Broadside Sports

Ryan Dempsey, Broadside Correspondent

Chicago out of Olympic Host Contention:

On Friday, Chicago, the third-largest city in the U.S. was removed in the first round of voting for a potential 2016 Summer Olympics host city. Many people thought that Chicago and Rio de Janeiro were the two lone standing favorites to host the event, but instead, Chicago was eliminated. The U.S. was the first of the four finalists to make its presentations, with some of the speakers stiff and seemingly nervous. “It’s not about the words,” Chicago Mayor Richard Daley stated. “It’s about the heart and the soul.”

But despite the soul put into the presentation, voters for the International Olympic Committee did not feel the same way. A large part of the way the voting took place could be because Chicago is largely unknown oversees. Another view could be based on President Barack Obama’s brevity when talking to IOC members. The short stopover was “too business-like,” Former IOC member Kai Holm said. “It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect.”

According to Reuters, “White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Obama’s appearance before the IOC was not enough to overcome ‘politics inside that room’ and other factors he believed weighed against Chicago’s bid.” The decision came as a shock to many Americans, including President Barack Obama. “I think Chicago could not have made a better presentation,” Obama said.

Japan too was disappointed in the results as Tokyo was removed from contention after a second round of voting.

“It’s a disappointing outcome. I’m very sorry about it,” said Hiroshi Sato, vice governor of Tokyo. “So many people offered their support. I’m at a loss for words. The frustration is that we can’t give our stage of dreams to our youth. We tried hard and did everything we could.”

Tiger Alone in New Status; Jordan Close Behind

With a status that some thought would never be possible, Tiger Woods became the first ever athlete to become a billionaire, according to Forbes. Woods made his money through previous endorsements, business ventures, and past golfing wins, figures that reach into the $895 million range. Woods also received a $10 million bonus mark for winning the FedEx Cup, pushing his golf earnings for the year over $100 million.

What a lot of people believe is scary, is just how much Tiger can still make, and still accomplish. Woods is considered to be the best golfer on the planet and possibly one of the most stunning athletes in the world. At only the age of 33, Woods has a lot of years of golfing to do and, who knows, could be a multi-billionaire by the time he retires.

Former NBA star Michael Jordan is at a close second. Jordan is estimated to have around $800 million dollars, earning almost $45 million a year exclusively from Nike, according to Forbes.

“Annual sales of the Jordan brand are now $1 billion for Nike, so MJ should hit the $1 billion mark in career earnings in the next four to five years,” stated Forbes.com writer Kurt Badenhausen.