Monday, October 5, 2009
Politics / Sports / Clout City / News / Media We're Not Crying!
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 9:42 AM
Having been lifelong fan of the Bulls, I understand more than most how devastating a sports loss can be to one's psyche.
To cite just one example, the Bulls once had a five-point lead and the ball with less than a minute left in a decisive seventh game in the playoffs against the Lakers and still lost.
That was in 1973—36 years ago!—and I still haven't gotten over it.
That said, I can't quite understand, "Stand Proud, Chicago," the front-page editorial in Sunday's Tribune.
"We know many Chicagoans feel shock and disappointment that the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games won't be coming here," they wrote. They went on to assure readers that: "the soul of a city is revealed not only in its shining moments of victory, but in how it handles adversity."
Um, folks, I hated to break it to you, but there's really not a whole heckuva lot of people in Chicago in need of consolation. I mean, according to a September poll in your own newspaper, about 84 percent of Chicagoans didn't want the games to come here. At least they didn't want to pay for them, which pretty much amounts to the same thing.
So just who are you consoling—the 16 percent who wanted the games regardless of their cost to the public? I don't think this bunch needs consolation so much as counseling.
Look, I know—it's over. My team won. I should let it rest. But it doesn't do any good to rewrite history. Perpetrating the myth that most people wanted this debacle only encourages the mayor and his cronies to try another one.
Showing 1-4 of 4
...and we haven't even yet heard the stories I expect will come, revealing even more about how this bid was conducted, which should reduce people's support just that much more.
What did you expect from a guy like Bruce Dold, who was spinning jazz records for Northwestern's radio station beck in the 1970s, when the school's sports teams all sucked? Do you expect a guy like that to understand true sports despair? Hell no!
I AM SO HAPPY THE IOC DID NOT AWARD THE OBAMA'S, OPRAH, DALEY AND PAT RYAN THE OLYMPICS. MAYBE FAT ASS OPRAH CAN CRY ON MAYOR DALEY'S SHOULDER LIKE SHE DID AT OBAMA'S SPEECH AFTER HE WON THE ELECTION. BETTER YET, MAYBE SHE CAN INVITE DA MAYOR ON HER MAN BASHING ASS TALK SHOW TO TALK ABOUT THEIR STUNNING DEFEAT. THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT DID NOT HAPPEN TO CHICAGO, THANKS OPRAH!
Most Chicagoans were thrilled with this news. Most of the media never got that.
Latest in The Blog
-
Too New to Review: Prairie Fire, Leo's Coney Island, the Southern, Revolution Brewing Company, and More
Prairie Fire, Leo's Coney Island of Chicago, the Southern, and other restaurants too new to review.
- Feb 8, 2010
-
Fewer Shoes on the North Side
Times are tough for shoe stores too.
- Feb 8, 2010
-
When Golden Earring Were Good
Wait, Golden Earring was good?
- Feb 8, 2010
- More»
Author Archives
-
Shedding Light on the Shadow Budget
The TIF budget we recently pried from the city's grip reveals drastic inequities in how the money's spent.
- Dec 10, 2009
-
Election Confusion?
In the run-up to February's primaries, Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky take a look at the races that could have the most impact on your life.
- Jan 21, 2010
-
Who's Daley supporting in the battle for Block 37?
The newly appointed lawyer for the receiver in the Block 37 case is Jack George from the law firm of Daley & George—as in, the mayor's younger brother Michael Daley.
- Nov 24, 2009
- More»
Top Commenters
Comments (4) RSS