Rio.....Get Excited!

Rio = The Biggest Olympic Party Ever!
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It was like Bartman made the announcement.
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There is probably a sizable bulk of this country, (especially in a certain city in Illinois) that are not having a happy, sun shining day right now. Personally, I'm kind of shocked that even with the Obamas and Oprah doing the pitch, Chicago received the least amounts of votes out of the four finalists to host the 2016 Summer Games. I'm not really a big Olympic fan either, considering most of Olympic events I've watched in my life were on tape delay. Plus where else would anyone care about swimming as intensely as they do other than in those 2 specific weeks? But am I disappointed with the first choice? Not even close! Think about it. In the year 2016, the world will be blessed with an extra two weeks of Carnaval. Oh, and there will be world-class athletes strolling around as well! Almost makes me wonder why this is only the 1st ever Olympics to be held in the South American continent. It seems like the American public has been pulling the political card, the fact that good ole George W destroyed any kind of international goodwill that apparently still hasn't been recovered. But look at it this way. The Olympic Committee tries to spread the love around as much as possible, so that each nook and cranny of the world has an opportunity to spread its charm. Japan had already hosted the Winter Games back in 1998 in Nagano, while Spain hosted the Summer Games in 1992 in the city of Barcelona. Also in the past 25 years, our country has held the Summer/Winter Games in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City to go with a World Cup in 1994, so I can see why the Committee wasn't exactly enthusiastic about giving us another set of games just on the numbers alone. Speaking of the whole charm bit, look at Rio compared to Chicago. When the shocking breaking news came out in Chicago, you saw people crammed in what looked like another city, another concrete jungle that has hosted previous games. When the news broke out in Rio, the people were on a beach on a sunny day, a locale in which every sporting event should be held and enjoyed. It just screams Summer Olympics. But as the real world always tells us, it's all economics. It's something that the IOC, like any business, has to consider in making an important decision like this. Here's an interesting factoid: The emerging markets of the world are in India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and China, and international sporting events like the Olympics can only help with the upswing of these growing giants. The country of Brazil is getting a huge boost not only with the 2016 Summer Games, but the appropriately located 2014 World Cup. It is no coincidence that the 2008 Games were held in Beijing. It isn't random that the Russians will be hosting the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Finally, it isn't a complete shock to see that the World Cup is being held next year in the football stadiums of South Africa. Just think of the IOC as some sort of an international economic reimbursement program. But the excitement stemming from this choice overshadows the fact that I will be 30 when these events actually happen. So, hooray for Rio! I wonder if you can book something on Expedia for 2016......