T&F interviews are not easy. Athletes do not like providing details about their injuries, training and race strategies because they do not want to give their opponents any incite into their strengths and weaknesses and race strategies. Then, there is the issue of whether you do a highly technical interview which only appeals to a very small number of T&F nerds or something more along the lines of a human interest story to give the athlete a chance to personalize themselves and gain some fans. Finally, there is the problem of echo chamber post race interviews that really receive no mass media coverage and are just for the benefit of some very small T&F outlets/blogs, etc. As seen in previously posted post-race interviews with Valby, what you end up getting is very awkward attempts by T&F journalists to come up with a question that breaks through all the foregoing problems. Those efforts often fall flat on their face and calling them "silly" questions is being very polite.
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All the details you provided are no different the interviewing anyone else that is a top collegiate or pro athlete. They don't ask Tom Brady "So how bad did you want to win?"
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Given that Let’s Run is basically a troll factory, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s untrustworthy of journalists with a Let’s Run badge. That is assuming she’s ever read through the comments here.
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I say this as someone who may very well be slightly autistic I think she is either autistic or very basic... I cannot tell which. The way she answers questions seems just socially awkward a bit.
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Parker Valby has no respect for journalists wrote:
"me waiting for what silly questions were about to be thrown at me this time"
Parker often gives snarky or silly responses to straightforward questions about running. I used to be a fan, but recently her interviews are annoying. Being interviewed is part of being a "pro runner" if that's what you what she plans to do. Fans look forward to post race details. Not every question is meant to offend you.
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The latest from some really weirdly obsessed dude on here was Palmer isn’t her coach. Will that question pop up in the next “inquiry”?
“So tell us, Parker, who really is your coach?”
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cows illusions I recall wrote:
The latest from some really weirdly obsessed dude on here was Palmer isn’t her coach. Will that question pop up in the next “inquiry”?
“So tell us, Parker, who really is your coach?”
“Do you sometimes wear blue contact lenses?”
“Those nails are fake, correct?”
”Who braided your hair, for the final?”
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"Your first olympic team, what's your reaction to going to Paris?"
I'd be frustrated too getting questions like that over and over.
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fake it till you make it wrote:
Valby is polarizing. She'll have her fans, but she'll also have a large group that finds her irritating. Despite her extreme talent, she comes across as shallow and fake. She reminds me of the stereotypical mean girl from high school, who has her clique of friends but is nasty to everyone else. Of course, when others are watching (or in this case, cameras), she puts on a fake smile and pretends to be a sweetheart.
Just discovering what all women are like?
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rojo wrote:
Tracks Fans Like Imitation Vanilla Flavoring wrote:
Really riveting questions like...
How does it feel?
What was your strategy?
Walk us through the moment that you broke the race open?
When did you know that you were going to make the team?
Did you ever think that you could make it to Paris?
Now that you are going to Paris, are you excited?
Imagine hearing these same trite questions being screamed at you in the mixed zone by dozens of reporters, blog writers, etc. It is silly and it is kind of stupid. Sports journalist has to be the easiest job in the world because most just ask the questions above. There are great columnists along with some truly amazing writers and story tellers that cover the sport. Sadly, 90% of those that cover sports are hacks that ask the same half dozen questions ad infinitum and how many times has Parker heard them?
Keep slurping up your bland pablum like good little consumers. Keep hating on anyone with a personality or the audacity to speak their mind or offer up a spicy comment. Oh, and keep on wondering why our sport doesn't get any bigger when all that most of our stars can utter is, "I felt good today. I'm happy to be racing well. All praise to God!" before walking away. That really captures the public's imagination!
So you don't want us asking those basic questions?
Look I agree with the sentiment that for the most part what is asked and said in a post-race interviews isn't that interesting, but still the basics still need to be asked.
And the problem with asking more detailed questions is you often don't get a response. At NCAA indoors, I asked her about some serious bruising on her legs. I got back a sarcastic response about it being a bunch of tattos and many didn't realize she was being sarcastic.
But i love interviewing Parker as it's not your standard interview and you have no idea what type of response you are going to get back but I disagree with you criticizing the asking of basic questions.
I also disagree with your belief - which many have - that if we just tell the athletes stories our sport will be super popular. When I watch soccer or the NFL or whatever, what draws me in is the action. I barely care what the players say afterwards as for the most part I know what they are going to say just like I do in track.
PS. Along these, lines Weldon and Jon are occasionally worried about "losing access" to athletes and I laugh and say we don't need to have access to athletes for LRC to be successful as if an athlete is smart they'll just stick to their talking points in interviews. And if they do say something amazing to someone else, we can always react to it.
Would you have asked a male runner about bruises on the their leg? I think we all know the answer to that…
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Appreciator of fine thangs wrote:
I like that first photograph.
also, I don’t think Parker has any issues with eating disorders. She looks like she’d tackle a buffet without a second thought.
Check out her high school photos compared to college.
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rojo wrote:
And the problem with asking more detailed questions is you often don't get a response. At NCAA indoors, I asked her about some serious bruising on her legs. I got back a sarcastic response about it being a bunch of tattos and many didn't realize she was being sarcastic.
EVERYBODY knew that it was a joke; NOBODY thought they were tattoos. It was a great response to a stupid question. Maybe a journalist could get away with asking Michael Phelps that question at the 2016 Rio Olympics but not now. Cupping is well known to everyone in the athletic world.
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u r delusional wrote:
No, as an example of your idiocy, you let that Armstronglivs troll invariably wallpaper any interesting Valby thread with his mental diarrhea that obviously no one but that narcissistic whack job wants read.
You read it or you wouldn't be huffing and puffing like you do. But let's just have views here that you approve of.
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Dwightarm wrote:
Armstronglivs wrote:
You have no idea how the media works and how there is no public knowledge of anyone or anything without what they do. You may not like them but if you don't wish to be completely in the dark they are a necessary evil. That is so, even for this budding Marie Antoinette of the track. She will miss them soon enough when she is replaced - as she will be, as all are - by the next "big thing".
Do you have any idea of how society works in 2024?
She has hundreds of thousands of followers on instagram and TikTok, most of them young athletes.
Very few of that group cares what a journalist writes about an athlete; they look up the athlete themselves to see what they’re like/what they’ve posted.
Journalists may have put Parker on the map but they are nowhere near as important as her own TikTok videos or Instagram posts.
No one would be interested in what she posts on Tiktok and Instagram if she hadn't first been covered in sports media.
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Meanwhile, her post now has 102K likes, and this thread probably helped get it there.
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TMADDDHASFNE is a putz wrote:
Is this really worthy of a thread?
Journalists do ask stupid questions. Who was the moronic journalist that asked Abby Steiner how it felt to come up short when she failed to qualify for the 200? What a fvcking idiot.
Really nothing to see here.
So journalists should only ask questions when the athletes win?
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Armstronglivs wrote:
Dwightarm wrote:
Do you have any idea of how society works in 2024?
She has hundreds of thousands of followers on instagram and TikTok, most of them young athletes.
Very few of that group cares what a journalist writes about an athlete; they look up the athlete themselves to see what they’re like/what they’ve posted.
Journalists may have put Parker on the map but they are nowhere near as important as her own TikTok videos or Instagram posts.
No one would be interested in what she posts on Tiktok and Instagram if she hadn't first been covered in sports media.
What are you considering sports media? Do you consider the streaming of one of her races online so people can watch as "Sports media"?
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Tracks Fans Like Imitation Vanilla Flavoring wrote:
Really riveting questions like...
How does it feel?
What was your strategy?
Walk us through the moment that you broke the race open?
When did you know that you were going to make the team?
Did you ever think that you could make it to Paris?
Now that you are going to Paris, are you excited?
Imagine hearing these same trite questions being screamed at you in the mixed zone by dozens of reporters, blog writers, etc. It is silly and it is kind of stupid. Sports journalist has to be the easiest job in the world because most just ask the questions above. There are great columnists along with some truly amazing writers and story tellers that cover the sport. Sadly, 90% of those that cover sports are hacks that ask the same half dozen questions ad infinitum and how many times has Parker heard them?
Keep slurping up your bland pablum like good little consumers. Keep hating on anyone with a personality or the audacity to speak their mind or offer up a spicy comment. Oh, and keep on wondering why our sport doesn't get any bigger when all that most of our stars can utter is, "I felt good today. I'm happy to be racing well. All praise to God!" before walking away. That really captures the public's imagination!
"How badly did you want to make this team today?"
This question after the 5k Olympic Trials race has got to be the silliest. After expending maximum effort and feeling exhausted and dejected, I'd want a journalist to put in even just a little bit of effort.
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awtisum wrote:
I say this as someone who may very well be slightly autistic I think she is either autistic or very basic... I cannot tell which. The way she answers questions seems just socially awkward a bit.
I think it's called having a "fun personality".
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New illness wrote:
rojo wrote:
So you don't want us asking those basic questions?
Look I agree with the sentiment that for the most part what is asked and said in a post-race interviews isn't that interesting, but still the basics still need to be asked.
And the problem with asking more detailed questions is you often don't get a response. At NCAA indoors, I asked her about some serious bruising on her legs. I got back a sarcastic response about it being a bunch of tattos and many didn't realize she was being sarcastic.
But i love interviewing Parker as it's not your standard interview and you have no idea what type of response you are going to get back but I disagree with you criticizing the asking of basic questions.
I also disagree with your belief - which many have - that if we just tell the athletes stories our sport will be super popular. When I watch soccer or the NFL or whatever, what draws me in is the action. I barely care what the players say afterwards as for the most part I know what they are going to say just like I do in track.
PS. Along these, lines Weldon and Jon are occasionally worried about "losing access" to athletes and I laugh and say we don't need to have access to athletes for LRC to be successful as if an athlete is smart they'll just stick to their talking points in interviews. And if they do say something amazing to someone else, we can always react to it.
Would you have asked a male runner about bruises on the their leg? I think we all know the answer to that…
What is the answer?
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