Oprah's Olympic Party

Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant and nearly 150 other U.S. Olympians joined Oprah Winfrey in Millennium Park Wednesday morning for the taping of her show's season premiere, airing Monday.

Around 9,000 fans attended the taping, which also served as a showcase for Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid.

From ABC 7's report:

"This is the city, so I'm hoping that other people will see that and the Olympic committee will take note," said Oprah Winfrey, talk show host.

[...]

Wednesday, a first for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley: he's never before attended a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The mayor was right up front and before the show he hoped to have the chance to say a few words about Chicago's Olympic bid.

"It does make a difference, in a sense that you show the outpouring of people really want the Olympics for 2016 in Chicago and the Paralympics. They want it not only here in Chicago but in America. I think America is waiting for them to come back in 2016," said Mayor Daley.

"What I'm hoping is that the spirit and energy of what these athletes bring when they all come together, all of their, you know, discipline and triumph and the victory, that the energy of that will come across that screen and the Olympic committee will say 'What were we thinking? Chicago, that's the only city,' " said Winfrey.

Watch NBC's report on Olympians arriving for the taping:

Click here to see the full list of athletes.

Comments

[47th]

I see little or no support from the average Chicagoan regarding the Olympics. Chicago is a city with serious problems. A terrible public school system, a crumbling transit system, and an appalling lack of affordable housing, to name a few. Chicago also has a 420 million dollar hole in it's current budget, and Daley has been silent on how he will fill this hole, as he has been silent on how and who is going to pay for this Olympic scheme. The Olympics are Daley's way to gentrify Washington and Douglas Parks, both lower income working class, Black neighborhoods. The media (huffington post included) has got to start asking hard questions about how much these games will cost, how will it be paid for, and how will it positively or negatively affect the families who live in Washington and Douglas Parks right now! And Oprah surely isn't going to ask tyhese kind of questions!

[47th]

I live in Chicago, and there seems to be more skepticism and apathy for the Olympics, and little or no support from the public. Chicago is a city with dire problems, from terrible public schools, a crumbling transit system, and an appalling lack of affordable housing. We also have a 420 million dollar hole in the budget, and Daley has been silent on how he will solve this budget problem, as well as how he plans to pay for his Olympic scheme! The Olympics are Daley's way of gentrifying Washington and Douglas Park, both lower income,working class Black neighborhoods. The media (Huffington Post included) need to start asking Daley hard questions about how, and who, is going to pay for this, and how will the people who live in these neighborhoods NOW will benefit. And Oprah has to be the wealthiest cheerleader in the world!

[Maka]

I think if Chicago actually got the Olympics, the CTA would suddenly get massive funding and el stops along the Redline would finally get some updates. So in that regard, I do hope we get the Olympics. And supposedly, the planned Olympic Village would turn into mixed income housing afterward, which would be good for that area. But public schools would certainly continue to suffer while Chicago went about building all the things Daley wants. I think his reasoning would be that the revenue brought in by the Olympics would More than make up for what the city spent, I'm skeptical.