What If Chicago Had Been Awarded the 2016 Olympics? Part 2

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When I asked the “what if” question about Chicago being awarded the 2016 Olympics, it was just prior to the event itself. I noted some possible outcomes of a Chicago Olympics, but eight years beyond that today offers even greater perspective. However, before I answer any “what if” questions, it’s appropriate to establish the context of the Olympic Games, as well as what other cities have done and how they’ve fared.

To consider what Chicago might’ve looked like after a 2016 Games, it’s instructive to look at two other American cities to host the Olympics in the last 40 years – Los Angeles (1984) and Atlanta (1996).

Los Angeles is probably the easier comparison because of its similar metro area size at the time. In 1980 Greater LA had about 11.5 million residents; in 2010 Greater Chicago had around 9.5 million. Metro Atlanta was much smaller in comparison to LA or Chicago at the time of the 1996 Games, with approximately 2.9 million. But it’s useful to compare Chicago with both LA and Atlanta because the anticipated outcomes were different for each host city.

Los Angeles 1984

Los Angeles had more than its share of social problems when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Games to the city in 1978. LA was 13 years removed from the Watts Riots and racial tensions were still high. The early 1980s recession had ended but there was still high unemployment plaguing the nation.

The Olympic movement was faring even worse. The 1972 Olympics were overshadowed by the Munich Massacre, when a Palestinian strike team killed and kidnapped Israeli athletes and coaches. Steep cost overruns threatened the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union overshadowed the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The U.S. and 65 other countries boycotted the 1980 Games over the Soviet Union’s involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War. By the time Los Angeles pursued the 1984 Games, its only competition was Tehran, Iran – which was withdrawn because of political instability that would later lead to the Iranian Revolution. Los Angeles was awarded the Games by default.

Even so, LA did not pursue the Games to revitalize the region or create a new image; LA wanted to make money. LA marketed its bid as a cost-effective way to produce a high-quality event because of its size and existing facilities. It would be the first privately financed Olympics, relieving federal, state and local governments of staggering expenses. Many of the facilities established for the 1932 Games, also in Los Angeles, were still around and available. Peter Ueberroth, the Los Angeles Olympic Committee’s chief organizer for the event, aggressively pursued sponsorships to inject money into the Games.

LA also marketed its bid by leaning on its Hollywood roots to produce a highly watchable spectacle. LA would utilize its entertainment industry skill set to create a new vibe for the Games. The 1984 Olympics were noted for its bright design aesthetic and top-notch production quality. The Games were fantastic for reviving the Olympic movement when it desperately needed reviving. However, it did little to revitalize troubled parts of the region.

Atlanta 1996

Atlanta’s pursuit of the 1996 Olympics was definitely an attempt to establish a new image for a rising metropolis. Atlanta was a dark-horse candidate that eventually won out over Toronto and Melbourne.

It’s probably fair to say that the Atlanta bid was designed as an extensive downtown revitalization project. The Centennial Olympic Stadium and Centennial Olympic Park were the key infrastructure projects of the effort. But you can read what the IOC itself says of the Games’ impact on Atlanta:

Read the rest of this piece at The Corner Side Yard.

Pete Saunders is a writer and researcher whose work focuses on urbanism and public policy. Pete has been the editor/publisher of the Corner Side Yard, an urbanist blog, since 2012. Pete is also an urban affairs contributor to Forbes Magazine's online platform. Pete's writings have been published widely in traditional and internet media outlets, including the feature article in the December 2018 issue of Planning Magazine. Pete has more than twenty years' experience in planning, economic development, and community development, with stops in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He lives in Chicago.

Photo: Rendering of the proposed Olympic Village for the Chicago 2016 bid. Source: chicagotribune.com