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Why does Track and Field have less spectators?
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Dan
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2003 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I would say for example that a 10.40 100 at the high school level can be just as exciting as a 9.90 at the professional ranks !!!

I can't argue with that by any means. That would be an Oregon HS record! Surprised You can typically count on one hand the number of Oregon HS'ers who legitimately break 11.00 each year...

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Conway
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2003 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gotta remember that I am in California ... So seeing 10.40's is not rare at all ... but they are exciting ... sort of off topic but it amazing how speed is confined to just a few states !!! Would make a good thread of its own ...

But ... todays couch potatoes have been convinced that they have to see the best while they lay on the couch ... Only Tracy McGrady, Jerry Rice are good enough .. And if they are going to watch track then it has to be Mo Greene or Tim Montgomery !!!!

Course in m y book there is nothing like watching say a Quincy Watts do his thing in high school ... And then mature into a gold medallist !!!! Not that is what the sport is about !!!!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2003 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To quote myself from IAAF forum:
"___As of the mid-2003, the Zywiec Brewery will cease to financially support the Polish Athletic Association -- PZLA. Zywiec has been the strategic sponsor of the Polish association for the last two years. As the organizer of Zywiec Cup, Zywiec was responsible for bringing the stars of the track and field to Poland. The main reason for the Zywiec's withdrawal is the conflict between PZLA/Zywiec on one side, and the athletes organized in the Elite Cafe group, on the other side."
___Zywiec as sponsor was GREAT. It was great because it did not support just the dozen elite Polish athletes that are members of the Elite Cafe Group, but it supported 200 athletes over the last two years (including Polish team C). I think that we all agree that the pure elitism and attached to it hype over a single person do harm the sport of track and field in the long--run.
___It is certain that the athletes in the Polish C team did not get too much money. However, at their level of performance they did not need the money that people from the Polish teams A and B may be able to convert into a good athletic performance. The money was a motivation to continue. Not every one becomes the champion in the "teens" or early twenties e.g. Linford Christie. Moreover, when someone enters the sport of athletics with a serious competition in mind, and fails, the team C has provided a safety net. The safety net leads to more people trying to become athletes. Another upside, you may see a decent performance in the provincial championships (Poland has sixteen provinces).
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:22 am    Post subject: quote from iaaf.org fora Reply with quote

"too shay (US) (Senior Member) 13/03/2003 10:46:56 PM Reply Edit
Awhile back, the National Federation of State High School Associations released its 2002 sports participation survey. The Top 10 results:

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS
1. Football -- 1,023,712
2. Basketball -- 540,597
3. Track & Field (Outdoor) -- 494,022
4. Baseball -- 451,674
5. Soccer -- 339,101
6. Wrestling -- 244,637
7. Cross Country -- 190,993
8. Golf -- 163,299
9. Tennis -- 139,483
10. Swimming -- 90,698

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
1. Basketball -- 456,169
2. Track & Field (Outdoor) -- 415,677
3. Volleyball -- 395,124
4. Softball -- 355,960
5. Soccer -- 295,265
6. Cross Country -- 160,178
7. Tennis -- 160,114
8. Swimming -- 141,218
9. Competitive Spirit (Cheerleading) -- 94,635
10. Field Hockey -- 60,737

Indoor track & field didn't make the Top 10 list for either gender, not even close. However, 52,000 boys & 46,415 girls competed indoors. Of course, USATF hasn't promoted this info, to hype the sport! Participation also doesn't equal spectatorship (otherwise, track & soccer would be more popular in USA than golf, tennis, or baseball...hardly the case).

Position-wise, track has been ranked #3 for HS boys & #2 for HS girls the past few years. However, cross country did register some gains. Interesting to note that two of USA's 10 biggest outdoor track meets last year were HS meets. The UIL (Texas) State High School Champs ranked 3rd, with 19,557 spectators on its first day. The CIF (California) State High School Champs ranked 7th, with 10,751 spectators. The teens also boosted attendance at last year's USA Outdoor Champs, the first time the senior & junior meets were held together. Although Track & Field News opposed the move, USA Outdoor Champs wouldn't have made the U.S. Top 10 Meets list (10th, with 7,542 spectators) without the junior athletes' family members & friends buying tickets! "
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Conway
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

High school track is very popular ... Unfortunately the sport on the pro leel is not about high school track ... And unfortunately there is no correlation ... Sad thign is that high school track is popular for the very same reason that professinal track is not - name recognition of the athletes ...

High school track is popular because those follwoing it know somethign about those participating ... Friends, family and school mates ... know all about the high school kids ... I'll give you a perfect example ...

I go to the California state championships every year ... And the stands are full of people that know every stat, every thing about he kids that are competing ... One of the most fun meets in the world to go to ... Great competition and the fans are TOTALLY into it ...

Now when the meet is held in Southern California it is in Norwalk which also occasionally hosts the USATF outdoor championships ... I have been there for teh State Meet and then come back a couple of weeks later for Nationals and see MANY of the same people in attendance ... And the attitude is a bit different ... Not becasue the fans aren't into track and field ... But because they know a lot less about the competitiors ... Yes everyone knows about a Carl LEwis or MJ or the prima dona athletes ... But aside from the BIG names everyone is like "who is that and what has he/she done" !!!

Bottom line ... The professional side of track and field has done a lousy job of promoting its main course - the athletes ... And in toedays society people on ly cheer for names they recognize ... PR is paramount !!!
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Dan
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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The professional side of track and field has done a lousy job of promoting its main course - the athletes ...

Which is why I cringe every time I hear USATF state its mission of promoting all levels of T&F equally. As long as that is the goal, T&F will never be a viable pro sport. It may rub a few people the wrong way to hear it, but a pro sports league cannot make it in this viewing/sponsorship climate without being fairly elitist in its purpose. You don't see the NBA sponsoring youth tournaments outside the occasional publicity stunt...

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Conway
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 6:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exactly ... And you have to believe in th etrickle down effect .. That is - that if you have tremendous interest at the top THAT will trickle down and cause the youth to want to get involved to emulate them .... NOT the other way around - that if we really work the kids someday they'll grow up and be involved and become big fans and build the sport ... By the time that happens the sport could already be dead !!!
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Dan
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I couldn't agree more. Sad

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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 7:28 am    Post subject: high school Reply with quote

___I am one of these people who would love to root for my city's main high school's team. However, because many meets are scheduled either at 4 PM, or in the early morning on Saturday (I work on Saturdays), I simply cannot attend.
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Going to the local track meets is something I should have been doing myself. I went to Mid-Penn Championships (Mid-Pennsylvania HS regionals as qualifier for districts) and I had a great time. I happened to be driving by it actually on my way to pick up some new running shoes while I was home for a short time.

As far as promoting track and field better... its something that I think about all the time but I just can't seem to get a good grasp on how it can be done. Everyone so far has had good points, the lack of accessible superstars, the lack of a 'hometeam' aspect... but still I think USATF is really doing a horrible job of promoting what qualities track and field does possess.

For example, have you ever tried to watch track on tv? The few times it is on, I can never really figure out what events are coming up, and I find myself not focusing on it very much. How about something I heard someone say somewhere else, pushing to get ESPN Classic to show some of the really great races of track history. Something as simple of a half-hour show featuring interviews with the people involved would go a long way to getting the couch potatoe base to increase a little bit.

Have you ever seen a track and field billboard on the highway? Would you have ever heard the term "Golden Spike" if you were not a running enthusiast? When was the last time you saw a USATF promo table at a road race? At a high school regional, district, or state championship?

I agree one hundred percent that the USATF spends too much money supporting 'all levels' of track and field for it to ever work. I read somewhere that the USATF is now out of the red every year and is generating $14 million in revenue every year (couldnt find the article again so everyone check my stats there). But where is that money going? If the USATF is not solely for elites, when we need a EUSATF for that. Split something off so someone can get serious for once about making running a viable profession.

All I can think of to rant on for now... perhaps more to come?
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Dan
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PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2003 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The ESPN Classic idea is a good one. Lots of great races out there that would lend themselves well to recaps.

I enjoyed watching the US long jumper's on Leno this week, but shouldn't USATF be doing their own promotional activities that don't require their stars to compete against dogs?! Neutral First Crawford, now this... At least Jesse Owens competed in very different times...

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2003 1:26 pm    Post subject: school? Reply with quote

___1. Track and field may be as good and exiting for physics students, as calculating batting averages for the math students.
___If any of you is a physics teacher, you may ask your students to get times for 100 m and calculate speed.
___2. Analysing track and field tactics and strategy may add to it --- nationalystic hype and teary or heroic stories do not help much and only for couple minutes.
___3. Introducing athletes in pro-boxing way.
___4. Cutting number of competitiors in the semifinal and final to 3x3 and 3, respectively, in the major championships: see #3 -> champion, and two challangers.
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

___The Polish Athletic Federation is slowly killing the Polish athletics, and Polish athletes.
___Jedrusinski who ran this year 100 m in 10.07s +3.1s W, 200 m in 20.38s +3.3s, and was on the Polish relay that ran 4x100 m under 38.50s, as well as last year was fifth in the European Championships with 20.31s, has been forced to participate in the European Under 23 Championships that will happen, later this month, in Poland: Bydgoszcz.
___I bet that Jedrusinski will end-up the same way as Skolimowska during the last Olympics. The wisdom of the PZLA, and most especially madam President, who was a great athlete, and thanks are due in this respect, will force him to compete in the world championships with injury, if at all.
___The problem with athletics in the 00's compared to the athletics in the 60's or 70's is that certain substances are not as readily available (e.g., steroids) that allow faster recovery, and help healing micro injuries (based on LORE OF RUNNING, Tim Noakes, MD).
___After the PZLA (Polish Athletic Federation) got into a fight with the Group Elite Café (top circa dozen Polish athletes), and lost its strategic sponsor, the PZLA refused any financial help from the Group Elite Café. At the same time, PZLA and the organizers of the Polish national championships were on the age of not holding the Polish national championships last month due to the lack of funds.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think we have to go back to how the sport is promoted
-------------------------------

Just picked out Conway's post because he was a traveling international athlete, and so i would like to ask him how would he compare the reception and number of spectators in european stadiums with the one in the USA.
Surely, I would think you noticed a lot more fervor and passion from the european public. Why is that so?
I was born and lived in France until i was 25 (1980). i was absolutely a great fan of american athletes. In one word, they were awesome living legends in our french eyes, and to this day, many names now forgotten by most here in the US, are still in my pantheon of heroes. I find that europeans interested in sports, have a definite fascination with the longest, fastest, farthest feat that a man can achieve, either as world or national stats, or on one given day, in a meet.
Another example. When french TV broadcasts a meeting, it broadcasts the whole meet, for some 2 or 3 hours. For the Olympics, we get to see all the preliminaries of a race (like the 12 series of a 100 meters, one after the other), and in live times. I will always remember the first time i watched t Olympic T & F on american TV (1976). Most was in delayed times, cut up thru-out the evening as cameos interspersed with other sports events of the day, and races won by americans shown earlier in the evening (this is how i knew Guy Drut had won the 110H for France, before i even saw the race, it was broadcasted near midnight!). What a disappointment that i re-live every time i watch track and field on TV here. Once you take out commercials, star cameos, and even the broadcast intro with music, there is maybe 10 to 12 minutes of real sport to the hour.
On the other hand, a tennis match will always be seen in its entirety thought it can last as long if not more than a track meeting.

Any thought?
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Dan
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Just picked out Conway's post because he was a traveling international athlete...

Eh, something you haven't been telling us, Conway? Confused

Dan
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