I thought it was pretty subtle...not bad enough to get such a reaction from people. Maybe Ryan Bailey (who?) has no right to do such a thing, but in the grand scheme it was mild.
I thought it was pretty subtle...not bad enough to get such a reaction from people. Maybe Ryan Bailey (who?) has no right to do such a thing, but in the grand scheme it was mild.
Running should look at boxing or rugby for pre-competition promotional guidance.
Imagine if before the race the American team and the Jamaican team had to stand face to face with each other for one straight minute as the crowd cheered/jeered them on. That would be wild!!
I remember a 200m race, maybe it was the Olympic Trials Maurice Greene vs. Michael Johnson. The race was getting great hype as Maurice was the best American at 100, Johnson at the 400. There was a great stare down between the guys as they were warming up to get in the blocks. They both pulled up during the race with injuries, but the build up was great.
This is an athletic battle.
Excitement, anticipation, rivalries are being sacrificed for these nebulous ideas of "class" and "respect". Enough of these chummy pre race press conferences. If running is to be a spectator sport, then give us something interesting to watch.
moreofthis wrote:
Running should look at boxing or rugby for pre-competition promotional guidance.
Imagine if before the race the American team and the Jamaican team had to stand face to face with each other for one straight minute as the crowd cheered/jeered them on. That would be wild!!
I remember a 200m race, maybe it was the Olympic Trials Maurice Greene vs. Michael Johnson. The race was getting great hype as Maurice was the best American at 100, Johnson at the 400. There was a great stare down between the guys as they were warming up to get in the blocks. They both pulled up during the race with injuries, but the build up was great.
This is an athletic battle.
Excitement, anticipation, rivalries are being sacrificed for these nebulous ideas of "class" and "respect". Enough of these chummy pre race press conferences. If running is to be a spectator sport, then give us something interesting to watch.
First of all, your memory of that matchup with Johnson is highly inaccurate. Second of all, what Bailey did would piss off even some boxing fans. It went over the line for many of us. Boxing relies on all that tomfoolery because the event itself isn't very interesting. Track is inherently interesting, and adding the "theater of @@ssholedome" will not do the sport and favors.
James Li wrote:
moreofthis wrote:Running should look at boxing or rugby for pre-competition promotional guidance.
Imagine if before the race the American team and the Jamaican team had to stand face to face with each other for one straight minute as the crowd cheered/jeered them on. That would be wild!!
I remember a 200m race, maybe it was the Olympic Trials Maurice Greene vs. Michael Johnson. The race was getting great hype as Maurice was the best American at 100, Johnson at the 400. There was a great stare down between the guys as they were warming up to get in the blocks. They both pulled up during the race with injuries, but the build up was great.
This is an athletic battle.
Excitement, anticipation, rivalries are being sacrificed for these nebulous ideas of "class" and "respect". Enough of these chummy pre race press conferences. If running is to be a spectator sport, then give us something interesting to watch.
First of all, your memory of that matchup with Johnson is highly inaccurate. Second of all, what Bailey did would piss off even some boxing fans. It went over the line for many of us. Boxing relies on all that tomfoolery because the event itself isn't very interesting. Track is inherently interesting, and adding the "theater of @@ssholedome" will not do the sport and favors.
Newsflash: people do not find track interesting. A track meet will never get 3 million people to pay 100$ for a pay per view. Wake up. If a simple gesture is "over the line" for you....then you have mental problems.
no way, he should not apologize. Soccer players celebrate wildly after every single goal they make. The US should celebrate and the added drama towards Bolt is great for the upcoming world championships. Unfortunately, this may give the Jamaican's extra incentive to not drop the ball in August.
It was a classless move.
Bailey is a nobody and his team is tainted with known drug cheats who are likely still doping.
I do not think Bailey should apologize but I think IAAF should institute rules and penalties against taunting. This jackasserry / poor sportsmanship is bad for the sport.
Its bad to be a sore loser but its much worse to be a classless winner.
RancidCupNoodle wrote:
no way, he should not apologize. Soccer players celebrate wildly after every single goal they make. The US should celebrate and the added drama towards Bolt is great for the upcoming world championships. Unfortunately, this may give the Jamaican's extra incentive to not drop the ball in August.
Soccer players celebrate. They do not taunt opponents with throat slitting gestures. That belongs in the prisons.
How was that aimed at Bolt?
He was looking at the camera.
Based on the title I was expecting to see Bailey walk up to Bolt, look at him, and then do the gesture.
I'd say it was aimed at the entire field of teams, not at one person.
It is interesting that so many of you are clamoring to defend a tasteless gesture, and seem to think it might even improve the sport. Personally, having been on teams where athletes were punished for making gestures based upon deeply felt political concerns, who received little public support, I find it disheartening that a violent gesture receives no official rebuke and great public support. If he had done something to express frustration at police violence or even street violence, people would have excoriated him. Athletes such as Bailey look like spoiled brats to me. Sad.
Think of this: if you had a young kid who played sports, and a kid on the other team made a good play and did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd probably be like, "what a piece of trash that kid is".
If your kid was a little older - let's say in high school - and a kid from the other team did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd still be like, "what a piece of garbage".
So how come all of a sudden, when athletes are adults, an athlete does the throat-slit, and some people are like, "Cool!!"?
It was brilliant!
Besides his move pretty much sums up how America is viewed by most other countries: violent and classless.
Yes
We should be promoting world harmony by friendly competition.
Davis,Backer,Grenaway&Cook wrote:
Yes
We should be promoting world harmony by friendly competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBeDm9ac38o
Of course there is no middle ground for people like you between crimes against music and joking about crimes against humanity. You know perfectly well a high school kid would be booted for making that gesture, as well he should. Grow up. Track may have it's troubles but adding hideous behavior like that is not what we need, not when people really are getting their throats slit. You make me sick.
Dial it down wrote:
Think of this: if you had a young kid who played sports, and a kid on the other team made a good play and did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd probably be like, "what a piece of trash that kid is".
If your kid was a little older - let's say in high school - and a kid from the other team did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd still be like, "what a piece of garbage".
So how come all of a sudden, when athletes are adults, an athlete does the throat-slit, and some people are like, "Cool!!"?
Hey Dial it Up what do you think kids would say if they saw you teabag Jesus Christ? Remember when you said you would like to perform a sex act on Jesus? It makes kids think YOU are a piece of trash.
Dial it down wrote:
Think of this: if you had a young kid who played sports, and a kid on the other team made a good play and did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd probably be like, "what a piece of trash that kid is".
If your kid was a little older - let's say in high school - and a kid from the other team did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd still be like, "what a piece of garbage".
So how come all of a sudden, when athletes are adults, an athlete does the throat-slit, and some people are like, "Cool!!"?
I have actually been in high level competition, I want my kid to be a high level athlete, I would likely make sure my kid used that as motivation to win, and do the same gesture right back at him. Then again I'm not a beta with a giant stick up my ass who is offended by literally everything.
dial it kid wrote:
Dial it down wrote:Think of this: if you had a young kid who played sports, and a kid on the other team made a good play and did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd probably be like, "what a piece of trash that kid is".
If your kid was a little older - let's say in high school - and a kid from the other team did the throat-slitting gesture, you'd still be like, "what a piece of garbage".
So how come all of a sudden, when athletes are adults, an athlete does the throat-slit, and some people are like, "Cool!!"?
Hey Dial it Up what do you think kids would say if they saw you teabag Jesus Christ? Remember when you said you would like to perform a sex act on Jesus? It makes kids think YOU are a piece of trash.
Why are you so obsessed with that? You are a strange guy. But I guess to answer your question, who cares what a shithead kid thinks? Certainly not me.
Dial it up wrote:
Dial it down wrote:That's funny - "grow up". Do you mean, grow up and be like regular adults who make throat-slashing gestures at each other all the time?
I think it's perfectly reasonable to be a grown-up and still not be a big fan of throat-slashing gestures. I've seen tons of races that were really exciting, without the winner needing to rub it in afterwards. Yeah, Bolt himself is a show-off, but (in my opinion) in a fun way. It's not directed AT anybody. There is a reason he's immensely popular and by far the biggest star in track.
I thought Bailey's display was lame and classless.
The reason bolt is popular isn't his "classy celebrations." It's the number 9.58.
I get that you aren't competitive and are clueless what it means when I describe that this isn't an event where everyone gets a trophy but come on. Pull the stick out of your ass for one second and enjoy the fact that an athlete showed some tenacity, emotion and confidence. You are why track and field is dead.
It sucks that there are people in the world like you. Also, note that many nice people can easily kick you ass. Don't kid yourself.
Dial Away wrote:
Dial it up wrote:The reason bolt is popular isn't his "classy celebrations." It's the number 9.58.
I get that you aren't competitive and are clueless what it means when I describe that this isn't an event where everyone gets a trophy but come on. Pull the stick out of your ass for one second and enjoy the fact that an athlete showed some tenacity, emotion and confidence. You are why track and field is dead.
It sucks that there are people in the world like you. Also, note that many nice people can easily kick you ass. Don't kid yourself.
Just remember the next time you are at a track meet, and you notice that its just you, your boyfriend, and his uncle in the stands. The reason is people like you who keep any and all emotion, competitiveness, and interest away from the sport. Also remove the stick from your ass before you sit down for safety. Loser.
I am with the folks who are miffed at Ryan Bailey. Two generations ago his compatriots lost their medals because they had the guts to stand up for civil rights during a time of intense crisis over that issue. They were men of principal. Today we are again struggling against violence across the globe, including against a group that is doing for real what Ryan was doing in a gesture. What Ryan Bailey did is not funny, not classy, not in keeping with the actions of a champion. (By the way, I was not pleased when a similar gesture was made by Matthew Centrowitz.)
Btw if any of you think Ryan Bailey had the intent of impersonating ISIS during this gesture you are completely clueless. To even act like this was in any way associated with anything going on in the world besides a TRACK MEET is just plain stupid. Get a grip on reality. The gesture meant the race was over, USA won, and they were passionate about it. Same as Centro, it is not a civil rights issue, its not a political statement, it is about a track meet. You guys have to be the same type of people who blame victorias secret when a girl gets an eating disorder and thinks they should only have fat girl ads to make everyone feel good. Its pathetic.