Look - I'm sure that Rupp is a great guy. And his running accomplishments - Wow!!
I don't even know what his sponsorship situation is these days.
But can you imagine being a fly on the wall during sponsorship negotiations with Rupp?
"So, Galen...what kind of social media outreach / presence do you envision?"
"Huh?"
"Erm....."
Can anyone link me an athlete in any sport, who is obviously well sponsored, and has achieved national / international prominence, who is so underground / absent from from any kind of updates for months on end?
This hip surgery / comeback thing could have been a STORY.
I know some replies will be "That's his way. Screw you."
But this is PROFESSIONAL SPORT ffs. PEOPLE ARE GETTING PAID.
I dunno. This sport is lost.
He's a legend for not having social media.
Compare him to the other social media "influencer" whose name pops up here daily.
He's smart for not having it and isn't an attention whore.
The Baltimore Orioles used to have a great pitcher (the 1970's) who didn't do interviews- he was well known and popular for his silence.
And the amount of downvotes I'm getting proves it! 😂
I’m not downvoting because you are wrong on the principle. I’m downvoting because you are wrong on the specifics. Rupp is retired—why would he be trying to generate a story about his injured hip? If he wants his life to be more private, what’s wrong with that? He’s a great commentator and that’s his current professional focus, not his running.
but even if his body is not so gently forcing him into the good night, I don’t think he currently thinks he’s actually retired. In that podcast episode (if iirc*) he talks as if he’s trying to give it one more chance to make it to LA 28 after “moving better” post surgery and trying to correct the accompanying imbalances that come from muscling through chronic injury and high mileage for years. I agree his commentary is insightful albeit too brief on some of these major marathon broadcasts.
*if it’s not this episode it was a pretty recent one and let’s be honest there are not many Galen interviews to pick from
And the amount of downvotes I'm getting proves it! 😂
I’m not downvoting because you are wrong on the principle. I’m downvoting because you are wrong on the specifics. Rupp is retired—why would he be trying to generate a story about his injured hip? If he wants his life to be more private, what’s wrong with that? He’s a great commentator and that’s his current professional focus, not his running.
Compare him to the other social media "influencer" whose name pops up here daily.
He's smart for not having it and isn't an attention whore.
The Baltimore Orioles used to have a great pitcher (the 1970's) who didn't do interviews- he was well known and popular for his silence.
The pitcher I remember that wouldn’t speak with the press, was Steve Carlton and it hardly made him more popular. Who was the Oriole pitcher you’re referring to? I know it wasn’t Palmer.
I'd love to meet him in person, maybe I'll attend.
Thanks,
David Christ
I saw Galen Rupp one time. I didn’t talk to him because I was looking for my friend that coaches another team. So I walked past him. I did find my friend though. It was good to see him after a long while.
I've talked to him during transportation at a road race, he's a nice dude. It shouldn't be weird that he doesn't like to have his life in the spotlight. He just likes to run and run fast and live his life.
I’m not downvoting because you are wrong on the principle. I’m downvoting because you are wrong on the specifics. Rupp is retired—why would he be trying to generate a story about his injured hip? If he wants his life to be more private, what’s wrong with that? He’s a great commentator and that’s his current professional focus, not his running.
Wait....what? He retired? Oh. I missed that memo.
Thanks for pointing this out. After a bit more digging, I see that he does not consider himself retired. So, I gotta take that back. Nevertheless, at this point, he must have at least one eye on the exit and there's little to be gained by drawing more focus to his running. Especially if his attempts at a comeback do not work out. It would always be possible for him to lean into the narrative you are looking if/when he succeeds.
Look - I'm sure that Rupp is a great guy. And his running accomplishments - Wow!!
I don't even know what his sponsorship situation is these days.
But can you imagine being a fly on the wall during sponsorship negotiations with Rupp?
"So, Galen...what kind of social media outreach / presence do you envision?"
"Huh?"
"Erm....."
Can anyone link me an athlete in any sport, who is obviously well sponsored, and has achieved national / international prominence, who is so underground / absent from from any kind of updates for months on end?
This hip surgery / comeback thing could have been a STORY.
I know some replies will be "That's his way. Screw you."
But this is PROFESSIONAL SPORT ffs. PEOPLE ARE GETTING PAID.
I dunno. This sport is lost.
Right before social media took off, he did a lot of interviews, wrote blogs, and a Nike commercial. You can look them up on Dyestat, flotrack, runnerspace, Oregonian and such. Hell, Alberto let flotrack film a bunch of his workouts and followed the team for a week in Park city. It wasn’t until maybe after the Rio olympics where he got very quiet.
Dude has like four kids now. He’s got other priorities.
The word buzzing around the Nike campus is that he is going to announce his retirement and this is his swan song. Wants to go out in front of a hometown crowd.
The word buzzing around the Nike campus is that he is going to announce his retirement and this is his swan song. Wants to go out in front of a hometown crowd.
Wow. If true, I'm shocked. I really thought he was going to try 2028, but I also thought that was a real stretch. We can't all be Bernard Lagat.
In that training video with Nico a few months ago, he looked like he still has some gas left in the tank. Hopefully this is a step towards his next big marathon.
As a rust buster, I think 13:45 or better would be a success.
The Baltimore Orioles used to have a great pitcher (the 1970's) who didn't do interviews- he was well known and popular for his silence.
The pitcher I remember that wouldn’t speak with the press, was Steve Carlton and it hardly made him more popular. Who was the Oriole pitcher you’re referring to? I know it wasn’t Palmer.
Maybe I'm thinking of Steve Carlton. But you can't say that it made him more or less popular because there is nothing to compare it to.
The point is, he was popular nonetheless.
We need different personalities in the sport. We need loudmouth jerks and arrogant a**holes and nice guys, etc
The pitcher I remember that wouldn’t speak with the press, was Steve Carlton and it hardly made him more popular. Who was the Oriole pitcher you’re referring to? I know it wasn’t Palmer.
Maybe I'm thinking of Steve Carlton. But you can't say that it made him more or less popular because there is nothing to compare it to.
The point is, he was popular nonetheless.
We need different personalities in the sport. We need loudmouth jerks and arrogant a**holes and nice guys, etc
Actually, Steve Carlton never gets the credit that he deserves.