Sports Center Track & Field Comment

f2 wrote:

Well, at least they cut live during sportscenter for the 100 meter Bolt race in Canada earlier in the year. Ended up being a bunch of false starts and two sporscenter dudes not knowing how to call a track race but thats something.

As far as the comment today, who really cares?

False starts are the equivalent of basketball players repeatedly violating the lane on foul shots. If it happened as frequently in B-Ball as false starts in major track competitions, you can bet the NBA would institute a rule change to eliminate or reduce it by the following season. T&F lets the BS go on and on. And you wonder why ESPN calls the sport "boring."

Well, like one of you said, watching a lot of sports are boring until you have some distinctions. When you know a lot of shit, then you go ho-hum when a Bolt runs 20.59 and WOWWWW!!!! when he runs 19.59. Or ho-hum when Jenny B runs 9:35 ST or HOLY CRAP when she breaks 4:00 at Hayward.

It was so funny ... during that Pre meet I was in an airport lounge watching it, with other stuff on 3 other TVs, and when she crosses the line I'm jumping up and going nuts, and eveyrone else is looking at me like WTF? Of course, if it was Tiger sinking a 50 footer to win the Masters, everyone would be excited.

Just sent this e-mail (he has to learn that if you tick off runners then you can hide but you can't run).

Your sarcastic-joke-lead-in to Usain Bolt's amazing 200 showed a lack of thought and, more simply, poor media skill. First, your lack of thought: you chose a really lame joke before showing an amazing event; Bolt crushed an Olympic class field in a torrential downpour (rain that would, as evinced by the last US Open, have had many of those oh-so-athletically-fit and oh-so-interesting [by your standards] golfers sitting in the clubhouse). Second, you showed poor media skill by downplaying a highlight of the night. If it's a highlight then why the heck would you not atleast generate a modicum of enthusiasm. It seems rather counterproductive and outright illogical for a sportscaster to downplay a HIGHLIGHT. Your only hope is either a: use your sarcasm wisely or b: remedial school work at an accredited school of broadcasting.

Do you have an email for his boss?

proud pa member wrote:

How was I being hypocritical? I have no axe to grind with anyone, but I was questioning the rationale of sending an e-mail supporting track and field to someone who doesn't care and won't have his mind changed.

And how will sending an e-mail to an ESPN presenter "help the sport?" It won't. It'll make the sender feel better for a few minutes, but it will do nothing. In fact, if SVP reads the e-mail it will be a miracle. It was a throwaway line in an hour long show. He probably doesn't even remember saying it.

1. The hypocrisy comment came from the fact that you spent the same amount of time posting on letsrun as he did spending his email, and then you called him out for being unproductive. Posting on letsrun is not productive. It takes the same amount of time. Therefore, hypocrisy.

2. Do you vote? Surely it doesn't matter whether you do or not, the same guy is going to win.

The principal of the matter is that yes, one voice does not matter. But if he sends his email, you send yours, I send mine, etc... maybe something could happen. Power in numbers.

-your friendly clarification advisor

or here:svp@espnradio.comor Twitter him if you're into that.twitter.com/svpshowhttp://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/show?showId=scottvanpelt2009

Run_high wrote:

Send an email to him. Here is the link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/scottvanpeltshow/news/story?page=email_svp

It worked!

SvP couldn't take the pressure of T&F fans united and canceled his chat on Thursday. He just had to learn (the hard way) that we won't be ignored!

I think we should demand a public apology and 20 hours of community service checking the height of steeplechase barriers.

If you're going to email an anchor at ESPN, at least take the time to write it properly. Making yourself look unintelligent does not help your case.

1. It wasn't Scott who said that, he hosts the 11 PM ET SportsCenter which isn't replayed in the mornings. He just said on his Radio show that it wasn't him.

2. He didn't cancel his chat. He was just late to it, but he and his co-host answered questions, but none on track and field.

If you think track and field is super exciting, then you're kidding yourself. Only a small percentage of the sporting world thinks that running is a "cool" or "exciting" sport. Just watch the coverage of the NCAAs or USA Championships. The announcers are a joke (every single one of them), they focus on all the wrong elements of the events (i.e. they skipped all the women races at NCAAs to watch the guys warmups), and 95% of the coverage is of a non-event (the warmups or false starts). I don't understand why the running community gets upset when other people say that track is boring. Just be honest with yourself and admit that the only reason that you think track is interesting is because you yourself participated in it at one time or another. On the grand scheme of things, track is between badminton and curling, several notches below competitive poker. Just being honest.

If you don’t understand the sport of track and field or realize an outstanding performance – I can see how you think the sport is boring. If you had a clue about the sport you would realize the sport is not boring.

Did you know more countries have athletes competing in track and field in the Olympics than any other sport. Also, track and field is the second most popular sport at the high school level as only basketball has more schools sponsoring it as a sport than track and field.

Yes, the way track and field is covered can make it boring. But if you don’t understand the sport of track and field or realize an outstanding performance it can be borning.

"But if you don’t understand the sport of track and field or realize an outstanding performance it can be boring."

That's kind of the point. People (meaning the general public) don't find the sport enticing enough to want to learn what it is all about. I agree with Seriously.

track and field is not boring wrote:

If you had a clue about the sport you would realize the sport is not boring.

Many of my former college teammates have a clue about the sport but still find it to be boring.

You are presenting this as though its a fact that track is not boring and that people are only misinformed. Whether something is boring is a personal preference and there is no right or wrong.

Most of ESPN's audience thinks track is boring so why should they take the time to broadcast it.

SVP's tweet:

For any of you emailing us about track and field, Scott did not say track and field was boring, he did not have Usain Bolt in SC last night

Knew I was right- it was John Anderson, who I normally like, send your complaints to him.

do you have John's email?

I've run track for 8 years now (high school and college) and I'm about to become a high school coach, and there are times where I find track unwatchable.

There is WAY too much time between events. Looking at the NCAA Nationals schedule, there were 7 min between the start of the women's 400 to the men's 400, and another 7 until the 800.

So if you take 1 min to run the women's 400, now you have 6 min of nothing. By the time you interview the winner and recap the race you still have at least 4 min to go.

Have the next event already out there ready to go. It's amazing how some big invitational college meets don't have any problem pumping out one heat after another.

My favorite moment was during the Adidas Classic. I recorded it with my DVR while I watched the U.S. Soccer team in a World Cup Qualifier. The meet had about 30 or so min to go once the game was over. I was able to fast forward though all the pre-race bullcrap and commercials, and caught up to real time before the meet was over.

It was John Anderson. It is just funny that of all things to rag on you choose one of the most incredible performances of all time. I think even a non-track fan should be able to appreciate the significance of running the 4th fastest time ever in the rain. Just the same way anyone can appreciate what Tiger did on a bum knee or MJ did when he had the 102 fever during the playoffs that year.

If you find his email post it.

what it is what it is wrote:

Caught that this morning also...pretty sure it was Van Pelt. Sucks cause I was a big fan of his.

I think all of you owe Van Pelt an apology.

I found this quote from a past interview with John Anderson

John, What is your fav. olympic event?

John Anderson (7:04 PM)

I love the Track and Field. despite one of my favorite sports quotes ever -- "the only thing more boring than track is field."High Jump will be the one I watch most. The 100 will also be dynamite

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/21916

I think we should just drop this topic now and accept what he said as a casual joke.