Last week, the International Olympic Committee awarded the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro. Or if you were to ask many Americans what happened: Rio cruelly snatched away Chicago’s right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In a move that briefly stunned the nation before we all went back to our daily lives, the IOC eliminated Chicago in the first round of voting before giving Rio victory over Madrid by a count of 66 to 32. America’s initial reaction to this disappointment was outraged shock that turned into a personal loss for President Barack Obama.

Chicago, and by extension America, should have seen this decision coming from a long ways away. It has nothing to do with any U.S. flaws and everything to do with the IOC making a historic decision by granting South America the first Olympic Games ever. Africa and Antarctica now remain the only two continents to have not earned this honor.

As an American and a citizen of the world, I would rather see the Olympics in Brazil than in Chicago. But apparently, the only other people in America who share this sentiment are people who hate Obama.

Conservative politicians and pundits have questioned whether Obama should be wasting time campaigning for the Olympics and indicated pleasure at seeing Chicago lose its bid. Calling this a political loss for Obama is childish and self-centered. They are turning an international event into a cheap political tool.

Oprah Winfrey also went to Copenhagen to personally plead on behalf of Chicago, but I do not see anyone blaming her for supporting a lost cause.

Besides, that is what this was from the start: a lost cause.

Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid all had no chance. Standing in the way of history, Chicago had little to offer besides heart attack-inducing food and corrupt politicians. The driving force behind these feelings of either shock or delight at Chicago’s loss is fueled by two things: America’s own self-centeredness and the media that perpetuate it.

The same feelings of individualism and American exceptionalism that previously justified our nation’s expansionist policies is now being used again. We all grow up with these ideas, and now they are being employed on a lesser scale to lament the IOC’s decision. And nobody seems to care about how selfish this makes us seem to the world.

Americans view themselves as the center of the world. Our media emphasized this by trying to stir up controversy about how we didn’t win the bid. Luckily, many Americans didn’t take the bait. But the fact remains that we constantly demand the spotlight with our claims of being the world’s only remaining superpower.

I’m sure China might like to argue that point, but let us assume we still are the sole superpower. That does not give us the right to host every single Olympic event we bid for. Other countries and continents deserve their chance to shine.

Even superpowers need to step back once in a while. America has hosted four Olympic events since 1980. No other country has hosted two during that same span.

Get over yourself, America. I, for one, look forward to when we lose our bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and we finally see the first Antarctic Olympic Games.