Why don't kids want to grow up to be distance runners?

I did - well, when I was in high school.

We need a Richard Sherman type

Hingle McCringleberry wrote:

We need a Richard Sherman type

EVERY sprinter is a Richard Sherman type. Personalities that go beyond confidence and bleed into annoying arrogance. And among themselves they have hissy little hate-fests....just like teenage girls and Sherman/Crabtree.

Because they aren't east African, so why bother?

Sure they do, just not in the US.

Famous role models are always big. In the 70s Connors and McEnroe were tearing it up on TV in the big tennis championships. So then a big increase in US boys taking up tennis. Now, not so much. Even if you were not a tennis player in the 70s, you knew who Connors and McEnroe were.

track meets are not shown on TV in the US anymore, and are rarely held in big venues. some marathons get TV coverage, but it is usually a bunch of African guys. Ask any high school kid to name a current male US distance runner. Maaaaybe they've heard of Meb, but don't think he's American.

zbt wrote:

Sure they do, just not in the US.

Famous role models are always big. In the 70s Connors and McEnroe were tearing it up on TV in the big tennis championships. So then a big increase in US boys taking up tennis. Now, not so much. Even if you were not a tennis player in the 70s, you knew who Connors and McEnroe were.

Yes, this.

It's not even so much a racial thing: American kids just don't see the number of top American distance runners that my generation had in front of us, so they don't really have something to aspire to. Add the dearth of opportunities for seeing races on TV, and it's an out-of-sight, out-of-mind dynamic.

zbt wrote:

Sure they do, just not in the US.

Famous role models are always big. In the 70s Connors and McEnroe were tearing it up on TV in the big tennis championships. So then a big increase in US boys taking up tennis. Now, not so much. Even if you were not a tennis player in the 70s, you knew who Connors and McEnroe were.

track meets are not shown on TV in the US anymore, and are rarely held in big venues. some marathons get TV coverage, but it is usually a bunch of African guys. Ask any high school kid to name a current male US distance runner. Maaaaybe they've heard of Meb, but don't think he's American.

And yet, what great US tennis players - male - came along after those two? I'm not being sarcastic. There might have been somevery good players, but off the top of my head I can't think of anyone in their class. It is hard to believe that the tennis boom didn't produce very many top notch male players from the US.

and yet wrote:And yet, what great US tennis players - male - came along after those two? I'm not being sarcastic. There might have been somevery good players, but off the top of my head I can't think of anyone in their class.

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi come to mind, one of which has substantially more grand slams (14 for Pistol Pete) than McEnroe (7) or Connors (8). Agassi has 8. Courier is no slouch either with 4. Sampras is clearly the best American player of all time. All three were part of the generation that directly followed McEnroe and Connors.

Because it's painful, and there's little fame or money involved compared to other sports.

whole new world wrote:

Firemen - I get that one. Policeman and Restaurant owner I also get. But why don't kids ever want to grow up to be professional distance runners?

It's not a "game". Running is a purely athletic feat. It does not hang on skill. Does any one watch weight lifting out side the Olympics? This sport is closer to running rather than football or basketball. And yet it requires great athelitic ability.

People like to root for teams...i.e...groups. You can compete frequently in this domain. Not so much in running. Or boxing, but boxing plays to the "great warrior motif". It's easy to watch and to plays to our viceral response to violence. So, boxers get a bit more respect even through it's rarely contested relative to running.

Back when I was a chunky 1st grader I wanted to be a runner. I drew a picture of me running a mile in 1 minute. After a few months of that (and not actually running at all, stupid 1st grade me) I moved on to the next crazy idea. Now I run basically 6 days a week every week and spend my free time on running forums. I think its funny and would love to talk to first grade me when he was in that phase.