I’m quite pleased that Chicago is not going to be hosting the Olympics in 2016. Congratulations to Rio, to whom I wish the best of luck in getting ready for it. Contrary to what the Chicago 2016 committee published, I think support for the Olympics among the citizens was pretty lean. We were never included in the decision to host the games in the first place, and no real effort was made by the committee to explain what Chicago 2017 would look like. The money’s not there, the support’s not there; it just wasn’t a good idea right now.
Another issue I hadn’t thought of until today was what it would be like for athletes and visitors who wanted to get into the US for the games. This story from a Canadian who had a hard time getting in for a conference illustrates the point. The US has been strong for a long time in education, research, and so forth, drawing people from all over the world. If the borders get too hard to cross above-board for honorable purposes (business, art, athletics, whatever), it could be very problematic.