All That Glitters Is Not Gold: The Real Danger Behind The 2016 Olympics
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In 2009 when it was announced that the 2016 Summer Olympics would take place I was stoked. It was big news for the country as well because they were also slated to host the 2014 Fifa World Cup. One would think that these type of events bring along the exposure and money that could really boost an economy. In fact if you let the experts tell it, events like the World Cup and Olympics are great for any hosting country. Articles like this one written by CNBC’s Kate Holliday cite expert opinions from Walter Boettcher, chief economist at Colliers International, and it reads pretty simple. The events come in to the host country, build new state of the art venues, attract tourist willing to spend on everything, build patriotism within the country and provide the host country with a platform to become globally recognized. But is that really true?

Then and Now….

Like I stated before, in 2009 with the initial announcement that the 2016 Olympics were going to take place in Brazil I immediately called up some of my friends and began to plan a trip. I love the summer Olympics but I would be lying if I did not admit that I really wanted to go experience Brazil. The country comes off as the place to be with beautiful beaches, awesome clubs, and of course the world famous Brazilian women. And back in 2009 that is exactly what Brazil was when it was chosen to host: a vibrant, festive country with beautiful beaches and women for all. But this is no longer 2009 and in 2016 the current state of Brazil is a shell of what it was seven years ago. Today Brazil is in the midst of impeaching their President and in all honesty this may be the best news coming out of the country leading up to the Olympics these days. The Brazilian President, Ms. Rousseff is accused of using money from state banks to cover up for the budget shortfalls ahead of her 2014 election. Her impeachment was spearheaded by a former member of her political party and while she her claims of innocence are noted, it does not seem like the senate in Brazil are satisfied with her explanation. Making this story even more crazy is the fact that the man accusing President Rousseff of wrongdoing is also taking heat for allegedly accepting over $5 million in bribes from oil companies. And it is not just one senator who has been implicated but there are reportedly dozens more who may have taken part in shady business while serving their country. What was once a proud country has now fallen into turmoil amidst government unrest. As you can imagine there are many who still support the President and just as many on the other side who support her opposition. From the looks of some of these timelines and proceedings, Brazil could very well be under new leadership by the time the Olympics officially start in August but that’s not the worse part of this story unfortunately.

Demonstrators parade large inflatable dolls depicting Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in prison garb and current President Dilma Rousseff dressed as a thief, with a presidential sash that reads "Impeachment," in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, March 13, 2016. The corruption scandal at the state-run oil giant Petrobras has ensnared key figures from Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, including her predecessor and mentor, Lula da Silva, as well as members of opposition parties. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Demonstrators parade large inflatable dolls depicting Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in prison garb and current President Dilma Rousseff dressed as a thief, with a presidential sash that reads “Impeachment,” in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, March 13, 2016. The corruption scandal at the state-run oil giant Petrobras has ensnared key figures from Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, including her predecessor and mentor, Lula da Silva, as well as members of opposition parties. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Some of the water conditions in Rio and throughout Brazil

Some of the water conditions in Rio and throughout Brazil

No Church In The Wild….

Contrary to popular belief the 2014 World Cup did not help the Brazilian economy. As a matter of fact Brazil’s economy has steadily declined since 2014 with the outlook not getting any better. They are currently in the midst of a recession and there are even reports that workers for the Olympic venues are not getting paid and protesting. And depending on who you talk to there is no telling what could happen to you as a tourist or visitor in the country these days. So if we are taking count, there is clearly civil unrest in Brazil, a lack of a government presence, why the only thing missing here for the new Call of Duty is a viral outbreak. Oh wait, we have that too. I am not going to act like I know a lot about Zika or what it does but the world is getting spooked by the idea of it and with an event like the Olympics coming to the country it does not reinforce anything positive about the experience for tourist and athletes. With all this going on there has to be a silver lining for the athletes right? Wrong, there are reports that Brazil might actually be worse for Olympian athletes than China was as far as pollution goes. There’s also security concerns for athletes who may opt to stay outside of Olympic Village and if the locals aren’t enough to make you abide by curfew, you might not even be safe as an athlete or spectator at the venues. Brazil shares a border with 10 other countries and given the events of the Paris attacks the threat of terrorism striking the Olympics is real in a lot of minds. Many people question whether the country is prepared to handle a terrorist threat or ,worst case scenario, a terrorist attack. Oh, did I mention the alligator problem in the country?

 United States goalkeeper Hope Solo is one of the athletes who have spoken out on concerns about Zika in the 2016 Olympics

United States goalkeeper Hope Solo is one of the athletes who have spoken out on concerns about Zika in the 2016 Olympics

The Show Must Go On….

In the end none of this will matter I suppose. Millions and millions of people around the world will tune in to see their respective countries ( except maybe Russia)compete for the glorious gold medal. And while I’ve spent some extensive time reading about the hazards facing the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, as an athlete I do not think I could pass up the opportunity to compete. There have been a few athletes who have backed out the Games for various reasons but outside of Zika nobody has mentioned anything about the other problems listed in this article. I expect that come August the networks will do the same and we will see nothing but smiling faces, beautiful beaches, and beautiful women. Brazil has 99 problems but getting the Olympic Games completed ain’t one.

Open Mic:

-If you haven’t seen Texas Rangers 2nd Basmeman Rougned Odor’s punch on Toronto Blue Jays Right Fielder Jose Bautista…..all I can say is NSFW

-There has been a lot of information about the Olympics and the failed preparation for the event. I know there are a lot of links in this particular article but I wanted to show that I’m not just making this stuff up.

-The Fail of the Week goes to the whomever forgot to take the practice bomb out of Old Trafford.

-I have ventured into the uncharted waters of WNBA. I’m actually proud of myself for willingly watching the games. Hopefully one day I will be inspired enough to write on the sport, I respect the athletes and it really does look like it could be shaping up to be more entertaining than before so stay tuned

-If you are a part of our group on Facebook check out the BBall Breakdown reports there is a lot of good information on these playoff games

-Make sure you check out this weeks Episode of Head to Head, The Full Count, and tonight at 8 pm the NBA on IBN.

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