This is about respect and fairness. Nobody said track should be as popular as football, that sport is way over-hyped to the point that it is just ridiculous, especially when so much of it depends on referee calls, lucky breaks, and who gets away with being the biggest bullies. I wouldn't want to be involved with something that clownish.
Track and field needs to be recognized for what it is: the original sport (from the original Olympics). It is the premier sport for measuring human performance and all the positive attributes that fall under that title: health, fitness, foot speed, leaping, power, physical improvement, striving, pushing to the limit ...
Track and field should be recognized as equal to any other sport. That means all the big meets should be on TV, as well as many of the small ones. The news media should cover it equally, advertisements should have as many track athletes as any other sport. The media is ignoring a major sport, but the sport continues to flourish anyway.
Track and field has the numbers, it has incredible competition at all levels ... if people realized that, it would get the respect it deserves and would be treated fairly.