Chicago I Love You, But I Have To Root Against You

by

As most of you know, the Olympic Committee will announce Friday, its decision on where the 2016 summer Olympics will be held.

The 4 finalists are Chicago, Rio, Madrid and Tokyo.

I have to admit, I’m not impartial.

Why?

Domain names.

The most popular tourist Geo domains, other than the actual city .com,  is the Visit……com.

May cities and countries use Visit…….com as their official tourism site.

We own VisitRio.com and VisitMadrid.com, giving us a 50% shot at one of our domains becoming quite valuable.

Rio has declared Friday a national holiday and hopes to bring the 1st Olympics to Latin America.

According the the odds makers Chicago is favored, but unfortunately we don’t own VisitChicago.com, that domain belongs to VisitCanada.com.

Marchex owns VisitTokyo.com.

Let the games begin.

About Michael Berkens

Michael Berkens, Esq. is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheDomains.com. Michael is also the co-founder of Worldwide Media Inc. which sold around 70K domain to Godaddy.com in December 2015 and now owns around 8K domain names . Michael was also one of the 5 Judges selected for the the Verisign 30th Anniversary .Com contest.

Comments

  4. Domain Investor says

    I would like to see Chicago get it.
    Just for the international tourist business for the U.S.

    However, don’t they say that all of the cities that host the summer
    Olympics lose money when you figure in the infrastructure neccessary
    to host it?

  8. chuck says

    Rio should get it. US cities host the olympics too often.
    LA 84, Atlanta 96, now Chicago 2016 ? in every 20 years, Olympics is played host by a US city should not be right ? let other world cities
    get their chance. The game is never held in South America before.
    so be fair.

  9. Andrew Hyde says

    I took my 16 year old daughter with me last to Chicago weekend. We stayed on the gold coast had the greatest time. It’s been about 7 years since I’ve been there and the city is clean, friendly and would make a ideal host for the olympic games. Like to see Rio, Tokyo or Madrid on another one of our adventures. But, I’m pulling for Chicago and any other reasons to go back.

  12. Domain Investor says

    They just announced 5 minutes ago that Chicago was elliminated.
    The finalist will be announced in 2 hours.

    It appears Rio has the best shot.

    Sorry Chicago.

  16. chuck says

    I start to think the delegates agree with me that US cities play host to Olympics too often. The trend of the Games is held in US city in every 20 years or less will not materialize. fair and square.
    Let see how Rio add their taste of Samba into the greatest sporting event of mankind. Madrid will be out bcoz the order of London 2012, Madrid 2016 does not sit well with non-European.
    Go Rio

  17. MHB says

    UPDATE 2

    Tokyo is now out so we have a 2/2 chance of having the visit……com

    I like those odds.

  18. chuck says

    You still have to wait for more than six years for the impact of the Games on the chosen city domains eg. visitRio.com visitMadrid.com
    I owned visitAthens.com during Athens 2004. I did not see trenmendous traffic surge during before or after the 2004 Games.
    by the way, visitAthens.com is available for sales, if interested please contact me.

  20. MHB says

    Chuck

    Thanks for putting out the Valium on the Olympic party.

    Did you receive a substantial offer on your domain before the games?

  26. jblack says

    The mass media promised us Chicago was going to be the pick or at least in the final two. Since there is no way the mass media, those omniscient seers of all things truthful, could be wrong that badly, then clearly the only way to explain Chicago being tossed out first must be as Jimmy Carter noted, its racism.

  27. MHB says

    Mr. Black

    When you say the “mass media promised us Chicago was going to be in the final 2”, I assume you mean the US media rather than the world media.

    The Olympics have been held in North America on many occasions, including Mexico and Canada and never in South America.

    Chicago was the odds on favorite by the bookmakers but Rio was a close second. Also I think for the last 4 Olympic games, the odds on favorite was not chosen.

    You can play the race card if you want, but I’m not buying it in this case.

  28. Helder says

    Hi

    Congratulations to my brasilian friends, GO RIO 🙂

    I’m from Portugal, so there’s a lot in common with Brasil, language, history, so i’m happy for them.

    I wasn’t going to say anything in this thread, but i have to answer to jblack. Did you know that 70% of the brasilian population is black or mixed? (i believe you guys say biracial in US)

    So how could it be racism?

    South America never had Olympics, Brasil has now the conditions to organize them, so it’s fair, really fair. They’re also having the world cup of 2014, so a lot of the necessary things for 2016 will be ready in advance, things like hotels, transportations, roads etc…

  29. jblack says

    Yep, the always objective US media told us Chicago was it. It appears the oddsmakers bought into the media hype.

    I guess the sarcasm was too subtle. (And there is no race card played, those are Jimmy Carter’s words, not mine. Not sure how he would “color” the winner Rio though…)

  30. jblack says

    “So how could it be racism?”

    Exactly. But any opposition to the president, in this case snubbing his preference, is viewed as racist as a former president noted.

  31. jblack says

    Some other possible reasons Chicago lost out:

    – Bush is to blame. Obama inherited a bad Chicago bid.
    – Vast right-wing conspiracy submarined Chicago’s bid.
    – Acorn registered IOC voters were disenfranchised.
    – Rio jiu-jitsu’d Chicago-land bullying tactics.

    Or

    – IOC voters wanted Rio more than the other cities.

  32. MHB says

    J-

    And there are always the possibility of some of the old favorites such as women and cash.

    Not sure there is much of a contest between a bunch of girls from Rio and Chicago

  34. MHB says

    Rio

    Be very careful on the “Olympic” domains.

    The term is heavily trademarked and the International Olympic committee strongly enforces its mark.

    I would stay far away from any domain geared towards, & using the word “Olympics” .

  36. Domain Investor says

    “And i got myself olympicsrio.com”

    I will guarantee you, the domain will be taken away from you
    long before the Rio Olympics opens.

    Sometime in the next 24 months, the Int’l Olympics organization
    will send you a C&D.
    If you don’t give it up, they will take it thru UDRP/WIPO.

  37. MHB says

    Everything

    No doubt

    Brazil which already was winning our poll as the best buy, just got even better.

    But I like the domain I own more today than last week.

    And the parking page was already updated by TrafficZ.

  40. BullS says

    “Maybe once they can go a couple of days without a bombing.”

    That will be one of the main events— landmine detection or How to evade landmines.

  42. Ron W. says

    @Rio…speaking from first hand experience, I would just go ahead and delete that name before seeing a letter; any income earned from that name is not be worth the trouble from the Olympic people, imo!

  44. Rio says

    Oh well thx guys. I got the domain last year and I haven’t renewed it yet and will probably not.

  46. BullS says

    I heard Mississippi will get the Olympics in 3013….so hurry guys, go register Mississippi3013 and IraqOlympics 6969