Richardson had cramps. My guess is Ta Lou as well. Yes it's frustrating, but track is unlike any other sport. If you have a slight cramp in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. you're usually cleared to play. In track if you have even a slight twinge, esp. in the sprints, that's enough to throw everything off.
So did this meet accomplish what it was intended to do? Most of the big names either did not enter or start. Small crowd. Seems like a colossal failure to me. LA goes home devastated.
So did this meet accomplish what it was intended to do? Most of the big names either did not enter or start. Small crowd. Seems like a colossal failure to me. LA goes home devastated.
I thought the fields were quite strong. Yes, a few "names" were missing, for various reasons, but there were many good performances. As far as crowds go this is about where track is right now in the sports landscape. The Pepsi meet in the 80s had Drake Stadium packed. Over time track has lost its cachet to the general public. We can go into all the reasons for that, but part of it is the big professional sports like football and basketball have marketed themselves to a point where everything else in their way gets pushed aside. Kids have little interest, sports wise, in anything other than the aforementioned sports.
The meet achieved exactly what it was supposed to. It put a lot of money in Bobby Ks pocket.
comparing it to the 1980s the competition with sports on tv is ridiculous. Most of which if you said they would be competition 50,years ago people would have thought you were joking. Flick through ESPN. Axe throwing cornhole break dancing softball poker etc etc
So did this meet accomplish what it was intended to do? Most of the big names either did not enter or start. Small crowd. Seems like a colossal failure to me. LA goes home devastated.
I thought the fields were quite strong. Yes, a few "names" were missing, for various reasons, but there were many good performances. As far as crowds go this is about where track is right now in the sports landscape. The Pepsi meet in the 80s had Drake Stadium packed. Over time track has lost its cachet to the general public. We can go into all the reasons for that, but part of it is the big professional sports like football and basketball have marketed themselves to a point where everything else in their way gets pushed aside. Kids have little interest, sports wise, in anything other than the aforementioned sports.
The sport needs athletes like Sha’ Carri who have charisma, might be a little brash or controversial, whatever. Maybe there were some new prospective young fans who tuned in or turned out to see what Sha’ Carri is all about, and then she scratches. That’s why these “minor” incidents are harmful on a cumulative level. If you want to build back the sport, it will need to be on the foundation of athletes like Syd and Sha’ Carri, but they need to do their part. In both the short term and long term it’s in their self interest too.
The other problem is the two superstars that almost always show up and perform when scheduled Mondo and Crouser aren’t promoted
im not sure the letsrun podcast preview even mentioned either
They get promoted plenty, you can't make people care more about field events. The fact that athletes aren't competing at the same time will always make it less popular than a sprint event where the winner is clear immediately
Embarrassing! Great meet….and this this bush league stuff. I guess we can’t know whose physically unable to race, but the empty middle lanes, so lame.
So lame!!!!
If the top two qualifiers couldn’t or wouldn’t run, they should’ve put two more out there. Put Melissa Jefferson and Gabby Thomas out there in the outside lanes, and move Hobbs and Akinosun to lanes 4 and 5.
So did this meet accomplish what it was intended to do? Most of the big names either did not enter or start. Small crowd. Seems like a colossal failure to me. LA goes home devastated.
besides many of the big stars they built this meet around who no showed wasn't there supposed to be some big concert and other things to draw fans in? While a decent meet it was nothing new or different as far as entertainment goes