Nobody said that. But Europe is the home of athletics, DLs always draw big crowds in Europe and so do World Champs. The US should have a DL, it should have at least two, but the final is supposed to be the showpiece of the DL season. The NFL hosts regular season games in other countries but can you ever imagine the Super Bowl going to another country?
No that's not the Diamond League. It's the cheap version of the former Golden League. Which was started by the legacy T&F families of Europe. Each meet has it's own group of families that have volunteered for the sport for almost 100 years. It's for community, For charity. No one is paid.
Yeah, a total failure. Just two world records, 12 national records, seven meet records and a Diamond League record, plus one of the greatest mile races ever. Yeah it was terrible. 🙄
No one suggested the races weren't good. The event failed. Stadium only 2/3 full at best and TV ratings down by nearly 25%. Good performances can happen anywhere but if the product looks second rate, then it harms the sport. TV viewers, execs, and potential sponsors need to feel that there's a buzz around what they're watching, and rows of empty seats isn't good for that. WA needs to keep it's premier events in locations where full stadiums can be guaranteed. Has the new Hayward Field ever sold out for any track event?
This is exactly it.
There is a huge difference between a meet of great races and a meet that is great for the sport. There used to be a meeting in Rieti where guys would turn up and run WR's with impressive frequency - it did nothing for the sport and it didn't even help the meet itself as it too is a casualty of no $$$/sponsor interest.
This meet was the damn final of your premier, season long series of meetings. You can't have it broadcast in a stadium of only 13000 people which at best was visibly 70% full. Anyone taking the "it was a great meet just look at the performances" is looking at it through the lens of an ardent fan and not the lens of either the casual fan or sponsors wanting to associate their name with a sport.
Put it this way - it's better for the sport and the legitimacy of it (for non-ardent fans you want to win over/sponsors etc) to have an "average" meet in front of a sold out Brussels or London crowd then it is to have a great meet (multiple WR's and great performances) in front of 70% full but small stadium. I don't get how anyone couldn't grasp that concept.
Anyway, the final is back to Europe where it needs to be for a variety of reasons and it's in the right venue for it's "return". Also glad to see they aren't doing this stupid dual meet thing (remember when they did Zurich and Brussels) co-hosting for a few years a week apart?
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