Chicago gets the bid!
I'm psyched that Chicago got the nod from the USOC to be the USA's applicant city for the 2016 Olympic Games. I think we can do a fantastic job hosting this event (anyone remember our World Cup performance in 1994? Not too shabby) and the excitement factor for the city itself, should it get the ultimate bid, would be off the charts.
Congrats to the team that worked tirelessly, I'm sure, to build and sell the plan and to city government itself for having the guts to take a serious swing at this. A great Olympic showing for Chicago in 9 years could have a 'Barcelona Effect' — raising the city's global stature and proper recognition to great new heights. I can't wait to watch this unfold, especially since it will put enormous pressure on the CTA and hopefully Cook County Government to shape up or else. Two less well-managed entities are hard to come by, and cleaning them out from the top is slightly more likely if something like Olympic success or failure is at stake.