Spot on and good post!
What do you trolls want to prove? You want someone to demand an audience with the mayor to show him "only" 500k watched the marathon? For what purpose? If so, he will re-think allowing his city to be closed down for the marathon every year.
Accept the math of two million, be happy for it. Let the sponsors think it is correct so they will spend!!
And, yes, we'll agree that a higher level of human live in the Boston to Washington corridor and no matter what Chicago does, everything/anything you do is better.
Happy now.