Chicago: City of Losers

Can you imagine wanting something so bad that you would sell your soul to the devil just to get a taste of it, like the Cubs winning the World Series?

What if your feelings were just as strong pulling in the opposite direction? What if you wanted at all costs for something not to happen, even though you were almost certain it would? Especially because you were against it.

That's the feeling I had today while listening to the radio and hearing a heavily accented voice saying that Chicago was out of the running for the 2016 Olympics.

I was in shock because I was sure we were going to win the bid despite my heavy opposition to it. I was certain we would be in the final round.

But to lose and be the first city out absolutely shocked me.

My reasons against the bid were because I live in the neighborhood where a lot of things would be going on. I was selfishly thinking about my inconvenience during the construction and eventually the event.

I was also thinking about the corrupt city I live in and how the politicians and especially our "king," Mayor Daley, were going to divvy up the profits while us lowly serfs (citizens) footed the bill for the inevitable cost overrides that Daley guaranteed wouldn't happen.

Sure, there could have been positives coming out of this. Supposedly it would have created more jobs, improved infrastructure, and showed the world what a "world class" city Chicago is.

Listening to the carnage after the vote, I heard that Chicago's bid was not very impressive or enthusiastic outside of Michelle and Barack Obama.

Of course, when you have our mayor speaking with his Chicago accent and spewing out "des' and "dems," how good an impression can you make? I also heard that Pat Ryan, who was in charge of the bid for the city, dropped the ball in his presentation and that in general, Chicago's presentation was not very impressive.

I was already trying to make lemonade out of lemons this morning before leaving the house thinking that since the Olympics will be in my neighborhood, my real estate values will probably shoot through the roof. Not to mention the thousands of dollars I anticipated extracting from some foreign visitor who wanted to live right in the center of the excitement and rent out my place.

I wasn't planning on sticking around for that mess.

But then I heard the words that Chicago has been eliminated in the first round.

Suddenly I was taken back to the past two seasons when the Cubs were one and done in the playoffs and the Bears getting spanked in the Super Bowl a few years ago.

All of the anguish I have suffered as a Chicago sports fan came back to bite me even though I was so against this.

Then it hit me. Chicago is not the second city. It's the city of losers and this is just one more example of it.