The average U.S. Track & Field fan: What we don't know does hurt us

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First, let me start by saying that I used to be an average track fan.   Well, perhaps I was a bit above-average, but only because I knew a bit more than the things listed below.  But only a bit more.

Second, I must give credit where credit is due.  My transformation from the average track fan to a track fanatic (and now track agent), as well as the creation of the below list, was due in no small part to NBC’s Ato Boldon.  His “Track & Field Ten Commandments” (the informal title) were the inspiration for my list (which might be better categorized as an insomniacs late night rantings than a list, but I digress.) 

Boldon's knowledge and experience in the sport, as well as his almost savant-like mental database of track statistics, not to mention the new excitement he brings to track broadcasts, have turned this otherwise average track fan into a SuperInsaneTrackFanatic.  So, to you Mr. Boldon, I say thank you! 

After reading Boldon's list, it occurred to me that part of the reason why track and field athletes should take heed is the sport’s inability to take hold in the United States.  It’s interesting to me how such a fast-paced and totally strength-dependent sport is not appealing to U.S. sports fans.  No, it doesn’t give you the bone-crushing hits of football, or the flamboyant moves of basketball.  But is it seriously less exciting than baseball? Really? As a fan of all sports, and a true track fanatic, I felt the need to point out what the average fan sees…since I used to be one. 

Maybe having a new perspective will give networks, advertisers and sponsors something to chew on before our athletes head off to Daegu this summer.  Wait…Daegu?  What is a Daegu, and why are they going there, you ask?  Daegu is a city in South Korea, which will play host to the 2011 Track and Field World Championships.  And for those who didn’t realize that track and field had a World Championship, you’ll be even more surprised to know that it happens every two years.  That’s right, more often than the big O!  Ok, enough with my blather…on to the top 10 list. 

Top 10 facts about the "average" U.S. track & field fan

10. Thinks track season only happens every four yrs. Yes, you guessed it: in a leap year.

9. Has no idea how long a 5000m race is. This is what happens when they don't teach metrics in elementary school (by the way, it's 3.1miles).

8. Only knows the following names: Flo Jo (also known by her government name, Florence Griffith Joyner), Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Marion Jones, Maurice Greene, and Gail Devers...all of whom are retired, and some who are better known for their misdeeds on the track than their deeds.

7. Thinks a false start requires Viagra.

6. Thinks Usain Bolt is a severe weather phenomenon.

5. Is still trying to figure out what a steeple is and why it must be chased.

4. Doesn't know that the Millrose Games celebrated its 100th anniversary...four years ago.

3. Doesn't know what the Millrose games are, and that they have nothing to do with horticulture.

2. Thinks the "Pre" is the race before the race. Wait. Maybe it is!

And the #1 fact about the "average" track & field fan:

Doesn't know that track & field has the most stringent anti-doping measures of all pro sports. So, the sport they think is the dirtiest, is actually the one making the most effort to be the cleanest. 

U.S. television and sports networks are missing out on one of the most exciting sports in the world.  Period, point blank. There is no excuse for track and field still being only an Olympic sport! This is a World Championship year, and not one peep has been uttered about the sport or its athletes preparing to make the team that makes the trip to Daegu this summer. No television interviews of our U.S. stars on how they feel about the new false start rule.  Oh wait, you didn’t know there was a new false start rule.  Did you know about the old one? 

Again, giving credit where it is due, the Internet is the best, and virtually only, place to find any information on track and field.  And there are some mainstream sports journalists (Tim Layden comes to mind) who make it a point to take more than just a cursory look at the sport each season. And HELLO, track and field has some of the most beautiful athletes in the world! The bodies some entertainers purchase are theirs naturally.  Yet, they aren’t featured on U.S. television (the athletes, not just their bodies.)  Shoe companies and others, we need your help, and your backing to do a better job of marketing these athletes.

Allyson Felix's Nike billboard in Times Square is a start, a HUGE start, but it can't be the finish. Step up, TV! Track and field is more than a "blog" sport. You have star athletes who don't get the shine they deserve. Unless it's a leap year.

~Shonnese Stanback, Attorney, Agent, SuperInsaneTrackFanatic

4/14/11

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