Field events always get the shaft

[TreyDECA]

Those who run track are largely responsible for KILLING THE SPORT!

explain....

[vaulter870]

???? please elaborate i am a little confused also??

[mowad1]

Killing the sport's coverage opportunities with the same terrible commentary: interviewing right after races when athletes are tired, no features on up and coming talent, and just butchering everything from names of athletes to play by play.

Secondly, when the NCAA rep said that ESPN looked at track as a poor media opportunity when wrestling got live and prime time coverage was a little fishy. If track gets the most coverage during the Olympics, then how is wrestling a more attractive option? OK, they were on different weekends and I don't know what was telivised during Nationals because I was there, the tape delayed coverage was at 12 noon on a Wednesday. I don't need to reiterate that it was terrible tape delayed coverage as well.

Picture Leslie Maxie, who is way better than Carrol Lewis , interviewing the new world record holder just seconds after he ran his race. What do you think that he was able to say?

In this day and age when the media determines how popular a sport is, USATF and the NCAA have done little to help the situation.

Sorry for rambleing

[TB]

when the NCAA rep said that ESPN looked at track as a poor media opportunity when wrestling got live and prime time coverage was a little fishy. If track gets the most coverage during the Olympics, then how is wrestling a more attractive option?

...because college wrestling gets more fanfare than college indoor track.

Take a look at the attendance figures and you'll see. They must have packed the entire arena in St. Louis to just watch "a bunch of men rolling around on the mat." No way you will get that much fans to watch a college indoor track meet.

Also, making comments about another sport just because you think it's not that great is not fair unless you have tried it. Who is to say that a wrestler can say to you, "Who wants to watch a bunch of kids with a pole in their hand try to clear a flimsy bar?"

Sometimes we have to look outside our little box and realize that our sport at the collegiate level is not that big in terms of prime-time coverage on a national network quite yet.

[USMC Vaulter]

I agree with TB.

It sucks but its basically the truth. It almost requires something like a world championship or the olympics in order for the track fans to really show their support. Maybe it has to do with lack of advertising, maybe people prefer track on the elite level - who knows - but for now all we can do is try to inform people about our sport and build up a fanbase.
I'm not a fan of this truth - but its there none the less.

Now for my version:
The whole 'track and field gets the shaft' holds true in the Marines/military as well. On my current base, there are opportunities for baseball, basketball, football, swimming, wrestling, martial arts, bowling, raquetball, pool - just about every sport you can think of. Yet there is not one actual track competition. And of all 7 bases that I've been stationed at, not one has had a fully equiped track - some of them have turf football fields and 20 indoor raquetball courts - but ask for a long jump/high jump/ or polevault pit - and they look at you like your insane.

[mowad1]

To reply to you both: First of all, I wrestled for three years in high school, one of them at Worcester Academy in MA. Secondly, I am not bashing wrestling just making a comparison. It was great that they had fans turn out like they did. Fact remains, there are more people interested in seeing a track meet. Why, participation levels and two genders. Plus, the olympic coverage has more track than wrestling. This is not about wrestling.

The NCAA and USATF have done a poor job of promoting the sport at the collegiate level that has the highest amount of participation and interest. Look at the coverage in Europe. The Canadians even do a better job with coverage.

Lastly, in the Marines track and field is not as popular primarily because there is no track and secondly because no one is promoting things that Marines are good at like marathons and half marathons and throwing things.

[CHC04Vault]

I saw when we all get to the olypmics or world championships, we refuse to do interviews...

Also, i think more people would want to watch track because by high school numbers, more people run track then wrestling, and probably in college there are more track kids then wrestling.

[TB]

USA Track & Field could care less about the sport at the collegiate level as far as promotion. A long discussion has been posted over at T&F News about it:

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/di ... read=11054

In their defense, it's not the USATF's job to promote the sport since it's the job of the NCAA to do so.

It's also the job of each host institution to spread the word. When I attended the Mid-East Regional Championships at Ohio State a few years ago, not one blurb about it was in the local press. In turn, the only fans in the stands were the athletes, coaches and parents.

Here is an excellent point on the T&F News thread by Michael J. Roth:

"The USTCA needs to stand up and refuse to sit down until the headless horsemen in the NCAA HQ start giving this sports its due, its money, its PR & is scholarships back so that the sport can exist without having to be run out of someone's basement any longer. If the coaches don't do something, and they're the only ones who can, they only have themselves to blame for the sorry state of affairs."

I couldn't agree with him more.

[gbob]

USA Track & Field could care less about the sport at the collegiate level as far as promotion. A long discussion has been posted over at T&F News about it:

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/di ... read=11054

In their defense, it's not the USATF's job to promote the sport since it's the job of the NCAA to do so.

It's also the job of each host institution to spread the word. When I attended the Mid-East Regional Championships at Ohio State a few years ago, not one blurb about it was in the local press. In turn, the only fans in the stands were the athletes, coaches and parents.

Here is an excellent point on the T&F News thread by Michael J. Roth:

"The USTCA needs to stand up and refuse to sit down until the headless horsemen in the NCAA HQ start giving this sports its due, its money, its PR & is scholarships back so that the sport can exist without having to be run out of someone's basement any longer. If the coaches don't do something, and they're the only ones who can, they only have themselves to blame for the sorry state of affairs."

I couldn't agree with him more.

TB, I agree that host institutions should be a part of promoting it... I would argue that they should probably take the lead in promoting it. Its good for their institution, its good for their athletics programs and it just makes sense.

But correct me if I am not reading you right... but you are letting USAT&F off the hook by saying that they are not responsible for promoting T&F at the collegiate level?

I would have to disagree with you on that, if that is what you are saying... as the post you mentioned argues back and forth about this same subject but I still find it strange that USAT&F would NOT want to promote the sport a the collegitate level... Yes, the T&F "heads" in the NCAA's need to do a better job, Yes, Host institiutions need to do a better job... but isnt it in USAT&F's best interest to get involved too?