Sportswriter Says "No!" to Chicago 2016 Olympics

Patrick Kissane, sports columnist at Chi-Town Daily News, cautions Chicago against leaping into the Olympics. The Chicago Tribune reports today (Sept. 2) that Mayor Daley has enough stooges on the City Council to do whatever he wants Olympics-wise. Kissane is fed up: I am a citizen of Chicago, I am upset by the mismanagement by the city of its assets. I do not believe the committee and this mayor any more. I say NO to the games. NO to taxpayers assuming the risk. NO to this mayor and this inept City Council and even worse Cook County government. In his column today (Sept. 2), Kissane veers into politics, a subject of which few sports writers are even cognizant, and he does it well. He specializes in writing about hockey, especially the Wolves and Blackhawks. With the Chicago 2016 controversy as hot as it is, a lot of sportwriters are suddenly forced to start paying attention to local politics. It's something they are not accustomed to, but Kissane seems right at home, meshing sports and politics together nicely into one powerful column. In the Sept. 2 column, Kissane notes that the public funding of large venues, "from the Cell to the renovation of Soldier Field," has often come with the promise of financial boons. Not so fast, Kissane warns, and reminds us of the village of Hoffman Estates which, he writes, "is on the hook for millions in bond repayments if the venue isn't profitable." He warns that the promise of great financial rewards from the Olympics could be just as risky in concept, far more so in actual dollars. Kissane states his case in a column today (Sept. 2) at Chi-Town Daily News. I'm not big on sports metaphors. Personally, I'd liken the City of Chicago pinning its financial future on the Olympics to a drunk playing ticket after ticket after ticket of Lotto scratchers. Think of Mayor Daley as the drunk. RELATED: IOC report fails to consider recent Chicago 2016 financing guarantee - USA Today Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid: Deeper look shows potential financial pitfalls - Chicago Tribune No Games Chicago (anti-Chicago 2016 group) Cool Hats & Shirts for Cool Conservatives Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...