How is it an A+ when it is empty stands for two relay golds for the home team, and Duplantis and Ingebrigtsens incredible performances.
A lot of the apparently empty seats were paid for and the people had simply moved out of them b/c they were in the scorching sun. Thousands of us were mingling in different parts of the stadium, in the concourses, on the ledge overlooking the turn, etc.
You’re a moron. We’re you there? Did you even watch the coverage? The stands were about 85-90% filled today, and those that weren’t were sold.
If you are happy with 85% filled on one of the biggest days, good for you, but that isn't A+ material.
It was a sellout, or very nearly so. Probably some empties purchased by corporations. Probably some no shows. I feel sorry for them (and you) — the place was rockin’, a good time was had athletes and spectators alike.
Stadium is small and had empty seats at all the sessions. Compare that to London or Berlin, with huge packed out stadiums at every session (even morning sessions in London) and it was a little disappointing. Beside that seemed a great meet though.
If world athletics want to improve popularity of the sport they need to not spread it out over 10 days and have races much closer together. An NCAA type meet with a couple more days added on for early qualifying rounds would be much more exciting. I am a huge track fan and get bored watching sessions that last 4 hours with events I'm not that interested in.
Looked a bit amateurish for me. The top was the cameraman in the middle of the track of the 3000m steeple, but some other people where on the track during running events. And the lack of crowd in the stadium and along the marathon made it look like a regional meet. There are so many places in the world where you could get a nice crowd, the choice of Eugene was very poor.
Negatives: It was pricey, having to buy the tix via broker (I bought 11 months ago). Hotels are lacking in Eugene, we paid upper $400 for a basic motel in West Eugene. Backstretch stands got really hot before 6pm (30 minutes in the stands before 6pm and you were drenched in sweat on the nights it hit 90. This coming from someone who lives in Miami). Not the typical Eugene weather as there were literally no clouds in the sky for multiple days. So many of us watched/cheered from the shaded portals until moving into our seats around 6pm.
Positives: Hayward is an awesome venue. You're very close to the track and the crowd energy was very good. The international crowds were fun to mingle with; very knowledgeable fans. Decent concessions right outside the stadium. You can watch the athletes warming up in the practice area south of the stadium.
The free express bus service to/from the stadium was great. Getting into and out of the stadium was quick and easy You could catch the bus after the meet and be back in your lodging in 15 minutes. I ran into so many athletes (Cheptegei, the Ethiopian distance women, Jackie Joyner, Craig Engels at the Nike store,...) very cool experience.
Wife and I enjoyed hiking the Eugene trails in the mornings (Pre's trail, Skinner Butte, Spencer Butte)... Traffic was almost non-existent; we went from Spencer Butte in South Eugene to North Eugene in 15 minutes. Had some great Thai food and The Fisherman's Market was a nice surprise.
It was cool to see all the Duck track history on the walls of the Original Pancake House, The Eugene Running Company, The Nike Eugene store... Very active, fit people in Eugene. It was a bucket list trip for us, so I'm glad we went.
Negatives: It was pricey, having to buy the tix via broker (I bought 11 months ago). Hotels are lacking in Eugene, we paid upper $400 for a basic motel in West Eugene. Backstretch stands got really hot before 6pm (30 minutes in the stands before 6pm and you were drenched in sweat on the nights it hit 90. This coming from someone who lives in Miami). Not the typical Eugene weather as there were literally no clouds in the sky for multiple days. So many of us watched/cheered from the shaded portals until moving into our seats around 6pm.
Positives: Hayward is an awesome venue. You're very close to the track and the crowd energy was very good. The international crowds were fun to mingle with; very knowledgeable fans. Decent concessions right outside the stadium. You can watch the athletes warming up in the practice area south of the stadium.
The free express bus service to/from the stadium was great. Getting into and out of the stadium was quick and easy You could catch the bus after the meet and be back in your lodging in 15 minutes. I ran into so many athletes (Cheptegei, the Ethiopian distance women, Jackie Joyner, Craig Engels at the Nike store,...) very cool experience.
Wife and I enjoyed hiking the Eugene trails in the mornings (Pre's trail, Skinner Butte, Spencer Butte)... Traffic was almost non-existent; we went from Spencer Butte in South Eugene to North Eugene in 15 minutes. Had some great Thai food and The Fisherman's Market was a nice surprise.
It was cool to see all the Duck track history on the walls of the Original Pancake House, The Eugene Running Company, The Nike Eugene store... Very active, fit people in Eugene. It was a bucket list trip for us, so I'm glad we went.
I was there the final weekend, Fri-Sun, and want to concur with a couple adds. We ended up staying 45 minutes away but it wasn't actually bad. It was only $110/night. Obviously would have preferred Eugene but the $250+ more per night wasn't worth it. I thought the food was generally great. We spent some time walking around campus and athletes were all over the place and easy to interact with. While there are some places to improve, overall it was great and the stands were full from 5-8 everywhere around me. I sat next to fans from Denmark, Canada, US team coaches, and China. They all said they had a great experience. A+ is too high, but it's an A- for me but better than most people feared.
Although I do wish they had offered cheaper tickets to help fill the seats. I know a lot of locals and families gathered to watch it on the HUGE screen at the racing fest at the new riverfront park, which was free and had a pretty raucous/festive atmosphere on the night I checked it out. Why not sell the worst seats -- the ones the temporary stands they brought in for the meet -- for $10 a pop? Pack the house, and bring in the families and the folks who want to check it out...
Someone I know who went there said the same thing- get high school kids in their. Get families.
I guess there was a lot going on when you were there.
I was thinking about the empty stands early on- there really aren't any other sports who's world championship is 10 days in a row (with 14 or 15 sessions) in the same stadium.
Super Bowl, Bowl Games are one day with entertainment around the actual game.
World Series, NBA, NHL are, at most 3 or 4 days in a specific city.
I give Eugene an F. Total lack of security at international event. A person runs out onto the track picking up two runners after the 5k. That should have never happend.
How is it an A+ when it is empty stands for two relay golds for the home team, and Duplantis and Ingebrigtsens incredible performances.
A lot of the apparently empty seats were paid for and the people had simply moved out of them b/c they were in the scorching sun. Thousands of us were mingling in different parts of the stadium, in the concourses, on the ledge overlooking the turn, etc.
Attendance was strong.
Completely agree with this. I had seats on the backstretch multiple days, and those seats were super hot. The concourse there was always very crowded with people cooling off.
The more egregious empty seat situation was the two sections on the homestretch that were almost entirely blocked off but often did not have anyone sitting in them.
For me, attending the meet was an A/A+. The stadium is extremely nice, and the event was very well run from a spectator's perspective -- very easy to get in and out, and lots of good food options. The biggest problem I had was the massive amounts of times between some of the track events, but I think this is a problem with the sport in general and isn't specific to this meet.
A lot of the apparently empty seats were paid for and the people had simply moved out of them b/c they were in the scorching sun. Thousands of us were mingling in different parts of the stadium, in the concourses, on the ledge overlooking the turn, etc.
Attendance was strong.
Completely agree with this. I had seats on the backstretch multiple days, and those seats were super hot. The concourse there was always very crowded with people cooling off.
The more egregious empty seat situation was the two sections on the homestretch that were almost entirely blocked off but often did not have anyone sitting in them.
For me, attending the meet was an A/A+. The stadium is extremely nice, and the event was very well run from a spectator's perspective -- very easy to get in and out, and lots of good food options. The biggest problem I had was the massive amounts of times between some of the track events, but I think this is a problem with the sport in general and isn't specific to this meet.
Very PNW to design a stadium on the presumption that the sun will never be out during an event, even in the summer.
Minuses from Eugene were the false starts, especially Devon Allen getting sent off during the final. Stadium design that roasted half the fans in the afternoon. And no events at night. The sprints just seem to be more special when they are under the lights.
Pluses were stacked finals like the men's 5k, 200 and women's 100, 200 and 1500. WR in the pole vault on the very last thing that happened at WCs. Smaller more intimate stadium that allowed athletes the chance to high five and do selfies with fans after winning events.
How is it an A+ when it is empty stands for two relay golds for the home team, and Duplantis and Ingebrigtsens incredible performances.
You’re a moron. We’re you there? Did you even watch the coverage? The stands were about 85-90% filled today, and those that weren’t were sold.
Yeah, Sunday was the biggest crowd I saw the three days I was there. The place was close to 95% full and was hyped. The second Friday-Sunday were loud and the performances were great. I give the meet an A. Saw a lot of athletes out on the trails, athletes and coaches throughout the concourse, wished Grijalva, met the French duo with the banner, saw three WRs and stood behind Jonny Gault as he ordered his frozen lemonade. Got our AirBnB July 2021, walked a mile and a half to the stadium, and thankfully it was not as hot as USAs.
A lot of the apparently empty seats were paid for and the people had simply moved out of them b/c they were in the scorching sun. Thousands of us were mingling in different parts of the stadium, in the concourses, on the ledge overlooking the turn, etc.
Attendance was strong.
Completely agree with this. I had seats on the backstretch multiple days, and those seats were super hot. The concourse there was always very crowded with people cooling off.
The more egregious empty seat situation was the two sections on the homestretch that were almost entirely blocked off but often did not have anyone sitting in them.
For me, attending the meet was an A/A+. The stadium is extremely nice, and the event was very well run from a spectator's perspective -- very easy to get in and out, and lots of good food options. The biggest problem I had was the massive amounts of times between some of the track events, but I think this is a problem with the sport in general and isn't specific to this meet.
So you are saying the stadium isn't properly designed for the climate? Doesn't sound like anything I would enjoy as a fan.