RIO SI..... Chicago NO !!

[Boxdoctor]

I want to discuss WHY Chicago may have been bounced on the IOCs first ballot earlier today ? I thought Rio would win but we made a very dilligent effort here in Chicago to land the games. I have several reasons which MAY have been responsible :

1) The IOC " good ol boy " network in Europe
2) The USOC proposal to have included a paid cable TV channel for the games which was treated as gluttony and rejected
3) Bad press about recent teenage crime here ( like RIOs NOT the WORST !! )
4) A lack of strong leadership with Peter Ueberroth and his vice chair being succeeded by 2 non sports people in those slots on the USOC
5) What they called a mediocre games in 96 in Atlanta and the bomb scare then
6) Mr Obamas speech sounded very political and not all that
impassioned and commentators thought it may have hurt rather than helped.
7) The extra 200 million dollars the USOC would have had to pay NBC for broadcast rights to a games on American soil.

Madrid should never have been in the final 2 after Barcelona had the games in Spain in 1992 BUT Juan Antonio Sammarach being from Spain and the recently retired pres. of the IOC had clout for Madrid. Why hold the games in one of the poorest and crime ridden countries / cities on Earth ?
The floor is open so speak your piece !!!