Not a good week for Chicago sports or Chicago in general. (I promise after this one to get back to the task at hand.) But it is nearly 3:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. So please pardon any rambling I am about to do.
I had been looking forward to October 2 for quite a while. Yesterday the International Olympic Committee chose the city for the 2016 Olympics. That Chicago even dared to enter this competition years ago surprised me. That it made it to the final four (alongside Tokyo, Madrid and Rio) was a bigger shock. That it got knocked out in the first round of voting... well, that was a total Chicago kind of ending. I've gone back and forth over the last few years wondering whether this was a good idea or not. Regardless, it certainly would have been an adventure.
It doesn't take much to realize that The Second City has always had a huge inferiority complex. Do a little reading on the city's Colombian Exhibition and you'll see. The Second City. And that was before Los Angeles was more than a spot on the map, when we just had New York to be jealous about!
Since living here in Germany and talking with the locals and the not-so-locals in my classes, I found myself wanting Chicago to win. Why? Because no matter what you think back home, no one knows anything about Chicago abroad. And I am tired of drawing an imaginary map in the air, showing where Chicago is.
Me: (pointing, down to the left) So here's Los Angeles, here.
Local: Ja... so it is near California?
Me: No, no wait... (pointing to the far upper right) and New York is over here, right?
Local: Ja... ahhh! So you are near New York!
Me: No, no. (pointing to the left) Then Chicago is here.
Local: Und it is cold there, ja?
Me: Yeah, in the winter it gets cold.
Local: But at least you are near New York.
Here are the other four things people abroad seem to know about Chicago: it is dangerous, the Chicago Bulls are good, Al Capone "bang bang!" and that Barack Obama was born there. (That's what they tell me, anyway.)
Now, I've told countless people that all things being fair, the Olympics should go to Rio. (Hey, who doesn't want to see beach volleyball on Copacabana?) That the Olympics have never been in South America seems almost insulting. In the end, that seems to have been the prevailing thought behind the vote. Still, that doesn't mean I didn't want Chicago to win.
It was cool to see Pele jumping around like a kid after Brazil won. Where was our version of Pele? Michael Jordan apparently could only afford the time to record a few words for some videos earlier in the process. Thanks for nothing in regards to the bid. I guess I was hoping for some last minute appearance - him getting off Air Force One with the president or something like that. Maybe that was planned but they had to cancel that idea after hearing Jordan's Hall of Fame speech.
I think the city itself is about to go through some heavy self-evaluation. For far too long it has wanted to think of itself as something much, much bigger than it is today. I don't like to write that but it is true. It seems like no matter what happens, it can't keep pace with the rest of the world's big cities. NY is, well, NY. LA is Hollywood. Chicago is... I'm not sure what defines the city anymore. The Obamas? I think they are seen as much too international for that "in our backyard" tactic to work. The Bulls? They haven't done a thing in over 10 years. Architecture? The only true attempt at something completely distinguishing (on a world class level) in the last 10 years, the Spire, was a complete fuck up.
Sure Chicago likes to tout all its green buildings but it also has a crumbling transportation system and a non-existent recycling program. Hell, it is nearly a one newspaper city. I'm curious what the next mayoral election will bring. I think far too many big problems have been pushed aside in pursuit of the Olympics. Maybe Daley's time is finally running out, though I know that's been written a lot over the last 20 years.
That's all pretty harsh but I mean most of it as tough love. I hope that Chicago can use all that pride and effort and begin to fix some of the serious issues facing it. Get up, shake it off and get back to work. That's what Chicago's always been about anyway. This time, however, I'd like to see it done with some new leadership.
Obviously I was pretty disappointed after the result. Had they come in second, I might have felt a little better. But only a bit. Still, that pretty much killed our Friday evening. Even watching the original Star Wars in German didn't cheer me up.
For all that talk about "we did good things for the city, the world knows us better now...." I only have one thought.
The current Chicago ambassador to Germany: Jim Belushi. Seriously. That show is on twice a day here in re-runs. And believe me, it is just as bad in German. On the two occasions I've worn a Bears logo in public I've been asked by strangers if I like that show. F'in Jim Belushi. Maybe he should have been involved in the bid instead.
Maybe this one from Junior Wells and Buddy Guy will help a bit.
06 Blues For Mayor Daley.mp3
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