Where would be the best location in the US to put a track stadium that would actually draw fans?

I agree with Indianapolis. Indy would be my pic, for two reasons:

• Central location that’s easy for many people to access - I’m not a fan of having it at a coastal city because it’s a long flight for those on the opposite coast to get there.
• It’s the perfect size city - if a city is too big like NY, Chicago, or LA, the meet can easily be overlooked because there are so many other things going on (plus they have terrible traffic). In a place like Indy, the meet can have center stage while still having more than enough locals to support it.

I went to the 2007 US championships in Indy, and it was a great experience.

I cannot believe there aren't more people on here saying LA. WE ARE HOSTING THE F***ING OLYMPICS THERE IN 4 YEARS!!! That is honestly not that much time from when we should have been culturally building it up as a hub of track and field. It has the rich history already- LA was a big city for track several decades ago, so there's no reason we can't make it that way again. Other reasons:

-huge city, plenty of space to build, lots of accomodations

-attractive location. Casual or non-track fans have a reason to go there for a weekend. They have no reason to go to Eugene, or Indy or other proposed smaller cities.

-abundance of flights from inside and outside the US. Pro athletes from around the world already post up in Flagstaff, so this would make it especially easy for them to race a lot during the regular season

-weather. Everyone here cares way too much about times and records and not enough about just competing, but if we must, the weather is good for all events. Dry heat, perfect for everything up to 800m, then can do longer events as the sun goes down

-entertainment industry. Bringing track close to it will gain a lot of visibility and money for the sport, which it needs. There's a lot of magical thinking on here from purists who believe track can get more popular by producing the same damn entertainment package it's been serving forever ("tHe SpOrT iSn'T bRoKeN"). Look at Eric Holt's situation, and many other athletes like him. The sport needs more mainstream traction so its best athletes can get sponsored and survive.

Honestly there are so many other reasons, but I don't want the US to take another golden opportunity to inspire a generation and grow track and field and completely squander it (Eugene 2022). AMERICAN TRACK HAS A NIKE PROBLEM. If we continue to rely on them to sponsor our sport, they will keep having their way with hosting all the big events in sleepy Eugene, which will NEVER become a big destination no matter how much Nike builds it. Even with more jobs and a new airport I've heard about and all of that infrastructure, it still won't put Eugene on the map. For this reason, I'm really glad this thread exists and I hope others begin to see it this way. The only other place that could logistically work as well would be Atlanta, but with 2028 looming, it needs to be Los Angeles.

The attendance for LA grand prix was pathetic.

Another track I’m not allowed to run on

San Jose and Sacramento don’t want meets. They don’t need to wait around for a USATF Championship to hold a track meet. if Los Angeles, Raleigh, Portland, and Nashville can put on independent meets then so could any other city. Look to the communities that are already putting their energy into the sport.

You're right. I think the point I'm making is that if we were able to go all in on having LA labeled as "Tracktown USA", have all the big meets there- USAs, Oly trials, NCAAs, Diamond League, more marketing towards the city as the destination for track, and deliver a more entertaining product for viewers, the attendance numbers would change. Not immediately, but it would put us in a much better position before the Olympics.

I don’t think all the big US meets should be in the same place. Doing that creates monotony and fatigue, which is one of the main problems we have with Eugene. Instead of having just one track town, how about USATF cultivating interest in the sport throughout the country.

The Washington DC/Arlington Area

Somewhere in or close to NYC

Boston

Philadelphia

All areas with existing tourist infrastructure that have hotel accommodations/mass transportation for ease of movement and enough cultural and tourist attractions.

I heard the DoJ is clamping down on USATF and Nike for just what you mentioned. Plus the USATF $3 million loss from Eugene 2022 Worlds is being investigated.

I will second Las Vegas. This time of year it's quite hot, but the weather is reliable. Sprinters do well in the heat, right? Wind is pretty negligible in June/July. It sucks for distance runners...could a large retractable roof stadium be built, hold the distance events in the morning with the roof closed, then open the roof for the sprints?

Las Vegas really can't be beat for accessibility and post meet entertainment options. A lot of fans might come and never end up making it to the meet, so there's that...

Way up in Alaska.

I am fascinated by anyone who can find interest in American football or baseball. But to each his own.

One of the chief reasons why T&F is not popular in America is because it is conducted by and large as an amateur sport. If athletes were paid anywhere near what a NBA or American footballer was being paid or even making a living wage, and were all showing the ostentatious lifestyle, there would be no problem with attracting fans to the sport. But this is another discussion for another day.

Who would you expect to be on this board besides fans of the sport? And you know full well that many fans of the sport don't know about this board and others who do, avoid it like the plague. As well, the majority of posters here are long distance fans only which has never been and never will be the marquee event of the sport.

Buck Owens Institute of Technology (aka Cal State Bakersfield) would be the best!

tickets would cost $500 under your propoasl

Sprinters do great in heat and humidity, but not the sort of heat you get in Vegas during the summer. No one can operate in that sort of heat. Vegas, does have the hotel accommodation infrastructure to support the influx, but the stadium would have to be built in walking distance of the strip or the city would have to develop additional mass transportation. It would definitely be a better location than Eugene.

I have neve been to an American football or NBA game. What is the cost of tickets?

Denver, Minneapolis, and Boston

I fed all the details into an AI engine and it spit out those3 cities.

Not too hot, not too windy, large airport, accessible to a large population, lots of hospitality options.

Las Vegas is the best place. Doha has an outdoor stadium with A/C at field level that works very well in 50 degree weather.