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Oprah Is In; Jordan Is Out For 2016 Bid Trip

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Sep 23, 2009 10:27 pm US/Central

Oprah Is In; Jordan Is Out For 2016 Bid Trip

  Got A Concern? Send It To Jay Levine

Reporting
Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ― A big boost and a big disappointment as we hit the final stretch before Chicago finds out if it will host the 2016 Olympics. Time is peeling off the countdown clock. CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports that two big names are making news.

The biggest is the one whose support for the bid has been increasing; the other appearing to promise more than he'd deliver. 

Oprah Winfrey is in. Michael Jordan is out.

Five months ago, Winfrey wowed the Olympic Evaluation Commission here in Chicago, even sitting next to the chairwoman at dinner.

"I think the IOC members that were here for the E.C. visit loved meeting her, loved being near her, loved hearing from her, loved hearing about her passion for Chicago," said Chicago 2016 Chief of Staff Kurt Summers.

Chicago's other superstar, Michael Jordan, was not on the list of traveling Olympians, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bart Connor and Nadia Comaneci, despite assurances that Chicago 2016 CEO Pat Ryan said he'd received when Chicago first decided to go for the gold.

On October 12, 2006, Ryan said that Jordan "has agreed."

That agreement by the two-time gold medal winner was apparently limited to a couple of videos he made for the bid.

Even though when asked if his recent induction into the basketball hall of fame was the highlight of his career, Jordan told CBS 2's Ryan Baker, "Other than the Olympics and the birth of my kids, you're absolutely right."

"He played for the Bulls, we support him, you know, it would be amazing if he went and it would be a good contribution to it as well," one man said.

"I'm hopeful that Michael will relent and go because he is the biggest champion we've had here," said Ralph Conner of Maywood.

Bigger than the guy we used to be known for and maybe we still are.

"They still talk about Al Capone. So personally I think anything's better," said Eric Berg of Chicago.

Tokyo's bid reached out to its supporters Wednesday; 400,000 of them boosting a bid which had suffered from a lack of public support.

Chicago has its opponents, too. Just check out the website, "Chicagoans For Rio." We tried to contact the people behind the website. They responded to our e-mail, calling themselves "camera shy."

"I haven't seen the website, but this is a great country where people have the freedom to express their opinions," Summers said.

Another e-mail from 'Chicagoans for Rio' said: "We're not rooting for Chicago to lose, so much as we're rooting for Chicago to succeed on a different playing field."

Right now though, the playing field is Copenhagen, though we still aren't sure of the players. Will Jordan change his mind? Who knows. Will the president suddenly appear? At least one Chicagoan close to Mr. Obama said on Wednesday that he'd put money on it.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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