When Chicago lost
its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I was glad.
Very glad. The news was announced by Jacques Rogge, President of the
International Olympic Committee, at a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark on October
2, 2009.
At first it was
because of Chicago’s proximity to Kenosha that I was glad they didn’t receive
the bid. If Chicago had gotten the 2016 Olympics, it would have most certainly had
an impact on my hometown and its inhabitants. While there would have been some
positive effects on Kenosha, the negative repercussions would have far
outweighed them. I am quite sure of this.
After this weekend,
I am glad for a whole new reason.
Chicago, or any
city in America for that matter, doesn’t deserve to host the Olympics. After
hearing the commentary coming from Americans during the opening weekend of the Olympics,
I am convinced we would not appreciate it. We would be too busy criticizing and
bitching about it.
Criticizing and
bitching, it’s what we Americans seem to do best.
Why appreciate and
enjoy something when we can find fault and cast aspersions on it? It’s much more
our style to disparage than it is to admire. We Americans do it on every level,
every chance we get.
But it’s not like
that everywhere. Definitely not in Great Britain. Having nearly twenty facebook
friends in England, I have been made keenly aware of how much they are
appreciating the Olympics being held in their country.
It almost makes me
envious.
It started Friday
afternoon when I had the privilege of getting a sneak preview of the Opening
Ceremonies with my dear friend Bev Cooper via Skype. I heard about Mary
Poppins, Mr. Bean and the Queen’s remarkable parachute jump well before most of
my American friends did. I was even able to post on facebook the scoop about
Sir Paul McCartney several hours before NBC aired his closing performance.
While chatting with
Bev, comments started popping up on facebook. Her sister, Margaret Martin
wrote, “This is fantastic!” When Bev commented, “Nice outfit, Queenie,” her
niece, Sarah Crabb quickly replied, “She looks amazing, bless her.” There were
also several cries of “Wow!”
My favorite
facebook comment came from Bev’s brother, David Taylor. At the completion of
the event, he simply wrote, “That done us proud.”
What kind of observations
do you think were being made in America? A reported 42 million viewers saw the
event Friday night.
Well, of course the
first ones I heard were political. Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney
made sure of that when he said the Olympics would be a failure. His blunder was
compounded because he made it while on a visit to London.
Predictably, this
set off a barrage of back-and-forth rants between both sides of the political
fence. The Liberals excoriated Romney and wanted him crucified, while the
Conservatives thought he was spot on and should be canonized.
Fortunately, the
Republican Presidential candidate sought to repair his damaged reputation the
next day with a series of interviews where he praised the host country and went
so far as to call the weather in the UK “great.”
Meanwhile, while we
Americans were making the Olympics political, my friends ‘cross the pond were
elated because cyclist Lizzie Armistead had won the host nation’s first medal
by taking silver in the women’s road race.
The British were
ecstatic about a second-place finish and the Americans were squabbling about a
politicians unfortunate remarks.
On Saturday
evening, the criticizing and bitching continued on facebook. Dan McNeil, WSCR
talk show host, posted the following:
“I love Paul McCartney, but they dropped the
ball at the opening ceremonies. ALL British Invasion stars should have been there.
Jagger. Richards. Daltrey. Townshend. I could keep going. They all should have
been there.”
Expectedly, the
responses were moronic. Iron Maiden should have been there. Judas Priest. Sabbath.
The Kinks. Cream. Even UFO was mentioned. You get the picture; nothing is ever
good enough for us. We Americans always know how to do it better. We are never
satisfied. It’s so hard for us to quietly enjoy anything.
On Sunday, while my
British friends were busy cheering each and every event, I ran across another post.
It complained that the Opening Ceremony included a memorial to the victims of
the 7/7 attacks, but failed to do the same for those victimized by the
Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich games.
Maybe it would have
ruffled less feathers had the hosts modestly lit the flame and went directly to
the parade of nations. I heard this suggested a minimum of three times this
morning. Honest.
All of this
criticizing and bitching made me wonder what it would be like in 2016 if
Chicago had won the bid for the Summer Olympics. Would we be as enthusiastic
and gracious as our British counterparts? We shall never know, but I seriously doubt
it.
Don’t get me wrong;
I heard a small amount of concern about the length of the Opening Ceremonies. Of
course, there is also considerable discussion on how the Olympics has
interfered with their daily commutes. But mostly, my friends from Great Britain
are passionately supporting their British athletes and enjoying the 2012 Summer
Olympics.
And they aren’t
criticizing and bitching. And I’m glad.
Until next
time…from the booth.
