Early 2000s Chicago had a "cusp of global city stardom" vibe, and the Olympic bid epitomized that. But it lost to Rio de Janeiro and its star has faded. What if it had won?
I have my doubts about whether hosting the Olympics would have had any long-term significance in changing the perception of Chicago. I'd say Chicago was (and unquestionably remains) one of the top four global cities in the US (the others being NYC, LA, and Miami). Every other major US city remains one or more tiers below these four, and I think this is unlikely to change for the next 30-40 years. Chicago needs to focus on being the best version of itself it can be, and I think its challenges are easier to solve than those of NYC, LA, and Miami.
I was also thinking about whether the halt of plans to build the Chicago Spire might have been a greater loss in terms of global perceptions than the loss of the Olympics. An Olympics lasts about 2 weeks. The construction of Burj Dubai has been contributing to global perceptions of Dubai for 14 years. It's one of the reasons I went to Dubai a few years ago. Another unfortunate factor in Chicago's global perceptions is the seeming incompetence of the owners of its professional sports teams. Michael Jordan was the ultimate global brand ambassador for Chicago. It's been 26 years and I saw someone tonight in Guatemala City dressed head to toe in some type of Bulls/Michaell Jordan matching sweatpants and sweatshirt. An Olympics games draws 3 billion global viewers for a 2-week period. NBA draws 1 billion viewers (and 2 billion social media fans each and every year.
I have my doubts about whether hosting the Olympics would have had any long-term significance in changing the perception of Chicago. I'd say Chicago was (and unquestionably remains) one of the top four global cities in the US (the others being NYC, LA, and Miami). Every other major US city remains one or more tiers below these four, and I think this is unlikely to change for the next 30-40 years. Chicago needs to focus on being the best version of itself it can be, and I think its challenges are easier to solve than those of NYC, LA, and Miami.
I was also thinking about whether the halt of plans to build the Chicago Spire might have been a greater loss in terms of global perceptions than the loss of the Olympics. An Olympics lasts about 2 weeks. The construction of Burj Dubai has been contributing to global perceptions of Dubai for 14 years. It's one of the reasons I went to Dubai a few years ago. Another unfortunate factor in Chicago's global perceptions is the seeming incompetence of the owners of its professional sports teams. Michael Jordan was the ultimate global brand ambassador for Chicago. It's been 26 years and I saw someone tonight in Guatemala City dressed head to toe in some type of Bulls/Michaell Jordan matching sweatpants and sweatshirt. An Olympics games draws 3 billion global viewers for a 2-week period. NBA draws 1 billion viewers (and 2 billion social media fans each and every year.