Chicago lost the bid for the 2016 Olympics, to the disappointment of many Americans who were looking forward to the Games returning to American soil for the first time in 20 years. Of the four cities up for consideration, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo — Chicago received the fewest votes. This was despite a strong push from President Barack Obama and media maven Oprah Winfrey.
But, the timing of the Olympic Committee’s selection happened to coincide with the nationally publicized beating of teenage honor student Derrion Albert. The fatal beating occurred at the hands of other Chicago teenagers and was recorded on a camera phone.
Young Derrion’s tragic slaying is but the latest in a long line of teenage murders that have plagued the city in recent years. During the last school year, it is believed that 30 teenagers lost their lives in acts of violence, with even more being predicted to die this year. The level of apathy at this horrific statistic is disturbing to say the least.
It’s important to recognize that Chicago didn’t lose the bid because of perceptions of violence; Rio (the eventual winner) is one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Conservatives are using the President’s enthusiastic push for Chicago to host the Games as a political football; and the Windy City’s loss is giving them ample opportunity to crow about Obama’s perceived flawed priorities. But the truth is, while their motivations may be abhorrent, their position isn’t entirely flawed. President Obama, Mayor Richard Daley and Winfrey were vocal and active in their lobbying for the Games to come to Chicago. But had they succeeded, the only thing gained would’ve been a superficial mask to cover up the ugliness of what’s happening to the city’s South and West Side youth.
A similar scenario happened in Los Angeles in 1984 and Atlanta in 1996, cities that were experiencing high crime and unemployment rates. The Games did little to heal those wounds and only intensified the sharp divide between the haves and have nots. Chicagoans shouldn’t weep over the fact that they won’t be hosting the Olympic Games in 2016. What should be wept over — what we all should weep over — is the fact that these young lives are being extinguished at such an alarming rate that many of the Windy City’s teens won’t live to see the 2016 Olympics — no matter where they’re played. –todd williams
