No one knows how to fix track and field

Taylor Swift would need to go out with ???.

That’s how the NFL fixed its problem.

2 problems however

Who would “???” be?

Could T&F outbid the NFL?

I had multiple people at work talk about Jakob v Kerr and the Hocker upset. These were people who don't know a single thing about the sport. So, I'm inclined to say that it works to some extent.

I don't really follow your logic. You can add blackjack and strippers to golf and I still won't watch. But others definitely will. I promise that if the NFL enforced an "everyone being super nice" rule, viewership would drop.

The truth is that it's track and field. It's not that exciting compared to other sports.

Track is like them old blues it has a cult following, not for everyone and I like it that way,

Why wouldn’t “others” go to a strip club and/or a casino, instead of watching golf? That makes no sense.

Totally disagree, if you know who is who and the histories involved track is as exciting as any sport,

That HS 4x1 has Edison of Fresno, McClymonds out of Oakland, , Long Beach Poly, Muir and Hawthorne out of SOCAL, all undefeated, that is excitement,

Can't fix what ain't broke

Well, I didn't literally mean strippers and blackjack, that's called hyperbole. Okay, so ban alcohol sales at an NFL game. See how well that goes.

Why don't you ask why college stadiums are starting to sell alcohol at NCAA games? Because it gets people in the doors.

Furthermore, golf is associated so strongly with drinking and gambling. I've known so many dudes who only got into it to bet $20 on a game with friends and drink beers. You ban alcohol from golf, yeah those dudes might just stay in the country club drinking or go to a bar, but they're not paying those green fees anymore.

At my highschool meets there were always adults in the stands taking bets on the sprints.

Basically, every sport that gets mainstream attention has elements that are "for adults" in that there's wagering, alcohol sales, hype, and/or drama.

IDK why there's such a strong contingent of those that think keeping everything G-rated is the only way to go.

I gotta dunk on you one more time. F1 has exploded in popularity recently. Two family members went to a race, they have never cared about cars or racing or engineering or race courses or any of that. They still don't. They think the drivers are cute and the drama is exciting. My friend's wife did the exact same thing pretty much, she, along with many others, calls it "Real Housewives for Boys."

I don't think you really understand marketing in the slightest. Drama/sex/scandal/gossip sells, full stop.

I am also in the camp that believes 1) the sport doesn't need "fixing" and 2) there is no "fix" even if someone thinks it needs one.

Things are what they are - the only reason this sentiment of "fixing" exists is because of the prominence of sport globally which began in the late 70's early 80's and peaked around the early to mid 90's and how we compare where the sport is now compared to that era.

But society has shifted and so have the sports that basically "distract" us from what we need distraction from. Could get into a deeply philosophical discussion about how we as a species have become increasingly tribalistic and how frequently played team sports cater to that much better than a sport like track and field, but bottom line is this - right now nothing track and field does is putting a dent in sports like soccer, basketball, football, baseball, rugby or cricket - it's just not. Any change will be organic and not forced - maybe the public ge's sick and tired of baseball players signing 3/4 billion dollar deals to hit a ball with a stick, I don't know.

One thing I do know, the sport isn't doing itself any favors with the Diamond League format (devaluing it's really top meets like Zurich, Brussels, Monaco, London etc) and Grand Slam Track is the most American "solution" possible to this non-existent issue in that simply throwing more money at individuals with a flawed concept that seems to work in the mind of Michael Johnson but not really those that sit down and think about the practical realities of what he is going to do. Johnson isn't going to "save track" - not with this idea - but then again it's Michael Johnson who maybe overestimates his competence at things off the track by confusing it with his former competence on the track - also not exclusive to just him in the world of pro athletes.

The sport is just fine. Every Olympics proves that. Meets like the aforementioned Zurich, Brussels, London prove that. There is nothing wrong with field events. Nothing wrong with track events where athletes shoot for times. I believe it needs minor adjustments (I mentioned the format of the DL which sucks for one) vs wholesale "fixes". Could money be higher in the sport? Sure - but if we are going to compare to the NFL, NBA or MLB then it's like pissing into a hurricane because that ship has sailed.

I also remember the 60s...

I remember larger track meets routinely attracting 40-60K.

The USA-USSR meet got 80K in the old Stanford stadium once.

I remember the 60s when a lot of the top T&F athletes were household names. For instance Jim Ryun was as well known as most football, basketball, or baseball players. Many American sports fans even knew who the top international T&F guys were in the higher profile events.

I bet the average American sports fan can't name more than one or two US gold T&F medalists from the '24 Olympics and I bet the average American couldn't name any of them.

I

track and field doesn't need to be fixed. it seems content that its a fringe sport with a small fan base in America, only builds interest during Olympics. the worst thing that could happen to track and field is dumping millions into it then watching as all the investors lose their money and it totally collapses. keep it small, its the only way it'll survive. Grand Slam track kinda fits that model, it's definitely raised the profile and there's clearly money being invested, but it's not crazy money so if it fails it won't burn the whole thing down.

at least it's not like the WNBA, which is deluded itself into thinking its on the same level as the NBA, though without the NBA subsidizing it it wouldn't exist.

I think Michael Johnson/citius mag are wasting their time trying to win over the casual fans/runners. Most casual runners are simply not gonna get into the competitive side of the sport because it’s not the part of running that speaks to them.

They need to focus on getting the serious fans/runners to tune into meets regularly. Finding a centralized way to watch all of the big meets would be a good place to start. It sucks to need fubo/peacock/runnerspace/flotrack if I want to watch all of the big meets year-round.

It would also help to have marathon coverage be less terrible. I basically don’t watch the majors anymore because the coverage is just so bad.

I suppose I'd fit your "serious runners" category as I ran college track and am a hard core hobby racer, trying my best to beat whoever is ahead of me in races (I'm not there just to take a selfie with my finisher's medal).

And I have zero interest in watching the elites compete in pro meets. Absolutely zero. It's a great participation sport, but it is a terrible spectator sport. It's great to do, but boring to watch.

And that's okay. It doesn't need to be a spectator sport. Embrace what it is and stop trying to change it.

Go run a race yourself rather than trying to figure out how to get people to watch races.

As has been repeatedly said, the sport doesn't need fixing. It's fine just the way it is.

Want a spectator sport? Go watch football.

This makes sense. F1 is popular because because being a racecar driver is a thrilling and glamorous lifestyle that casual fans can aspire to. Running is physically painful and boring to most people. You could get a non-runner to understand and respect Kenenisa Bekele's accomplishments, but the lifestyle will never be aspirational.

The sport is mostly fine as is, although I do agree that we could use more trash talk. The men's 1500 is the best event in the sport right now, and that's largely because the two of the best runners absolutely despise each other. Real hate sells, and everyone smiling and shaking hands after the race is boring.

Gimmicks like Grand Slam will fail because there are no real stakes. You can get big names to show up by offering big prize money, but you can't manufacture tradition out of thin air. I'm also not that interested in watching a everyone run the exact same double four different times. The money will dry up and we'll be right back where we started.

Bottom line: changes to the sport should focus on improving the experience for the athletes and for the fans who are already here. Stop chasing the casual fans who won't care no matter what you do.

WC Eugene 2022 was the worst in history. The marathon had tiny fields. What a total disaster.

Track and field desperately needs fixing. Once upon a time athletics (track and field) sat alone at the top of all Olympic sports, now it shares that position with swimming and gymnastics:

Sports like Crossfit and obstacle course racing have been chipping away at track and field's mindshare and marketshare for years. There was a time the worlds greatest male and female athletes were universally regarded as the winners of the Olympic decathlon and heptathlon and we've let Crossfit steal that moniker without so much as a fight. The NFL holds an NFL fastest man contest and it's on pay per view and we can't even get people to watch track meets for free. Heck there is probably more viewership of the NFL combine at this point than just about any professional track meet outside of the Olympics or World Championships.

There is plenty of evidence that track is slipping further and further into obscurity.

Hey Genius, how many would just show up for the strippers? Guaranteed doesn't help the sport.