Track/marathon guys, can anyone explain why Galen Rupp doesn't have a fan base?

Jim Walmsley Superfan wrote:

Galen Rupp has dominated the domestic 10k and marathon scene - almost to the same level that Jim Walmsley has dominated WS100 - yet Rupp has no "fans" to speak of. What gives?

"Jim Walmsley has dominated WS100"

WHAT?

Please look at the history of WS 100

Walmsley won it twice like Krar and Olsen in the last 10 years.

Jurek won it 7 times.

Rupp won two Olympic medals and people wrote a lot of articles about Jim.

What gives?

Rupp is the high school prick kid nobody liked, who had all the advantages nobody else had, grown up and never changing.

He does have a fan base, they just aren't obnoxious like Jimbos.

The cheers for him in Atlanta were enormous, I should know cause I was there. People love the guy, and his post race interview showed great humility and respect for the sport. It's obvious he respects Jake and Abdi and they admire him too.

That pic with Jordan perfectly encapsulates his personality

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Seriously?

1. He's an introvert and basically shuns publicity

2. The accusations of PEDs

3. The relationship with Salazar and Nike

4. The "golden boy"persona since his high school days

What else is there really to say other than this? #2 and #3 are really the huge ones.

He has a fan base and those that don’t like him are simply showing childish jealousy. I’m happy he was privileged enough as a child to pursue his passion and allowed him to become the incredible athlete he is today. Look at McDougle. He flames out due to lack of support. Imagine if more runners were privileged. We may compete better at the world stage. Riley isn’t even worth sending to the Olympics as he has zero chance of medaling. Why in the world would anyone root for Riley over Rupp to represent the US is beyond me.

agip wrote:

just to finish the point.

Rupp runs without passion. He is a machine. He never front runs, he doesn't seem to take any chances.

At what point did Rupp take the lead at the trials?

What runner went with Kipchoge when he made a move at the Olympics?

I have been running and following running since I was 15, so for 20 years now. Even when I've taken breaks from running I've kept up with the pros. Outside of LRC I have never heard of ultra star Jim, ultras are a very niche piece of the running world. Rupp is just a quiet guy who goes about his business, and combine that with all the benefits he has had since high school people just don't connect with him. If he went heel and started trash talking he might drum up some more interest, but I like him bc he makes America somewhat relevant in the marathon.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

You can tell all this from watching some interviews?

As a matter of fact you can.

Rupp is what he is wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

You can tell all this from watching some interviews?

As a matter of fact you can.

Here's an interview he did with Runners World. Please point out what any parts that makes you think he is different from other runners:

dgawd foreva wrote:

He has a fan base and those that don’t like him are simply showing childish jealousy. I’m happy he was privileged enough as a child to pursue his passion and allowed him to become the incredible athlete he is today. Look at McDougle. He flames out due to lack of support. Imagine if more runners were privileged. We may compete better at the world stage. Riley isn’t even worth sending to the Olympics as he has zero chance of medaling. Why in the world would anyone root for Riley over Rupp to represent the US is beyond me.

PED suspicions.

Won't anyone admit they kind of dont like him because he appears to be an unremarkable and goofy-looking physical specimen ? Come on, you know that has something to do with it. As a goofy looking blond guy myself, I always root for Rupp.

Guys, seriously.

The reason Rupp doesn’t do media and avoids any kind of dialogue with anyone at any time isn’t because he is too busy training hard or because he is a naturally shy person. It’s because he is intelligent enough to realise keeping his mouth shut means there’s less chance of him being exposed as a drug cheat.

See Sir Mo Farah for an example of what happens when you can’t resist the limelight and can’t keep your lips sealed.

I think for him being a good family man, being devout in his faith and being a private person is all good but...What else is there? Along time ago I thought about his fandom or lack of and while I would still root against him in a race I've pretty much never heard of any "good deeds" in the community. It could be visiting sick kids at a hospital, saving the whales, whatever. If he does anything it's too secret for even tmz to know about. We all indirectly in one way or another pay his income, and while he may not owe anything to the public he should do something.

Back in the 80's I was on the 18th Fairway at a pro tournament and Arnold Palmer was walking towards the green, it really brought a tear to my eye with the way people stood and clapped, you could feel the energy of the moment. If Rupp showed something of himself that's 1/50 th of that he could gain more respect.

If not him, at least some of the people that know him could leak something that might give us a reason to give him a thumbs up as a human.

The Angel of Death wrote:

The resentment goes all the way back to when he was in high school, where he....

- Was essentially a pro (The NCAA let him join the UO team after they let his infractions slide when his family agreed to pay a relatively small fine. This was, and continues to be, unprecedented considering the hammer they have brought down on some insanely minor "infractions") where he had access to ALL the resources of Nike at his disposal (Phil Knight was interested in him, through Salazar)

All the resources of Nike, no different than those of OU, or any other top running college, even that college that German went to had Alter-Gs and the like.

Jim Walmsley Superfan wrote:

Galen Rupp has dominated the domestic 10k and marathon scene - almost to the same level that Jim Walmsley has dominated WS100 - yet Rupp has no "fans" to speak of. What gives?

It's a false assumption. He has a huge fan base. Clearly you've never been at a big track meet, NCAA's or USA's or the Olympic Trials and seen the crowds cheering him.

It's just that this freaking message board has, like 6-7 haters, who spam the board with Rupp hate and smears under different handles all the time, and the Brojo's are pissed that Nike never sponsored one of them...

informational wrote:

Jim Walmsley Superfan wrote:

Galen Rupp has dominated the domestic 10k and marathon scene - almost to the same level that Jim Walmsley has dominated WS100 - yet Rupp has no "fans" to speak of. What gives?

It's a false assumption. He has a huge fan base. Clearly you've never been at a big track meet, NCAA's or USA's or the Olympic Trials and seen the crowds cheering him.

It's just that this freaking message board has, like 6-7 haters, who spam the board with Rupp hate and smears under different handles all the time, and the Brojo's are pissed that Nike never sponsored one of them...

You’re just as delusional as the OP.

Leave Galen and his fanbase alone, please

^ This ^ Spot on.

swe4t234 wrote:

Leave Galen and his fanbase alone, please

Why?