If these international athletes are actually getting the most of free college and setting themselves up for a good life, then I'm all for it. If they are just hired mercenaries, then no. I'm sure its a mix.
I have no ties to BYU. I have no ties to Utah, or to LDS.
I got into watching distance because of Ed Eyestone. Because of what BYU alums are doing in American distance.
There are clear problems in the NCAA, and today is a setback. I do believe US distance is going to continue to grow but these eligibility questions will continue to impede progress for US distance.
So you expected people to watch American distance running when it was at an all time low?
I don’t expect a notable amount of people to ever watch ncaa xc.
Yeah, I’m definitely no fan of how things are playing out, but this isn’t the reason why people aren’t watching XC when it’s on. The die hard fans are going to watch no matter what, and probably 90% of the casual fans already thought the Kenyans dominated college XC (just like they do in every other race).
So you expected people to watch American distance running when it was at an all time low?
I don’t expect a notable amount of people to ever watch ncaa xc.
Why? Over 200,000 people applied to race in the NY marathon this year and hundreds of thousand went as spectators to watch their friends and family race. High school track and XC have among the highest participation rates (women's track is the highest, men's track is 2nd highest).
If the NCAA put out a good product, we can get incredible viewership.
But nobody wants to watch this s**t with 25 foreigners in the top 30.
The age issue was addressed in my response as a legitimate problem. If that's your concern, then we agree. If you just don't like non-Americans in the NCAA, then you might need to do some soul searching bro.
I don’t expect a notable amount of people to ever watch ncaa xc.
Why? Over 200,000 people applied to race in the NY marathon this year and hundreds of thousand went as spectators to watch their friends and family race. High school track and XC have among the highest participation rates (women's track is the highest, men's track is 2nd highest).
If the NCAA put out a good product, we can get incredible viewership.
But nobody wants to watch this s**t with 25 foreigners in the top 30.
And how many watched in the 90s when there were less foreign runners? All those NY marathon applicants tuned in then?
Certain coaches will do anything for a win. Sad that they need to recruit the majority of their team from Africa and other countries. It’s a farce at this point
This is F***ing ridiculous, 25 of the top 30 finishers in the Men's XC NCAA Championship were international. Most from Kenya. We need to save the NCAA and limit internationals, limit the ages - and drug test them.
Top Americans:
2nd - Rocky Hansen
7th - Gary Martin
16th - Colin Sahlman
25th - Aiden Smith
28th - Ethan Coleman
D bags like Dave Smith ruin the sport of US cross country.
Salma Elbadra started her collegiate career at Wyoming. When she won the MWC indoor mile, her coach had to do the interview because she could not speak English. How can you attend an American university and not speak English?
This is F***ing ridiculous, 25 of the top 30 finishers in the Men's XC NCAA Championship were international. Most from Kenya. We need to save the NCAA and limit internationals, limit the ages - and drug test them.
Top Americans:
2nd - Rocky Hansen
7th - Gary Martin
16th - Colin Sahlman
25th - Aiden Smith
28th - Ethan Coleman
Get better lmao. If you're surprised by this, I'd hate for you to watch the world championships or the Olympics
Signed by an American .
You don't like the results. You can go compete at USA Junior champs. It's for collegiate athletes, not American athletes
This is a complicated issue. On the one hand, there is no reason why the NCAA shouldn't be the best talent all over the world. Look at the NBA, Luka, Joker, Giannis -- not exactly home grown American kids. The age limit is absolutely a concern, but one American kids frequently abuse too (BYU). The real complaint I see legitimacy too is: should taxpayer funded athletic scholarships at public universities go to foreign students, when they primary point is to develop U.S. talent? That maybe should be given some thought.
That's not the point. The point is to win championships, and therefore bring prestige and added interest to your school.
The development aspect of it is completely incidental. But you know this. Or at least you should know this, if you weren't arguing from a dumb, mistaken position.
Write your congressman! The National Collegiate Athletics Association should be providing support to citizens of THIS nation BEFORE it provides support to citizens of other nations.
Womens side gets less attention but of the top 10 finishers Sjoberg is 24 (25 in May) and Ayyildiz is 26 remarkably and has two more seasons left I believe.