Chicagoans Cool Off on Olympic Bid

Local support for Chicago's bid to play host to the 2016 Olympics has fallen sharply, with public opinion evenly split, the Chicago Tribune reports. Just 47% of Chicagoans in a new poll support the mayor’s initiative—a 14-point slide—while 45% oppose it. The main issue is expense: 84% disapprove of the Richard Daley's pledge to use taxpayer money to cover shortfalls. The IOC will name the 2016 host city within a month.

"When less than half of the folks polled indicate they'd be willing to support the Olympics, that's certainly not an enthusiastic mandate for bringing the Games to Chicago," says a sports finance expert, adding that the numbers could hurt the city's chances to sway the IOC.

(More Chicago stories.)