic flame. they can just relight the chicago fire. no, not the soccer team, the damn cow that sparked one up.
Comment by Neill — 1/8/2006 @ 1:16 am
I think that it’s a great idea, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before we are ready to
do that. One of the things we would need to do is to increase the size of soldier field to nearly 100m000.
Also, if the games are played at Wrigley, I could just walk to the stadium, I only live about 200
yards away.
Comment by Matt — 1/11/2006 @ 4:12 pm
A second stadium should definitely have a retractable roof. This would allow the opening and closing ceremonies, the track and field events, plus the major requirement of the SuperBowl is that the stadium have a closed roof.
Here are some other events that could be hosted in a huge new stadium:
1. Concerts (both summer and winter w/ retractable roof).
2. Cricket, surely there’s a team in Chicago?
3. Rugby, again, surely there’s a team here??
4. Field Hockey
5. A 3rd MLB team???
6. College World Series
7. Pam Am Games
8. International trials for Track and field events for future Olympics.
9. Final 4
10. As mentioned above… THE SUPERBOWL!!
11. Political National Conventions
Personally I’d place the stadium just east of the existing (unused) El tracks that are just east of The United Center. So it’d be in the West Loop essentially, read below as to why I think that’s a good location.
Here are the reasons I support Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics:
1. USA central location = cheap domestic and international travel, and it = great prime time TV audience coverage for the huge American populations on BOTH the East and West Coasts. Chicago is easy to get to, fly, drive, take Amtrak or take Greyhound.
2. By 2016 it will be the 20th anniversary of the USA hosting the Summer Olympics…. actually the 20th anniversary of the WESTERN HEMISPHERE hosting the summer Olympics.
3. I went to the Olympics in Atlanta in ‘96 and if they can do a great job, then shit, Chicago can do a stellar job!
4. The OMP (O’Hare Modernization Program) will be complete by then. It’s likely that the Gary Airport Expansion will be complete by then too. Which means Chicagoland will have O’Hare, Midway, Gary Airport, and South Bend airport all to host people flying in and out.
5. Chicago has great existing Rail Rapid Transit (RRT). Whereas Athens had to build their “second” subway, Chicago already has SEVEN RRT lines, and Metra has TWELVE (or more) commuter rail lines. Two of our RRT lines provide 24-7 service as do several bus lines. Not to mention the NICTD, RiverBus summertime service, trolley buses, and by 2016 the Carroll Ave. Transitway (now going under the name of The River Line).
6. Chicago may have the Airport Express trains up and running by 2016.
7. Chicagoland and “The Region” have most of the sports venues needed including:
a. Two baseball stadiums (although I hear Baseball is going to be cut from the Olympics altogether???).
b. The United Center for basketball
c. Soldier Field for soccer, field hockey, etc, etc.
d. The New Chicago Fire soccer stadium
e. Allstate Arena for basketball.
f. McCormick place for gymnastics
g. Notre Dame in South Bend (accessible via NICTD trains) for rowing.
h. Other universities, U of C, UIC, Northwestern, Loyola, just to name a few have existing sports infrastructure.
i. The lakefront park including Lincoln Park, Grant Park, and Burnham Park all have an enormous number of sports venues.
8. Summertime in Chicago in June and early July is gorgeous, enough said.
9. Chicago has the hotel, restaurant, and entertainment infrastructure to support an Olympics selling at least twice the number of tickets that Atlanta sold. It also has the cultural attractions and museums to satisfy our visitors.
10. Chicago has a huge existing media system including a major NBC office to help support global media coverage.
11. The Brown Line Capacity expansion will be completed by 2016.
12. The CTA Circle Line MIGHT (big “might”) be completed by 2016. I say put the main Olympic stadium next to the unused El tracks just east of the United Center and then incorporate the stadium into a new El stop there with direct access (skybridge) to the stadium from El platform level.
13. The swath of unused land that was supposed to be RiverSide Park http://www.riversideparkchicago.com/Flash.html
could be developed as the Olympic Village. It’s a good spot from a security stand point b/c one side is already bound by the south branch of the Chicago River. Additionally the site is very close to the Roosevelt Orange, Green, and Red Line stops so it’s highly transit accessible. It’s also close to downtown, not many cities around the world the size of Chicago have parcels of land that big and unused. It’s also close to Soldier field, and McCormick Place. Turning this into a mixed-use development would be great. The Olympic village (to be sold as condos or rented out afterwards), stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc.
So the items mentioned above are just a start. I could literally waste my entire Sunday thinking of thousands of very good and solid reasons why Chicago SHOULD host the 2016 Summer Olympics… but I have to run.
C-H-I-C-A-G-O 2016 BABY!!!
Comment by Tim — 2/19/2006 @ 12:10 pm
I’m from LA, and while I love the olympics, I agree that perhaps another city should play host to the Olympiad. However, I don’t think another US city is fit to host the Olympics. Aside from that, I have a special grudge when it comes to the Olympics and Chicago. Chicago lost the Olympics to St. Louis that held it side the World Fair for months almost destroying the modern olympics. Don’t screw the world again with crappy planning. I definately agree that an Olympiad along Lake Shore Drive would be impressive, as well the the major financial burden the city would take on. Face it Chicago, an 80 thousand seat arena isn’t going to happen and if it does you guys were screwed for Soldier Stadium. I don’t know how you guys were suckered into paying for that stadium. Seriously, take a tip from LA, let the NFL pay for your stadium, and don’t be stupid and bid for an olympics when you got to split the bill. Chicago =’s 4 BILLION dollars to host the Olympiad. Los Angeles =’s 0.00. What the hell are you guys doing wrong and what are you thinking? Again, I agree. It’s time another US City steps to the plate to host an Olympiad, otherwise, we should do as the International Olympic Comittee has said before. Los Angeles should become the permanent home to the Olympiad as it is the only city EVER to produce a profit. Sucks to use tax dollars to host major events and please the NFL.
Comment by JL — 5/16/2006 @ 7:48 pm
I think before we get all hyped up about hosting the Olympics in Chicago in 2016, we need to do something with our decaying, delapidated, outdated transportation system so that people can get around easily and I don’t mean only the people here for the Olypics, but how about the millions that have to live here and put up with all of this???
In recent headlines in the Chicao Sun Times and Tribune, now the “L” trains cannot even stay on the tracks above 6 MPH in many zones because the rails have basically rotted away to splintering timbers and there is no money to fix the rails right, so all the CTA can do is just little patch jobs to get from one day to the next without a major incident. Another issue is unlike NY with it’s rails which travel EVERYWHERE, we (Chicago) don’t even have any trains that run north and south that do not have travvel through the downtown area thereby forcing suburban commuters traveling suburb to suburb like Joliet to Schaumburg for instance to have to drive.
The Next big problem would be that Chicago’s roads are like something out of a third world country with their basic two lane design in most places, no left or right hand turning lanes in many places, potholes everywhere, tons of road construction, and horrible timing of traffic signals which causes constant backups on city streets like… well all of them! This poor sequencing of signals makes not only commuters in their cars late for things, but also busses, EMT’s, cabs, etc. since you will get stopped by nearly every signal along your route as nearly every signal will change to red as you approach it.
Another problem Chicago faces is that in a city where people rely heavily on mass transit (Chicago), we only have about 6,000 registered cabs, yet the Chicago metropolitan area is home to over 8,000,000, and by comparison, NYC has over 14,000 cabs???? Where are our (Chicago) other 8,000 cabs which we could REALLY USE???
In closing, if we are to host the Olympics, then Chicago really needs to start setting the standard in living by fixing it’s major problems and stop focusing on petty things such as green roof tops and skycraper setbacks from the street to allow for more sun light. Chicago wants to be a world class city, then it needs to stop lagging behind times and letting cities such as LA set the way of the future.
Comment by Jim — 4/23/2007 @ 11:02 am