The Olympics Fly Down To Rio

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Rio de Janiero, Brazil has been awarded the 2016 Summer Games by the International Olympic Committee, beating out Madrid, Spain and Tokyo, Japan for the honor of hosting the world's athletes.

Chicago, the United States' entry, was treated by the IOC as if they were the Cubs.  They never made it past the first round of voting despite the presence in Copenhagen of President and Mrs. Barack Obama, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and anyone else who called the Windy City home.

Some people have questioned the propriety of Obama making a special trip to argue in favor of his hometown hosting the Olympics, when there's more important things going on in the world.  The President may have hailed from Chicago, but the White House would argue that he also did it for the country's benefit.

On ESPN News, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was asking what were the underlying reasons why Chicago didn't get the bid.  Here's some of our theories:

• As President, George W. Bush alienated the rest of the world with his "my way or the highway" style of diplomacy, and the resentment still lingers.
• The last time the Olympics were in the U.S. was in 2002, when Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games.  That was clouded in controversy due to a bribery scandal involving IOC officials.
• According to CBS News, Chicago' s presentation emphasized the celebrities rather than on the merits of having the games in their city.

It's probably just as well that Chicago didn't get the nod from the IOC.  They're not just well known for their losing sports teams, but also for the political corruption and crime that grips the city.  There's been significant opposition to the Olympics because of its costs at a time when city services are struggling financially, which make it no different than any other city in this economic climate.

But most of all, the reason the IOC chose to go to Rio is because they realized it was time to bring the Olympics to South America, leaving Africa as the only populated continent they haven't been to.  Brazil brought out its heavy hitters, including its popular President Lula and the still-beloved soccer star Pele, just to be sure.  They were the sentimental favorite, and they deserved this.

As for Chicago, the Cubs will win a World Series before they ever host another Olympics.