And with Peacock losing the Diamond League to Flotrack, I will never be able to watch the Diamond League again. It is sad, honestly. They will break the sport into two leagues and each will be worse than the original. Plus, none of this is going to be streamed on a normal platform that we all have (like Netflix or Amazon Prime or Peacock).
It's very easy to watch Diamond League on YouTube via VPN.
But how? These are no WL, no pacemaker races. Now some people might rejoice in this as it's "old school" racing but from a pure product proposition this is going to be a huge issue for GST.
For example when Centro won Rio in 3.50.0 which is clearly an absurdly slow time for an Olympic final, it was palatable because it was the Olympic final with so much on the line and most followers of the sport understand why a race like this will happen.
But Grand Slam Track isn't the Olympics or the World Champs and it's going to be compared the Diamond League or any other top one day meet on the circuit. So you can argue about the "purity" of a wavelight + 2 human body paced 1500m but winning times under 3.30 are going to be simply seen as a mark of a better product vs times potentially in the high 3.30's/low 3.40's because who is going out there sacrificing themselves to ensure a fast race?
Real track fans know it’s about place not time. I look forward to seeing true racing in the Grand Slam Track league as a better alternative to more Diamond League time trials.
Nice, should give the league some moment is been lacking recently with getting more people to sign. One person I don't expect to see sign is Ingebrigsten. Jakob seems loyal to the DL and I don't have any interest in racing 800s
I don't think it's that he's loyal to the DL, he just doesn't like travelling long distances to race. Most of the DL meets are within a 2-3 hour flight of his home, he doesn't even have to cross a time zone to race in most instances. He does Pre because he's contractually obliged and then the major champs, but otherwise, doesn't really leave Europe for a race. He won't commit to 4 meets, two of which will be in the US, one in Europe and one somewhere else in the world. They might be able to sign him up as one of their non-contract runners for a single meet.
The whole TV platform thing for Diamond Leagues is not an issue if you use a VPN to watch in Europe. A lot of countries have a state-sponsored TV company and channels/streaming sites dedicated to only sports.
I'm actually hyped to see them run the 800m - I think they can run 1:43s or 1:42s
But how? These are no WL, no pacemaker races. Now some people might rejoice in this as it's "old school" racing but from a pure product proposition this is going to be a huge issue for GST.
For example when Centro won Rio in 3.50.0 which is clearly an absurdly slow time for an Olympic final, it was palatable because it was the Olympic final with so much on the line and most followers of the sport understand why a race like this will happen.
But Grand Slam Track isn't the Olympics or the World Champs and it's going to be compared the Diamond League or any other top one day meet on the circuit. So you can argue about the "purity" of a wavelight + 2 human body paced 1500m but winning times under 3.30 are going to be simply seen as a mark of a better product vs times potentially in the high 3.30's/low 3.40's because who is going out there sacrificing themselves to ensure a fast race?
So back to the 800 - I just don't see a scenario with a double on the line, where there are guys going out in 50.0 and driving these fast times either.
I think the double race format will be the league’s Achilles heel. It’s clearly borne out of MJ’s yearning to reproduce and glorify his own strengths. But watching Nuguse, Kerr, and Hocker race 4 800s is going to be silly. If Hoppel or Wanyoni join, they’ll destroy these guys. Otherwise, it’s gonna be a highly promoted C heat of an 800. They’re gonna run tactical 1:46s. Either Jakob won’t be there or will suck. It’s like paying Lebrun James and Jokic to try their hand at volleyball.