This was supposed to be one HOT weekend of track and field. The NCAA was hosting its Regional "meets" and the third round of the Diamond League was taking place in New York. Yet after all was said and done, I came away from the weekend realizing why the sport continues to lose popularity in this country – and why only we track "Die Hards" are watching the sport here in the U.S.
Today I will talk about New York, where a great line up of athletes was reduced to average performances in horrible weather conditions. Tyson Gay easing to 10.02. Christian Taylor freezing his way to a 53’10" leap. Britney Reese fouling all three of her long jumps. David Rudisha held to 1:45.14. And a "crowd" of just over 5,100 "die hard" fans braving the elements to watch the world’s best perform in these horrible conditions.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time we’ve seen conditions like this in New York. While there have been meets there with decent conditions, there is generally a 50/50 chance we get the conditions we saw this weekend – and almost 0 that we have outstanding conditions! Is this really how we want to present the sport in the U.S.? Apparently so, because our biggest meets are routinely held in locations with a history of regularly terrible conditions.
Next week’s second U.S entry in the Diamond League will be held in Eugene. A venue known for rainy weather, bad pollen, and a back roads trip to get there. Yet the Diamond League meet is held there, and the Olympic Trials, National Championships, and NCAA Championships are routinely held here as well. Similarly Drake University in Iowa has a relay meet and gets its regular shots at the NCAA Championships and National Championships in spite of routinely horrible weather. This year Eugene gets the NCAA Champs and Drake the National Championships! Anyone want to lay odds on the number of bad weather days between the two?
Don’t get me wrong, these places do a great job at hosting track and field. They do know how to put on a good meet. Good enough that when I have conversations with people about these locations the first response is almost always "the weather isn’t their fault" – which is true. But "fault" doesn’t change the damage done in an auto accident, nor does it make the conditions any better for a track meet.
Now, I’m not suggesting that we don’t have meets in these venues. But I’m probably going to draw the ire of many when I say I don’t think we should have signature meets there, because having meets where the weather is routinely poor and unpredictable certainly doesn’t help increase the EXPOSURE of the sport here in the United States. And at the end of the day THAT should be the overarching goal of USATF, its CEO, and the competition committee – to build the brand of track and field in the United States, not just a couple of venues!
Now admittedly when it comes to track and field I’m old school. I remember having big meets in great locations with awesome weather and outstanding performances. I also remember when meets "rotated" all over the country. Not so coincidentally, in my humble opinion, the sport was IMMENSELY popular with huge crowds ALL OVER THE COUNTRY! Locations like Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, Houston, Knoxville, Atlanta, and New Orleans among others have hosted Trials and National Championships VERY successfully – I know I’ve attended meets in all of them.
We also have seen tremendously successful world class meets held in these locations as well as "smaller" cities like Fresno, Palo Alto, Berkeley, and locations like North Carolina, Arizona, and New Mexico. Granted this was before the going rate for athletes went through the roof. Apparently we are finding the money to invite them to venues with horrible conditions, so I see no reason why we can’t find the money to have them compete in good conditions.
Of course along with the high price of athletes, we have the spectre of the politicizing of the sport. I know that Eugene, while hosting a great meet, has done so on the considerable coattails of NIKE which is locally based and pumps a ton of money into the meets and Hayward field is their baby. And I’m sure that Adidas is enamored with the lure of having a meet in The Big Apple. But both also need to be looking at the overall health of the sport in the US – because if it fails here, and it is, they fail in the long run. THAT is the message that USATF needs to be delivering to these shoe companies and other potential sponsors.
The sad thing is that we have some GREAT venues. The Home Depot Center in Southern California was built SPECIFICALLY to host these types of competitions. The most fan friendly facility I’ve ever watched a meet in in this country is in Berkeley – another facility designed just for track and field. There’s not a bad seat at UCLA. Cerritos Community College and Sacramento City College are both awesome facilities for watching track and field. And these are just a few facilities right here in California!
My point is simple, in a sport that needs all the positive exposure it can get, we continue to do the wrong things for the wrong reasons. And hosting meets in horrible conditions on a regular basis is the wrong thing regardless of who’s paying the bills! USATF needs to take the lead, bring folk to the table, and develop a series of meets that works for EVERYONE- not a select few. Our National meets, and those getting international exposure, need better venues. New York is the right idea, but the weather doesn’t work. Eugene runs a great meet but the weather and location are not world class, and I’ve enjoyed wonderful meets in Eugene. The dog (USATF) should be wagging the tail!
This is about the sport itself, and the health of the sport in the U.S. depends on our putting a better face on our productions. Inviting the world (and our own athletes) to our best cities. Ensuring to the degree that we can that they compete in locations conducive to outstanding performances, so that they want to return again and again. Making sure that they get a good slice of American culture. And our National Championships should be held in locations that provide great weather that levels the playing field for everyone and are conducive to great performances while limiting the chance of injury to the degree that’s possible.
When this is done and the sport shines, people take notice and they WATCH and you develop fans! Sport is entertainment. Entertainment requires access. Great venues. Accessible venues. And with outdoor sports, great weather. It’s not rocket science.Next, my problem with NCAA Regional meets.