In a country where professional sports are increasingly expensive, track and field is one of the few sports that can offer fans inexpensive ticket prices and an exciting sporting event. I truly believe this is one of the best times in the past 25 years to sell the sport. With 400,000+ people losing their jobs every month, America is looking for cheap entertainment options.
This morning, while doing my morning reading, I came across some disturbing information. The MLB All-Star Game next week, in St. Louis, has a going rate of $679 per ticket average. $679 for a ticket to a game that constantly under performs in terms of exciting play. No baseball game is worth that much, but people are paying.
Families and sports fans are looking for a way to enjoy their weekend, and track and field seems like the perfect fix.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Two Big Wednesday Thoughts
Thought #1
"Second, it is hard to image that the large number of out-of-town spectators/family/media who spent 10 to 12 days in Eugene for the 2008 trials (and spent money in Eugene and Oregon during the meet's two "rest'' days) would be attracted by a schedule with four "dark'' days. A sport desperately in need of media coverage (I was the only full-time newspaper reporter from outside Oregon covering the recent U.S. Championships) should avoid anything that makes it easier for print and digital media to say the expense isn't worth it."
This is a quote from Phil Hersch, who wrote a top ten column yesterday, with #9 discussing how awful the decision will be if Doug Logan and USATF decide on having the Olympic Trials held on consecutive weekends, with four days in between of nothing. I personally see no good coming out of the time frame they are looking at other than allowing a better TV schedule.
For starters, Mr. Hersh makes a great point, that most traditional media outlets will only send their reporters to one of the weekends, not both, which will greatly impact the media coverage of the event. Second, if TV is going to dictate how track and field runs itself, USATF might want to work on getting better announcers. Third, shifting the schedule will more than likely cause fewer non-Oregon residents to buy tickets, rent hotel rooms and travel out to Oregon.
Thought #2
If you've read this blog, you know quite well that I think USATF needs to focus MUCH more of their attention on road racing. That's where the money is currently, and that's where millions of potential fans reside, all willing to spend money on the sport they love. In my mind, if you can show them how special the top athletes in the sport are, then professional track and field and road racing will simply take off in terms of popularity.
However, I do not trust USATF to focus on road racing. It literally isn't in their name. Despite USATF having "all" the power, I feel a group of individuals with solid backing could step in and literally take over the road racing scene. What gives me additional confidence is something that happened late yesterday, when Google announced that they'll be releasing their own operating system (OS), which will compete directly with the behemoth known at Microsoft. Here is a company that's been successful, deciding to take on the company that basically runs 95% of the computers in the United States.
A similar situation could easily take place in the road racing realm, which to me is the Wild West of the sports industry. There is no organization among races, there is structure in place to actually sanction races, and there are few companies that help races put out a better product. The opportunity is there for the taking.
"Second, it is hard to image that the large number of out-of-town spectators/family/media who spent 10 to 12 days in Eugene for the 2008 trials (and spent money in Eugene and Oregon during the meet's two "rest'' days) would be attracted by a schedule with four "dark'' days. A sport desperately in need of media coverage (I was the only full-time newspaper reporter from outside Oregon covering the recent U.S. Championships) should avoid anything that makes it easier for print and digital media to say the expense isn't worth it."
This is a quote from Phil Hersch, who wrote a top ten column yesterday, with #9 discussing how awful the decision will be if Doug Logan and USATF decide on having the Olympic Trials held on consecutive weekends, with four days in between of nothing. I personally see no good coming out of the time frame they are looking at other than allowing a better TV schedule.
For starters, Mr. Hersh makes a great point, that most traditional media outlets will only send their reporters to one of the weekends, not both, which will greatly impact the media coverage of the event. Second, if TV is going to dictate how track and field runs itself, USATF might want to work on getting better announcers. Third, shifting the schedule will more than likely cause fewer non-Oregon residents to buy tickets, rent hotel rooms and travel out to Oregon.
Thought #2
If you've read this blog, you know quite well that I think USATF needs to focus MUCH more of their attention on road racing. That's where the money is currently, and that's where millions of potential fans reside, all willing to spend money on the sport they love. In my mind, if you can show them how special the top athletes in the sport are, then professional track and field and road racing will simply take off in terms of popularity.
However, I do not trust USATF to focus on road racing. It literally isn't in their name. Despite USATF having "all" the power, I feel a group of individuals with solid backing could step in and literally take over the road racing scene. What gives me additional confidence is something that happened late yesterday, when Google announced that they'll be releasing their own operating system (OS), which will compete directly with the behemoth known at Microsoft. Here is a company that's been successful, deciding to take on the company that basically runs 95% of the computers in the United States.
A similar situation could easily take place in the road racing realm, which to me is the Wild West of the sports industry. There is no organization among races, there is structure in place to actually sanction races, and there are few companies that help races put out a better product. The opportunity is there for the taking.
The Daily Top Five - July 8
Wow, there are some great reads today! Make sure to check all of these articles out, in today's The Daily Top Five.USOC Creates Olympic Television (AP)
Evan Jager Flourishing in Pro Career (Northwest Herald)
Fast Times for Jobless Runners (The Wall Street Journal)
Interesting Numbers of Track and Field (Elite Track)
A Brief Chat with Katie McGregor (Runner's World)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Daily Top Five - July 7
I came across a variety of great articles this morning while skimming through the various websites and RSS feeds. For Tuesday, July 7, here are my favorite top five articles of the day.Which Brands Could Fit with Usain Bolt (Marketing Week)
Video: Tegenkamp and Solinsky on Nationals (KIMbia)
Road Races Not Feeling Sting of Economy (WCF Courier)
Nate Jenkins is a Different Type of Pro Runner (Running Times)
Jordan Hasay Named SI's Female Prep AOY (Sports Illustrated)
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Daily Top Five - July 6
Happy belated 4th of July everyone. I hope the weekend was a great one. With the start of a new week comes a new set of The Daily Top Five. With many of the top American athletes flying over to Europe, it seems like many of us left in the U.S. are thinking of ways to improve the sport. So, a few of my articles today are more like opinion pieces, but I still think you'll enjoy them.Old Guard v. New Guard (The T&F Superblog)
Sobering Soccer Solution? Allow U.S. to Drink On It (CBSSports)
Where Are the Men Marathoners in Seattle? (The Biz Runner)
An Eye on Europe (Run the Roads)
Ann Gaffigan's Post-Baby Training Log (WomenTalkSports)
Ten Ways to Help T&F Meets Become More Entertaining
Think of all the track and field meets you've been to over your lifetime. For me, I figure I've been to at least 200 meets over the past 15 years, whether it was as an athlete, coach, journalist or fan. Out of all those meets, I can honestly say that fewer than 20 were actually entertaining, and at the end of the day I could probably list a half dozen that were actually worth paying money for.
Part of the problem for our sport is that meets aren't entertaining. People don't want to come watch a track meet because there's very little going on outside of what's happening on the track, and few people actually understand who's competing and what good winning times are. It's a problem, one that is rarely addressed, but needs to be if our sport ever wants to become something greater than it currently is.
And the thing is, it all starts at the high school level. Think of a high school football or basketball game. Much of the town shows up to watch. There are bright lights shining down on the field or court, the school band plays up tempo songs, and everyone dresses in school colors to cheer on their school. Have you ever been to a track meet that is exciting as a prep football game on a Friday night?
So, for the sake of always hoping to push the sport forward in a positive direction, I've devised a list of ten ways track and field meets can become more entertaining. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
1. Play Music - It might be the easiest thing to do to take a track meet to that next level. Every stadium in the U.S. most likely has a PA system, thus allowing you to play music before, during and after the meet. Not only does this entertain fans, providing sounds that might just get them more excited, but it also fills dead time between races, when announcers aren't necessarily announcing anything. And...it's ok to play music while a race is taking place.
2. Hire a Good Announcer - One of the easiest ways to squash a meet is to have an announcer that can't pronounce names, doesn't have a clue as to who's participating and generally doesn't understand the sport. There are always people in your community who could do a great job announcing and are knowledgable about the sport. Make sure to feed your announcer information a few days in advance so they can learn who's competing and what some of the great head to head action might be. Announcers that simply say what is taking place in the race aren't good announcers.
3. Reduce the Time - Can we all agree that most track and field meets are too long? Nothing is worse than sitting in the stands for 4 or 10 or 14 hours, watching a million athletes compete that you really don't care about. I understand that many meets are set up to include everyone, but do all the football players on the sidelines get to play in the varsity game each Friday night? The most exciting meets during the high school and college season are always the conference and championship events, which limit the amount of participants, thus limiting the amount of time that the event actually takes place. No pro or collegiate sporting event that actually draws fan takes longer than three hours.
4. Reduce the Events - At most track meets, at least 30 separate events take place. You figure there are 15-18 events per meet, then factor in boys and girls or men and women and multiple levels of competition, and right there you have a meet that is way too long and way too boring. If there is a 100m dash, does there really need to be a 200m dash? I understand that in certain situations all the events need to be covered, but for invitationals, do you really need that many events. Limiting the amount of races, only places more emphasis on each race, and the more emphasis you can have on certain match-ups, the greater the drama and the more likely the crowd will be interested in what's taking place.
5. Recruit Talent / Create Match-ups - There is nothing wrong with calling up a coach or an agent and asking if their athlete might be interested in taking part in the meet. In fact, why not do this? What do you have to lose? Creating great match-ups is what sport is all about. Head to head competition, with top athletes testing their talents against one another, it is what draws people to sports in the first place. The better the match-ups, the more fans will enjoy the meet.
6. Educate the Fan - Many people that attend track and field meets don't understand everything that is going on. They might understand the events, but odds are they don't know everyone competing or what good times are or who the top athletes in the meet are. Both prior to and during the event, meet directors should want to educate their fans on who's who in their event. Programs can accomplish a lot of this, having good announcers can accomplish this, while offering great pre-meet coverage is also a solid tool to educate the fan. The more they know, the more they can get excited about what the meet has to offer.
7. Pack the Stands - Excited energy creates more excited energy, which will build and build until the final event of the day. The more people you can fill the stands with, the more excitement the meet will have. Reaching out to the community, promoting the meet as a family event, but also as an exciting event, will hopefully draw more people, which will only increase the buzz. Sold out baseball games are much more exciting, even if the score is 1-0, than a baseball game where only a quarter of the stands are full.
8. Under the Lights - Evening sporting events are hands down more exciting than daytime sporting events. There's just something about having the lights shining down on the track and field events that creates an extra buzz. If the races are exciting enough, it can truly create a sense of euphoria that few other evening activities can match.
9. Offer More Than a Track Meet - A track meet that offers more than the meet itself is always a good thing. This is what made the Olympic Trials last summer so exciting. Track Town Plaza behind Hayward Field offered fans an opportunity to listen to live music, eat some good food, catch exciting offers from sponsors and talk it up with other track and field fans. Creating a festival-like setting is always a good thing, and fortunately, track meets are always held in stadiums, which offer plenty of space to put up some tents and offer something a little extra. The bigger the experience, the more exciting the event.
10. Be Cool - The "coolness" factor for track and field might be at an all-time low. It's not cool to be a track and field athlete in the eyes of most sporting fans, rather this is a niche sport that has very little to offer. Part of what makes a meet exciting is creating a "coolness" around the event. Pre-event promotions, getting the media involved, promoting it to a younger audience, etc. are all great ways to drive up the hype. Look at the most successful sports in the world. They are big time because they are cool. It's cool to wear a soccer jersey in Europe. It's cool to be a football fan in the U.S. So much of what makes a meet great is what happens before hand, but with the right moves that will only help an event become that much greater.
Part of the problem for our sport is that meets aren't entertaining. People don't want to come watch a track meet because there's very little going on outside of what's happening on the track, and few people actually understand who's competing and what good winning times are. It's a problem, one that is rarely addressed, but needs to be if our sport ever wants to become something greater than it currently is.
And the thing is, it all starts at the high school level. Think of a high school football or basketball game. Much of the town shows up to watch. There are bright lights shining down on the field or court, the school band plays up tempo songs, and everyone dresses in school colors to cheer on their school. Have you ever been to a track meet that is exciting as a prep football game on a Friday night?
So, for the sake of always hoping to push the sport forward in a positive direction, I've devised a list of ten ways track and field meets can become more entertaining. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
1. Play Music - It might be the easiest thing to do to take a track meet to that next level. Every stadium in the U.S. most likely has a PA system, thus allowing you to play music before, during and after the meet. Not only does this entertain fans, providing sounds that might just get them more excited, but it also fills dead time between races, when announcers aren't necessarily announcing anything. And...it's ok to play music while a race is taking place.
2. Hire a Good Announcer - One of the easiest ways to squash a meet is to have an announcer that can't pronounce names, doesn't have a clue as to who's participating and generally doesn't understand the sport. There are always people in your community who could do a great job announcing and are knowledgable about the sport. Make sure to feed your announcer information a few days in advance so they can learn who's competing and what some of the great head to head action might be. Announcers that simply say what is taking place in the race aren't good announcers.
3. Reduce the Time - Can we all agree that most track and field meets are too long? Nothing is worse than sitting in the stands for 4 or 10 or 14 hours, watching a million athletes compete that you really don't care about. I understand that many meets are set up to include everyone, but do all the football players on the sidelines get to play in the varsity game each Friday night? The most exciting meets during the high school and college season are always the conference and championship events, which limit the amount of participants, thus limiting the amount of time that the event actually takes place. No pro or collegiate sporting event that actually draws fan takes longer than three hours.
4. Reduce the Events - At most track meets, at least 30 separate events take place. You figure there are 15-18 events per meet, then factor in boys and girls or men and women and multiple levels of competition, and right there you have a meet that is way too long and way too boring. If there is a 100m dash, does there really need to be a 200m dash? I understand that in certain situations all the events need to be covered, but for invitationals, do you really need that many events. Limiting the amount of races, only places more emphasis on each race, and the more emphasis you can have on certain match-ups, the greater the drama and the more likely the crowd will be interested in what's taking place.
5. Recruit Talent / Create Match-ups - There is nothing wrong with calling up a coach or an agent and asking if their athlete might be interested in taking part in the meet. In fact, why not do this? What do you have to lose? Creating great match-ups is what sport is all about. Head to head competition, with top athletes testing their talents against one another, it is what draws people to sports in the first place. The better the match-ups, the more fans will enjoy the meet.
6. Educate the Fan - Many people that attend track and field meets don't understand everything that is going on. They might understand the events, but odds are they don't know everyone competing or what good times are or who the top athletes in the meet are. Both prior to and during the event, meet directors should want to educate their fans on who's who in their event. Programs can accomplish a lot of this, having good announcers can accomplish this, while offering great pre-meet coverage is also a solid tool to educate the fan. The more they know, the more they can get excited about what the meet has to offer.
7. Pack the Stands - Excited energy creates more excited energy, which will build and build until the final event of the day. The more people you can fill the stands with, the more excitement the meet will have. Reaching out to the community, promoting the meet as a family event, but also as an exciting event, will hopefully draw more people, which will only increase the buzz. Sold out baseball games are much more exciting, even if the score is 1-0, than a baseball game where only a quarter of the stands are full.
8. Under the Lights - Evening sporting events are hands down more exciting than daytime sporting events. There's just something about having the lights shining down on the track and field events that creates an extra buzz. If the races are exciting enough, it can truly create a sense of euphoria that few other evening activities can match.
9. Offer More Than a Track Meet - A track meet that offers more than the meet itself is always a good thing. This is what made the Olympic Trials last summer so exciting. Track Town Plaza behind Hayward Field offered fans an opportunity to listen to live music, eat some good food, catch exciting offers from sponsors and talk it up with other track and field fans. Creating a festival-like setting is always a good thing, and fortunately, track meets are always held in stadiums, which offer plenty of space to put up some tents and offer something a little extra. The bigger the experience, the more exciting the event.
10. Be Cool - The "coolness" factor for track and field might be at an all-time low. It's not cool to be a track and field athlete in the eyes of most sporting fans, rather this is a niche sport that has very little to offer. Part of what makes a meet exciting is creating a "coolness" around the event. Pre-event promotions, getting the media involved, promoting it to a younger audience, etc. are all great ways to drive up the hype. Look at the most successful sports in the world. They are big time because they are cool. It's cool to wear a soccer jersey in Europe. It's cool to be a football fan in the U.S. So much of what makes a meet great is what happens before hand, but with the right moves that will only help an event become that much greater.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Starting Local
Over the past few days I've read two separate pieces on track and field and TV. The first, Bryan Green's Ten TV Tips for Track, was a persuasive look at a variety of problems that persist in track and field on TV, while offering a list of solutions to fix such problems and enhance the viewing experience. The second piece is a response piece of sorts to Green's, which Jesse Squire wrote for his Track and Field Superblog. Both pieces were very well written, pointed out some great ideas and got me thinking what needs to change in the TV landscape.However, Jesse states:
"But all of this goes back to my original statement: domestic track is better experienced live than on TV. Sports are better in person because of the atmosphere, but most of them are now better on TV if you really want to pay attention to all the details of what's going on. Track is not. If every other sport has a constant score/time graphic, why don't we get told in visual form how many laps are left or who the current shot put leaders are?"
While focusing on how TV could present the sport in the finer fashion, I think a greater deal of emphasis should be placed on how can meets be improved for the people that actually pay money to come and watch. All the major sports that have fantastic television deals are fun to watch in person...they are an experience. Few track meets are presented this way, or road races or cross country meets for that matter. I remember racing in college, at a fairly large invitational, and there were fewer than 100 people in the stands that weren't athletes, and I am guessing the vast majority of those people were parents of athletes.
The problem with track and field competitions is that they're boring. They drag on, there's no music, many announcers aren't educated enough about the sport to make it worth listening to them and there simply aren't enough head-to-head match-ups that are worth getting excited about, let alone paying $3-$20 to actually attend.
Instead of rambling on and on about this, I think tomorrow (July 6) I will follow Bryan's top ten countdown, and offer up my own top ten list, this one geared towards improving track and field meets.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thank You Dathan Ritzenhein
Dathan Ritzenhein has been one of the most visible American distance runners since his days at Rockford High School, where he shattered course record after course record, and accomplished things few had ever seen. While always in the spotlight, Ritz has always been a fairly private person, taking himself out of the limelight whenever he could, focusing on family and friends.
However, it seems as though Ritz is going to start reaching out to his fans more, starting a blog with the Competitor Group. In a recent video interview with Competitor, Ritz talks about his coaching change to Alberto Salazar, what he thinks he can run in the marathon (2:06!!!), why he's going to focus on speed for the next year or two and why he's only starting to blog now.
Athletes reaching out to the community is one of the best things they can do. Not only does it help enhance their brands with the fans, but it also helps encourage new, potential fans to start following them. With Ritz blogging on Competitor.com, he'll have an opportunity to reach the 100,000's of runners that run the Rock n' Roll races Competitor puts on, many of who may not be aware of Ritz.
Ritz' transition to blogging seems to be the trend these days. Athletes across the sport are reaching out, most of all on Twitter, willing to share bits and pieces of themselves that maybe they weren't all that interested in sharing before. Lets hope this trend continues and grows over the coming months and years.
However, it seems as though Ritz is going to start reaching out to his fans more, starting a blog with the Competitor Group. In a recent video interview with Competitor, Ritz talks about his coaching change to Alberto Salazar, what he thinks he can run in the marathon (2:06!!!), why he's going to focus on speed for the next year or two and why he's only starting to blog now.
Athletes reaching out to the community is one of the best things they can do. Not only does it help enhance their brands with the fans, but it also helps encourage new, potential fans to start following them. With Ritz blogging on Competitor.com, he'll have an opportunity to reach the 100,000's of runners that run the Rock n' Roll races Competitor puts on, many of who may not be aware of Ritz.
Ritz' transition to blogging seems to be the trend these days. Athletes across the sport are reaching out, most of all on Twitter, willing to share bits and pieces of themselves that maybe they weren't all that interested in sharing before. Lets hope this trend continues and grows over the coming months and years.
The Daily Top Five - July 3
A lot of interviews have been posted the past 24-36 hours, many of which are certainly worth reading. Four interviews and a set of power rankings comprise our Daily Top Five today.Run the Roads Power Rankings (Run the Roads)
Runnerspace Chats with Anna Willard (Runnerspace)
An Interview with Brenda Martinez (FloTrack)
A Brief Chat with Julie Culley (Runner's World)
A Brief Chat with Phoebe Wright (Runner's World)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wave Goodbye to the Track and Field Season
The U.S. track and field season was a good one this year, with plenty of highlights along the way. While few of the top stars went head-to-head more than once, if at all, the top American talent showed that they are ready to step out onto the international stage this summer and show the world that the U.S. is still the world's top track and field squad.Last night I read a press release from FloTrack, where they stated that they'll be working with Universal Sports on covering the Golden League meets. While Universal Sports will broadcast the meets, which is great for the sport, FloTrack will capture the behind-the-scenes action, providing interviews from top stars in the sport. For the second time in as many weeks, FloTrack comes up big with offering something U.S. fans of track and field can take advantage of. Thank you Universal Sports and FloTrack.
However, this is the time of year that I worry about the status of track and field in this country. Our top stars now disappear across the Atlantic, competing in meets that often times aren't covered by anyone other than FloTrack. The FloTrack guys do a decent job, but they don't cover everyone, in fact they only seem to cover the top distance runners, which will hopefully change this year.
I really hope FloTrack, Runnerspace, USATF, etc., etc., can pick up their coverage of our athletes over in Europe. If anything, USATF should have an athlete tracker, where is shows the top performances put up overseas in non-Golden League meets. Now that would be something to check multiple times a day. Here's to hoping track and field can stay relevant in the U.S. the rest of the summer.
The Daily Top Five - July 2
Some big races are coming up over the next few weeks, including the Peachtree 10k in Atlanta this weekend. Here are the top five articles of Thursday, July 2.Putting a Long Distance Race into Perspective: "To put Kitwara and Tola’s times into perspective, they are the equivalent of running the length of a football field, goal line to goal line, in about 15 seconds, 109 times without stopping."
10 Good Minutes with Lauren Fleshman (FloTrack)
USATF Men's 10k Road Championship Preview (USATF)
Peachtree Field Full of Elite Runners (AJC)
Webb Off to a Rocky Start & Other Track News (USAToday)
The Week that Was - U.S. Champs. Recap (LetsRun)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Making Track and Field Cool
One of the areas our sport needs to focus on is the "coolness" of the sport. Basketball, football, baseball, NASCAR, hockey and soccer all are cool in their own way in the United States. Not only do they have constant news attention on TV and in newspapers, but they have amazing interactive websites, magazines and they showcase their athletes as superstars.
Track and field doesn't have that. In fact, there is only one true superstar in the sport, that being Usain Bolt. Despite Bolt's success, he'll do very little to actually improve the status of the sport in the U.S. simply because he competes rarely in the U.S., and he's not American. Tyson Gay has the potential to be a superstar in the sport nationally, but he'll have to beat Bolt and push the world record if he hopes to reach Bolt-like status.
So how can track and field become cool? While it certainly poses a challenge, there seem to be many opportunities to at least attempt to make the sport "cool." In reading an article today on how IUPUI might tear apart their nationally recognized track to build dorm space, I was intriguied by one paragraph in particular:
"One of IUPUI's most urgent concerns, Bantz said, is to invest in a soccer field with artificial turf. That would help not only the soccer team -- which plays some games on a superior surface at Kuntz Stadium -- but also students in rec leagues."
Rec leagues? Perhaps that's the key to making track and field cool. I've talked before about the need for more community track and field meets, stating it would more than likely spark at least a little more interest in the sport within communities, but what about a nationwide attempt to create college track and field recreational leagues? Dorms could battle floor v. floor, or the greeks (sororities and fraternities) could go head-to-head in weekly track competitions. It could work.
For all intents and purposes, there needs to be a organization funded by the most influential in the sport to create such movements. While National Running Day is a decent idea, how about creating it during the school year and involving thousands, even millions, of kids at the elementary and middle school level? They could train for a few weeks leading up to a proposed cross country or track meet.
The sport will never expand or grow more popular if adults are the only ones being marketed to. That's a fact of life. The coolest things catch on with teenagers, then expand to adults. If anything, the growth of Facebook has proven such. It all started with college kids loving it, then high school kids, then adults. That's the way the world works. If track and field ever catches on and reaches its tipping point, it will be because track and field became cool amongst those under the age of 25.
Track and field doesn't have that. In fact, there is only one true superstar in the sport, that being Usain Bolt. Despite Bolt's success, he'll do very little to actually improve the status of the sport in the U.S. simply because he competes rarely in the U.S., and he's not American. Tyson Gay has the potential to be a superstar in the sport nationally, but he'll have to beat Bolt and push the world record if he hopes to reach Bolt-like status.
So how can track and field become cool? While it certainly poses a challenge, there seem to be many opportunities to at least attempt to make the sport "cool." In reading an article today on how IUPUI might tear apart their nationally recognized track to build dorm space, I was intriguied by one paragraph in particular:
"One of IUPUI's most urgent concerns, Bantz said, is to invest in a soccer field with artificial turf. That would help not only the soccer team -- which plays some games on a superior surface at Kuntz Stadium -- but also students in rec leagues."
Rec leagues? Perhaps that's the key to making track and field cool. I've talked before about the need for more community track and field meets, stating it would more than likely spark at least a little more interest in the sport within communities, but what about a nationwide attempt to create college track and field recreational leagues? Dorms could battle floor v. floor, or the greeks (sororities and fraternities) could go head-to-head in weekly track competitions. It could work.
For all intents and purposes, there needs to be a organization funded by the most influential in the sport to create such movements. While National Running Day is a decent idea, how about creating it during the school year and involving thousands, even millions, of kids at the elementary and middle school level? They could train for a few weeks leading up to a proposed cross country or track meet.
The sport will never expand or grow more popular if adults are the only ones being marketed to. That's a fact of life. The coolest things catch on with teenagers, then expand to adults. If anything, the growth of Facebook has proven such. It all started with college kids loving it, then high school kids, then adults. That's the way the world works. If track and field ever catches on and reaches its tipping point, it will be because track and field became cool amongst those under the age of 25.
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