In 1896, the Olympic Games were officially reborn into the modern era thanks to a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Lewis, 1992). In 1904, the Games of the III Olympiad arrived in the United States, marking itself as the first Olympics to be held in said country as well as the first hosted outside of Europe. Often forgotten, this specific Olympics also signifies the beginning of the horrible luck Chicago, Illinois, has had regarding the hosting rights. Three years prior, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the city the right to host the third Olympics.
Be that as it may, the 1904 games did not take place in Chicago as planned. Instead, Saint Louis, Missouri, captured the rights to host by threatening to host a similar sporting event if the Olympics was not held in their city (Zweig, 1996). Apparently, after Chicago’s offer to move the Olympics to 1905 was denied by Coubertin, president Theodore Roosevelt chose Saint Louis as the better location and the “IOC agreed with reluctance” (Zweig, 1996). Despite this large disappointment, Chicago did not give up.
A few decades later, the Windy City placed bids for both the 1952 and 1956 summer games (Games Bids Inc. , 2015). Then, 21st century Chicago decided it would make another attempt at bringing the international event to its neck of the woods by placing a bid for the 2016 summer games back in the mid-to-late 2000s. Unfortunately, all the Windy City received from throwing their hat in was more debt. Accordingly, it is not surprising that many people believe that Chicago should simply give up on its dream and simply focus on improving itself.
However, who’s to say that the Jewel of the Midwest can’t do both? By incorporating a well-thought-out narrative of what the city has gone through into their appeal process, Chicago could very well win the bid next time around—whenever that might be. The city boasts an efficiently compact setting; a history and love of sports that entices amiable relations between residents; and an enthralling tale to tell. Overall, Chicago can use its need for a strong community to reach the top of the podium in the rigorous battle for host city status.
In order to showcase what an Olympics in Chicago would be offering its viewers, both the current and desired state of the community must be analyzed. According to the official website of the United States Census Bureau, an estimated 9. 5 million people live in the Chicago metropolitan area (2016). Those millions of people are spread—and sometimes bundled together—around the 7,196. 9 square miles that the area encompasses as the third largest metro area in the U. S. (Census Reporter, n. d. ). That being said, an Olympics in Chicago would be a very compact one.
Census Reporter states that there are 1,327 people per square mile. In other words, travel times would be quite short due to the close proximity of venues and the Olympic Village. This would equate in a higher opinion of the theoretical Olympics in Chicago since commuting is a common annoyance globally. In comparison, the 2022 winter games taking place in Beijing will require spectators and athletes alike to use a high-speed railway system for all outdoor sports that the capital cannot host due to lack of snowfall (Coffey, 2015).
Meanwhile, the IOC officials that took a taste of Chicago back in 2009 “said they were impressed with the compactness of the city’s Games” (Macur, 2009). This is due to the fact that a majority of the athletes would only need “15 minutes of traveling time to training and competition sites” (Macur, 2009). That being said, the closeness of events and attractions in Chicago would obviously be a big plus in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee. Likewise, the IOC would very much appreciate how popular sporting events and activities are in the Chicagoland area.
Chicago is a city largely connected to the sports world. With teams in all major leagues, the city is far from a novice when it comes to hosting such events. Accordingly, the Windy City houses numerous locations for events that are already in use and would be used fervently following the games. “The I. O. C. said that vision was consistent with its principles. Cities should not be stuck with arenas that go unused after the Games” (Macur, 2009). Furthermore, sports in Chicago do just what the Olympics seeks to do: bring together many different people from various backgrounds for friendly games.
In a city that is so frequently claimed to be hostile, it is a true testament to just how much sports means to Chicago citizens when they come together at multiple sporting events each and every year despite all the detestable crimes. That being said, it can be inferred that the Olympics, the largest and most well-known sporting event in the world, would definitely bring together residents as well as bring about a safer and even friendlier Chicago. Undoubtedly, this change would be an emotional one for all residents of the metropolis tired of being bombarded with atrocious stories constantly hitting way too close to home.
For this reason, inhabitants of the heart of America must be ready to share their city’s tale with the International Olympic Committee as well as the world. While flaunting their home’s positive aspects and crippling its negatives are adequate ways to go about persuading the IOC to consider a city, these may not always have the full force they need to transform an applicant city into a hosting one on their own. In fact, the infamous, Greek philosopher named Aristotle is regarded as “one of the first to notice that effective speakers use three kinds of appeals to help make their arguments convincing” (Glau, Maid, & Roen, 2012, p. 75).
Those three parts are “the credibility of the author (ethos), an appeal to logic (logos),” and “an appeal to the emotions of the audience (pathos)” (Glau, Maid, & Roen, 2012, p. 27). The part Chicago must focus on shaping into a powerful tool of persuasion is pathos. It has been said that “effective persuasion often appeals to both the informational and the emotional sides… Under certain conditions, the emotional component seems to hold a sort of primacy over the informational one” (Miceli, Poggi, & Rosis, 2006).
To demonstrate, the IOC’s numerous visits to cities around the globe all involve the same activities—looking at the same types of venues. For this reason, it is not unreasonable to assume that their minds probably blur a lot of their visits together, making it sometimes difficult to really compare the applicant cities even after visiting them all in person. How might one make a city memorable beyond a few restaurants and stadiums? The answer lies in the emotions that drive it forward, the passion and ambition that compel its citizens to work towards a stronger community.
Nevertheless, there will always be those that scoff at emotional appeal, echoing until their last breath all the facts and statistics they can muster. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is not the best solution for the specific issue. For instance, in Chicago’s 2016 bid; many thought the Windy City could “wow” the committee with some famous faces. From dining with Oprah Winfrey to being shown support videos by Hillary Clinton and Michael Jordan, the International Olympic Committee was left with plenty of big names in their heads in connection to Chicago.
Even President Obama and the first lady, former Chicagoans, expressed publicly how they wanted the IOC to choose Chicago as the hosting city. Despite their struggle to showcase the city, this ended up backfiring as it gave the IOC—and perhaps simply anyone who isn’t American—the infamous notion that Americans think they can just waltz in and get whatever they want. In other words, instead of a heartwarming story of a city fighting for its own peace flying through their minds, all the IOC could recall were a few hotshots just like every other city.
Furthermore, it didn’t help that when the Obamas visited the committee, the commander and chief of our lovely county only stayed for a very short while in comparison to other leaders. Unfortunately, although this plan obviously did not help the matter, there are still those who take no notice of it and will continue to suggest this as an effective solution to winning the bid. Another possible solution that is mindlessly thrown about is to ignore all the negatives by only highlighting the positives.
This idea would be extremely detrimental to the cause and appear outright ignorant. In fact, disproving the negatives is a tremendously useful tactic in persuasion. According to a writing textbook utilized at Arizona State University, “to be effective, the writer of a persuasive text needs to acknowledge and deal with possible objections from the other side (Glau, Maid, & Roen, 2012, p. 261). In doing so, you are proving to readers that you are intelligent and believe in your cause enough to come up with logical comebacks.
In the scenario of proposing an applicant city to host an Olympics, ignoring all obviously negative aspects would probably cause the committee to believe that their own intelligence was being underestimated. Theoretical, international disasters aside, it is clear that playing the persuasion game the way a child with a report card would leave out a specific grade is not the right way to win over the audience. Of course, as stated above, naysayers will always exist in just about everything—and that includes proposals of possible Olympic hosting cities.
In response to the mere suggestion of a Chicago Olympics, critics claim that the city is way too riddled with crime. In reality, some types of crime in Chicago have actually decreased over the years. While the homicide rate isn’t as low as it should be, a stricter police force as well as numerous extra security guards would keep it at a very low rate during the games. In fact, Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently announced in a speech given on September 22, 2016 that “he’ll spend millions of dollars to hire more cops and mentor more at-risk kids” (Byrne & Ruthhart, 2016).
Although this isn’t in any way related to the Olympic Games, this does prove that security measures are not something Chicagoans take lightly. Not to mention, Chicago is not even the most dangerous city in the United States like some may have you believe. Many others top the list above it. In addition, only certain neighborhoods in Chicago are known for crime activity. Many of them are just as safe as any other normal city neighborhood. Another very common concern that plagues all applicant cities is the amount of money required to host.
The truth of the matter is that all Olympic Games cost a large amount of cash and have the potential to weaken a city financially. Some end up managing to get back what they put in, some end up at a huge loss, and some actually make a large profit. Unfortunately, one can’t point out exactly whether or not an Olympics will be profitable or not. There are way too many factors at play. However, one can make some logical assumptions. For example, while Chicago would still have to spend money on preparing the venues, they wouldn’t be at too big of a loss in that department.
Chicago is home to numerous sporting venues already as well one of the largest convention centers in the world that would offer the perfect location for events like wrestling, weightlifting, and table tennis. Despite these excellent characteristics of a hosting city that Chicago already possesses, many still doubt Chicago’s capabilities. Some might insist that Chicago isn’t capable of hosting something as big as the Olympics. In reality, Chicago is quite accustomed to worldly travelers.
The city’s main airport is O’Hare International Airport and has been one of the busiest airports in the world for decades. Furthermore, the city hosts one of the six World Marathon Majors. To go even further, Chicago is a large melting pot of people and culture from around the world. In fact, some refer to it as one of the most “American of American cities. ” Coupled with this ignorant claim, critics also suggest that the Windy City doesn’t deserve to host something as extravagant as the Olympics. Technically, this is way more of an opinion than a fact.
Not to mention, the opposite opinion—that Chicago is worthy—has a much better chance of being proven. Chicago has lost 4 times at hosting the Olympic, from the 1904 Olympics when Chicago actually both won and lost to the recent shocking loss of the 2016 games. All things considered, it’s not as if the city is incapable of getting the hosting rights. It’s simply that Chicago has been very unlucky in addition to missing that extra special ingredient. In order for Chicago to even be able to host a summer Olympics, the desire—the fuel—must stem from its residents.
Numerous people have and will continue to claim that Chicago is unfit to host. Whether they are citizens of the area or not, there are plenty of people who believe that everyone would be better off without an Olympic Games in this specific city. Despite these objections, Chicago must not allow itself to be discouraged. If residents of Chicago are truly tired of being belittled and want to improve their community, they should prove that they’re worth it, prove that they’re more than just ugly new stories that cover up the beautiful ones.
In addition to all of that, they should be ready to advocate for the Olympics as well as for a better Chicago. Think of an Olympics in Chicago as a goal. Said goal would equate to Chicago becoming a city with a more positive outlook as it could finally prove its greatness to the world. Keep in mind, an Olympics would lead to an increase in tourism, a higher desire to improve oneself and stay at that desired level, and the upgraded transportation as well as other city upgrades that always seem to occur in applicant cities.
All things considered, an Olympics in Chicago wouldn’t be a short-term change; it is an opportunity that would benefit the city for years to come. For this reason, Chicago, hold your pride in the palm of your hand and keep your heart on your sleeve. Let the world in and prove to all the critics that belittle your home that they know nothing of what you’re capable of. Use that fierce desire of a better tomorrow today. Everyone has a story so why not share yours?
