Olympics, VDB & 15 Min. of Bulls***

Frank Vandenbroucke died at 34 years old after a rapid rise and longer crash in his athletic career and personal life. This tragedy has played out too often in our sport, usually with little to no fanfare. VDB' status celeb made this a different case, but how different? The official autopsy lists natural causes. Contained within that report is the note that fresh needle marks were found on the victim's arms and medicines were confiscated at the scene. Gotta go with Johnny's take on that one over at DC. Who accepts that kind of contradictory statement? The same folks who launch a helium balloon from the roof, hide their kid and then say he's trapped in the flying contraption. The pursuit of the famous fifteen minutes knows no bounds. And shame on a society that allows an absurdist hoax to be more relevant in the headlines than, oh pick one: corruption in the economy, the state of the environment and the approaching 350 Day awareness, any of a dozen wars or conflicts, the failure of the educational system... We've been holding back on the failed Chicago Olympic bid. Classic that the right would pin that on the prez. Consider that more likely at fault is Chicago's notoriously strong-handed policing at the borders, it's failed school system, it's corrupt fiscal status. Rio is no happy go lucky place, to be sure. But given the collapse of city infrastructures throughout the country, combined with our aggressive profiling of those who enter the country and a global event in an American city seems a far fetched choice indeed. Chicago is home, but there was no love for the bid here - HPT did not back the bid. With the schools long suffering, the murder rate among teens rising to a National high, numerous allegations of corruption and a bankrupt budget the last thing Chicago needed was the Olympics. Worst is our failure to question any of it; kids killing other kids, folks making hoaxes or a professional athlete driven to drugs, mental illness and ultimately death.