Chicago, considered a favorite by many in the nonscientific and not always honest Olympic host city “elections,” was eliminated in the first round of voting. Although its early elimination shocked many, there were several major differences between the host cities. Most notably that Chicago’s bid, unlike the others, was not underwritten by its federal government.

To peg a single reason for the defeat, however, is a far more difficult task. Instead, consider the significance of Rio’s selection and what it means for sports fans in America and across the world.

Personally, I think the location of the Olympics is one of the most interesting and exciting aspects of the games. In what other venue do you see whole nations competing to host an international event, rallying around their proud cities and regions? In fact, the most exciting Olympics in my memory have been those outside of North America.

I remember watching the games of Albertville, France, and Lillehammer, Norway, and marveling at how these beautiful winter scenes had never been part of the depictions of Europe I otherwise saw. Seeing Nagano, Japan, and Beijing on the world stage certainly cemented in my mind impressive images of those Asian cities.

Until the 2004 Athens Olympics, my knowledge of that region practically stopped at the last chapter of my elementary school history books. By contrast, my memories of the Atlanta games have more to do with Coca-Cola and regardless of how the games went, the Salt Lake City Olympics always will be remembered as something that was essentially bought through bribery.

Back to Rio. Though billed as the world’s games, the Olympics have left a significant portion of the globe out of serious contention when the IOC selects host cities. A number of factors that have contributed to this, but the bottom line is that prior to Rio’s selection, no South American or African nation ever has hosted the Olympics.

In lieu of seeing the already familiar sights of Chicago on millions of television screens around the world, a city with twice the population of Chicago but a fraction of its notoriety or familiarity in the Western world will be featured. Besides having some Brazilian classmates during my undergraduate time at MSU, I practically have no firsthand knowledge of the country, let alone its continent, so I’m excited to see it in its proudest moment.

Settled as a city about 150 years prior to Chicago, Rio de Janeiro is a city practically made for perfect postcard photographs. From the iconic Cristo Redentor that overlooks the city from a mountain thousands of feet above to Parque Nacional da Tijuca, the city is full of splendor.

Or so I hear and read. Like most people, I probably will never get to see all of the sights in the world that I wish to. The Olympics provide an unparalleled opportunity for cities and states to shine on an international stage. For people like me, who form visions of places largely from secondhand stories and photographs, the Olympics present a rare chance to see another place in its liveliest and most celebratory moments.

I’ve never seen Rio de Janeiro. I can see a sporting event taking place in Chicago on television almost any day of the week.

Ryan Dinkgrave is a State News guest columnist and public relations graduate student. Reach him at dinkgrave@gmail.com.