there are certain events like the 100 and 1500/mile that people are emotionally attached to and can't be removed
but in a world where there were no emotional attachments this is what i'd like to see
200 800 5000 100/110h 4x400
LJ HJ PV SP Multis
False Starts: 1st Violation - Competitor restarts 2% behind; i.e. 4 meters back in the 200 2nd Violation - Competitor restarts additional 3% back; i.e. now 10m back in the 200 3rd Violation - DQ and any appearance fee is split between remaining competitors
i would get rid of the 1500, the dumbest most idiotic distance ever. how on earth did it become the standard distance?? it makes no sense. 3 3/4 laps instead of 4???
mile or 1600 or bust.
also i would give the entire field category the heave ho, which should get us around 12. steeple then hurdles can go if we still need to make cuts
You are suggesting we hold a road race on the track with some sprints thrown in.
Hurdles, discus, jav are all older than "the mile" (which I also love) so we should respect the spectrum.
Your idea of cancelling the hurdles entirely only hurts hurdlers and doesn't make track better. Sydney, Warholm, Benjamin, Dos Santos, and Femke Bol are literally the best people to watch race and they are all hurdlers.
We all know there are too many TF events. We need to cut it down and make it a more enjoyable experience for viewers. The rule is no matter what there is a multi. You can only include the events you kept in this multi but you don't need to include them all.
100✅ This one is obvious, right?
100h/110h✅ Also pretty obvious.
200❌ An in between distance and afterthought.
400 ✅ One lap, simple and fast.
400h ❌ It's the triple jump of hurdle events.
800 ❌ Not different enough from 400 or 1500.
1500✅ Perfect blend of speed and strategy.
3000S✅ This is exciting with the barriers.
5000❌ You can't have the 5k AND 10k and we need a true test of endurance prowess.
10000✅ A true test of endurance
4x100✅ Pure adrenaline
4x400✅ Also pure adrenaline
SP✅ Pure test of brute strength
Discus❌ Just not exciting to me.
Javelin✅ Pretty much the coolest field event
Hammer❌ Like discus but more spinning? Meh.
TJ❌ Why jump three times? What a weird event.
LJ✅ Simple concept and pure.
HJ✅ Also a simple concept for viewers and pure.
PV❌ Why do you need a pole to high jump?
Multi✅ Figuring out the best athlete in the world is always exciting.
The "new multis" will just be all the events I decided to keep except the 10000, steeple, and relays. So just 8 events... The Octathlon? Nobody wants to see those dudes try to complete a 10k in 45 minutes.
Yes, let's "save" track and field by eliminating world record holders Mondo Duplantis, Karsten Warholm, Sydney McLaughlin, and Yulimar Rojas, along with Athing Mu, Keely Hodkinson, Femke Bol, and ALL THE FEMALE POLE VAULTERS.
You know, people didn't watch Anna Kournikova play tennis because of her tennis skills, right?
Basically everyone you named would be an elite addition to the 400, which has suffered massively. Who cares what Mondo or any pole vaulter does? They can learn high jump with their legs instead of using poles.
First step would be to get rid of 400m tracks and make the 200m banked tracks the standard for indoor and outdoor. Fans are way closer to the action and you don't need binoculars to view have the race. World class facilities are less expensive to build and temporary events can be set up in NFL or MLB stadiums. 5,000 fans at an appropriately sized 200m track looks exciting while at a 400m track it looks depressingly empty.
The 12 events would be the following:
60m
200m
400m
600m
800m
Mile
3k
60m hurdles
Weight Throw
High Jump
Long Jump
Pole Vault
This is nearly perfect, IMO. I've long said that indoor track is a better spectator sport than outdoor for the same reasons you give above.
That said, I question going weight throw over shot put, and I would miss the long throws. They are such beautiful events. Tricky in the small stadium, but i'd swap jav or disc for either the 600 or the 3K.
Each event should be chosen to make it different enough from the one before that it becomes basically impossible for one person to be world class at more than one event.
Therefore:
100m
100h/110h
400m
1000m
4000m
HJ
LJ
SP
Javelin
4x100m
With men and women, that's 20 events, enough to make a compelling TV package. We don't need more than that. The 100m should be the first events of the night, to give the sprinters time to recover for the relays. The relay teams should be pro-teams. E.g. Nike vs Puma vs Adidas.
i would get rid of the 1500, the dumbest most idiotic distance ever. how on earth did it become the standard distance?? it makes no sense. 3 3/4 laps instead of 4???
mile or 1600 or bust.
also i would give the entire field category the heave ho, which should get us around 12. steeple then hurdles can go if we still need to make cuts
You are suggesting we hold a road race on the track with some sprints thrown in.
Hurdles, discus, jav are all older than "the mile" (which I also love) so we should respect the spectrum.
Your idea of cancelling the hurdles entirely only hurts hurdlers and doesn't make track better. Sydney, Warholm, Benjamin, Dos Santos, and Femke Bol are literally the best people to watch race and they are all hurdlers.
They are only the best people to watch race because their events have been so weak for so long.
Except for Sydney. Greatest women's track and field athlete of all time, by far. No other female athlete has ever run a time that would qualify for the men's NCAA regional meet. No female athlete has even come remotely close to running a time that would qualify for men's regionals.
First step would be to get rid of 400m tracks and make the 200m banked tracks the standard for indoor and outdoor. Fans are way closer to the action and you don't need binoculars to view have the race. World class facilities are less expensive to build and temporary events can be set up in NFL or MLB stadiums. 5,000 fans at an appropriately sized 200m track looks exciting while at a 400m track it looks depressingly empty.
The 12 events would be the following:
60m
200m
400m
600m
800m
Mile
3k
60m hurdles
Weight Throw
High Jump
Long Jump
Pole Vault
This is nearly perfect, IMO. I've long said that indoor track is a better spectator sport than outdoor for the same reasons you give above.
That said, I question going weight throw over shot put, and I would miss the long throws. They are such beautiful events. Tricky in the small stadium, but i'd swap jav or disc for either the 600 or the 3K.
I picked the weight throw based on the belief it requires more overall strength and athleticism and I like the way performing it looks more than the shot (pure opinion and speculation here). Plus it's closer to the discus and hammer, throwers that look like greek gods.
I'd very much miss the javelin, the most global of all track and field events. If it could be modified to fit inside a 200m track facility, I'd add it and drop the 600m.
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