Olympic Sorrows

I am sad that President Obama and the US Olympic Committee did not win the bid for Chicago.

Being cut in the first round was particularly harsh.

Since there has not been a game in South America, I am pleased to see Rio winning the bid. The last decade has seen a major leap in prosperity of the emerging markets. So, I think it is fitting that Brazil gets a moment to shine.

Were it up to me, I would have voted for Rio.

The one and only reason that I feel sad today is that the President of the United States lent the full clout of his office to the bid; So, I was sad to see the effort fail.

Perhaps the real reason that I feel sad about losing the bid is that invoking the star power of the presidency set the Olympic bid as a major failure.

Traditionally, cities would run multiple bids before winning a game. This was Brazil's fourth bid for the game.

The United States has had recent summer games in Los Angeles and Atlanta along with several winter games. I was not expecting to see another US Olympics before 2020. That many people saw Chicago as a front runner in its first bid for the Olympics seems strange to me.

That our president set himself up in such a way that losing the bid would be read a political failure for himself and the United States also seems strange.

I am sad, but it's a puzzled sorrow.