USA World Cup Bid Cities announced.... Chicago not one of them???

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yeah...that's why they're holding games at the LA Coliseum instead.   

Honestly, the violent crime rate down there has improved tremendously compared to what Chicago has going on right now.   Chicago is a mess and in the national news all the time right now for the violent crime spree.

[PaintTouches]

As a resident of the greater Chicago area... I thank God every day that the Olympics went to Rio and that the World Cup will be somewhere else.

However, it's not surprising.  FIFA, I presume, is a business.  The World Cup is a business.  And no matter where you locate the games, you will have crowds that will follow.  So the issue over which city(ies) isn't so much "who is the biggest" or "who is most centrally located" as it is "who is the cheapest" or "who is the best partner."

Chicago fails miserably at both cost and cooperation.  The IOC saw it.  The major conventions who have left Chicago saw it.  Now FIFA sees it.  The only people who don't see it are the politicians, patrons, and ignorant citizens of this city (and state) who keep electing the same corrupt leaders.

The only thing I can pick on from here is that the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) chose those cities, not FIFA. The same USSF that is based in Chicago and has its headquarters across from Soldier Field.

I agree about the crowds to some degree. If you have England vs Brazil yea, it will be packed no matter where you stage it. What about when Algeria takes on North Korea?
It's a misconception that every game is sold out no matter what. There were games in Germany that weren't even close to being sold out. Mexico vs. Angola had a few thousand empty seats.

[reinko]

Comparing a handful of WC games spread out over the course of the month, and staging an Olympic games aren't even in close.  First and foremost, no construction and infrastructure (or very little) would be needed.


Did the Winter Classic last year shut down the city?  It would be like times about 4.