Agreed. As other posters have said, very groomery. And the comment on calling Ben Crawford “sugar daddy,” playful as it may be, isn’t appropriate for a 20-something “counselor” of high school-aged or incoming-college-freshman females. Gross.
Sorry, I don't follow TikTok celebs or whatever it is that made these people notable in 2023.
Emma Gee is a 26 year old who placed 9th at US Champs this year, and spends her free time arguing with high schoolers in Instagram comment sections, and mislabeling Asian Americans as “white males”.
Nikki [Hiltz] won US Champs 1500m this year, and just broke women’s mile AR last weekend. Our best shot to get a 1500m medal at World Champs next month. She is dating or used to date Emma Gee.
I had to Google Ben Crawford, he is a 23 year old runner who founded this Next Gen track club. His HS mile PR is a measly 4:44. He is trying to make US running more popular and well known.
Surprised Kennedy's daughter was involved in all of this...
I have grown disinterested in Chris Chavez and Citius Mag; however seeing these attics from another running “influencer” account makes me appreciate them a whole lot more.
Chavez might not be everyone's favorite but he's a lot more mature and not racist like some of the NewGens.
This is kinda shocking for just 9 months ago. kind of casual homophobia/misogeny you saw 15+ years ago - he leaves out the question words but it's implicit in the question is "[Would it be worse to have] a gay son or (t)hot daughter?"
I think ben crawford is basically a weirdo who went to oregon and got to know cooper and cole there, got to make and post videos of/with them, and has been riding that gravy train and pseduo-celebrity as far as he can (may have ended now)
1:54 to 2:16 is the race stuff...
To their credit it looked like a few kids got creeped out, and didn't seem to enjoy it. At least the one kids said he was more accepting. The race question made them a bit nervous actually. But peer pressure is a thing.
The guy in the baseball jersey interviewing people seems to be a clout-chaser and even through my screen I think the runners all felt it too-he's a hangers-on guy. But he's not one of the guys, as he's not even on the team.
Here is the most recent video on their YouTube page from the Festival of Miles. The video starts with 3-4 minutes of taking pictures of boys eating barbecue and then finishes with taking pictures of boys eating McDonalds.
A great comment on Emma's pink post (the 9-slide one she smartly made, with the screencaps before the original content was taken down):
This opportunity could have gone to a camper who actually produced running related content at camp. Isn’t ON's investment to help these youth become more educated/ familiar with running related content production and prepare them for that aspect of their potential future careers? You’d think they’d have constraints where the content they produce should all be hypothetically able to be used for running media- whether that’s socials, print, ads etc. if not- what’s the point?
If any of you have actually met Ben Crawford and his pack of immature tools, you'd know they are 25 year olds who are trying to be cool with high school kids, which is beyond disturbing. I've heard Ben say inappropriate things to high school kids numerous times and the whole vibe is one that is going to get them in trouble with the law sooner rather than later.
Their shtick is quickly becoming something brands don't want to associate with. I can say that internally On is becoming very aware of how unprofessional New Gen is and HOKA is in a very similar stage of pulling their contract from New Gen. Both of those companies pull from New Gen and Ben and his team are all but dead in the sport.
Recovering journo here. He just got lucky and timed his camp at the right time, and his Ducks connections took him the rest of the way.
I never really heard of this Ben Crawford guy or New Gen until recently. I did see from one of the youtube links above that New Gen has a youtube page. It seems like the videos with the distance guys are sophomoric with guys trying too hard and coming off as immature frat guys.
There is a video up with Abby Steiner that seemed to be in marked contrast to some of the other content and is actually very well-done. I'm guessing she is too classy and mature to get caught up in the type of other crap I've seen posted. Steiner comes off as someone that is level-headed and a good ambassador for the sport.
Take a behind-the-scenes look Abby Steiner's race weekend in NYC as she prepared to break the American record in the 300m. Special thanks to Abby and her tea...
Okay okay okay simmer down simmer down. I personally don’t check let’s run all that often and don’t have an account. I also have work, a life, and running that I have to attend to besides this. Ben Crawford isnt behind anything I’ve said or done. Period.
what was camp?
it originally was 10(5 boys, 5 girls) of some of the fastest kids in country, who were invited out to join. Then there were 10(5 boys, 5 girls) creatives that had to apply. 2 of the rising star girls(the fast runners) had to drop out because one got sick and the other is racing in Argentina. That’s leaving 8 girls total. thats why Littlefield joined the rising stars for the photos, so it could look even. 4 creatives, 4 rising stars.
It was set so we could actually get to know the people that we’d hopefully be working with as we got older. Having actual runners as your model is really good practice. We had a media car at every workout. We had time set apart to work on creative stuff and the runners got to learn about NIL and other things of that nature. Personally I learned a lot and got a lot out of having both the media and rising stars together.
no one wants to say anything because honestly it’s at a point where no matter what is said, everyone is getting dragged. I don’t defend or stand with new gen. No one is telling me what to say or do. I also don’t stand with Emma and this storyline people are trying to make out of our camp, because it was genuinely a really nice experience for everyone involved. Everything should’ve been handled a lot better on all fronts.
Interesting take if real (can't be sure these days).
Had this never happened and someone posted samples of the non-creepy photos/media skills learned, people would probably be more likely to support them--from your post they did do some good things and kids learned skills. But now, this a good thing because it exposes some of the things NewGeneration needs to fix (or might as well shut the entire op down).
No one is saying that because they are White they are racist. But Ben standing in a circle of White guys and baiting someone into saying we should eliminate all Asians sounds pretty fkin racist (TS @ 2:05):
No one is saying that because they are White they are racist. But Ben standing in a circle of White guys and baiting someone into saying we should eliminate all Asians sounds pretty fkin racist (TS @ 2:05):
To all these people saying this is some sort of witch hunt/cancelation, all most people are doing here is posting content NEW GEN HAS MADE THEMSELVES! They didn't make it up, they're simply posting publicly available content that seems to be getting a pass because there were no adults in the room paying attention to it until now.
2. to be real, New Gen honestly gave us all full creative freedom. If we wanted their guidance or if they genuinely thought we could come up with a better idea then they’d tell us. Every single photo and video that wasn’t shot by a counselor, were 100% our ideas.
3. yes actually. Waivers were signed. We all had a talk from Ben and the CU campus people. There were plenty safety measures taken.
1. Okay. Like I said previously, I think it's mostly the adults' responsibility to say something, rather than the campers. Still, I agree with what "I see some problems here" said a few comments up from this. Not saying anything leaves space for onlookers to make assumptions about how the people involved feel, and those assumptions may not be what the campers want people to think about them. That may not feel fair, but it's true. Also, most of the running community I've seen agreeing that the photos and NG's response was problematic have been the slightly older (recent post-collegiates and up) crowd. Those people tend to have a little more perspective and empathy for teens making some stumbles on the internet. I think if a camper were to put out a statement saying something to the effect of "sorry, I didn't mean to participate in something that perpetuates misogyny," they may be surprised by how well it's received. Yeah, some high school boys might call it "soft," but I guess they'd have to consider how much they value those boys' opinions.
2. So there wasn't necessarily any discussion about why the kids involved chose bullying as their shoot theme? Or did whoever wrote the NG apology try to connect it to high school movies, when that wasn't what the kids involved intended? I do think that the staff giving the kids creative freedom is a good thing to an extent; that's how the kids are going to learn to create things themselves. Still, purely from the view of the camp supposedly being a learning opportunity for young creators, it seems like the "professionals" could have been providing a more valuable experience with more workshopping or discussion throughout the creative process.
3. That's good to hear! I said in an earlier comment that I hoped CU was requiring certain precautions as a part of hosting the camp, and I'm glad that's true. From the amount of maturity the NG staff has been displaying, I wasn't sure if they would be considering that type of thing on their own.
I'm hoping CU peeps from the AD's office and/or the SIDs there are aware of this and LRC.
While many posts have just been critiquing content, there have been many that explicitly accuse these guys of being pedophiles, calling them "human scum", etc. I think it can be easy and tempting to participate in this sort of ever-escalating pile-on where it becomes difficult to distinguish valid criticism from alarming and potentially libelous accusations. I understand that it can seem invalidating to request that people temper their rhetoric but I truly think we should be careful about throwing around accusations of molestation or other serious crimes/misconduct. I don't know exactly how to say this without people on this thread accusing me of trying to defend everything the newgen people have done but some of the comments I've seen have been concerning for the reasons stated above.
While many posts have just been critiquing content, there have been many that explicitly accuse these guys of being pedophiles, calling them "human scum", etc. I think it can be easy and tempting to participate in this sort of ever-escalating pile-on where it becomes difficult to distinguish valid criticism from alarming and potentially libelous accusations. I understand that it can seem invalidating to request that people temper their rhetoric but I truly think we should be careful about throwing around accusations of molestation or other serious crimes/misconduct. I don't know exactly how to say this without people on this thread accusing me of trying to defend everything the newgen people have done but some of the comments I've seen have been concerning for the reasons stated above.
It is unsurprising that a track and field front for supporters of Bronze Age Pevert (aka BAP, Constin Alamairu) has been accused of such things.
This is the answer here. The problem isn't the stuff we see, the problem is this is only the stuff they want to be seen publicly. And even that is questionable.
NewGen has been a joke from the start. They started off as a youtube video that got a boost because Ben had always been the unpopular kid chasing the popular runners, quitting his own running to focus on only that. He followed to Oregon, and made friends with his "subjects." He was lucky during the pandemic that the Colleges were shut down, and the Summer Training was consolidated to Boulder, where social distancing was easier. But when reality set back in, and the NCAA saw what was happening, they pulled the plug.
The whole mindset of NewGen is flawed. Their "lane" was to criticize old people interviewing College kids, and how they could better relate. Good idea, in theory, but Father Time catches up with everyone. They are now all outside the College age, and their business model is broken. Their idea of revolutionizing the sport is..... print media? A magazine? Yeah, that'll disrupt the industry.
Everyone probably figured they'd flame out soon enough, and get real jobs once they realized their issues. But it seems they've now skewed younger, because there is no NCAA for HS athletes, as they get older themselves.
Ask yourself, look at the instagram posts they are tagged in, especially that bloggers mentioned on here before, would you want a 25 year old having these comments with your kids?
Was Ben a good XC runner himself? No snark, or just a fan who liked the sport? On one hand, I give him credit for chasing his dream of being in the media space with running. But on the other hand he comes off as immature.
First, this reads like a 12 year old trying to defend Deshaun Watson. There is no need for your opinions, especially since this sub knows your general views. I'm going to respond to each point u made. The first half of your statement is like me saying my friend not a racist because I know him. Absolute BS logic.
Them being different does not mean they have to be hurtful and reinforce horrific stereotypes. They could have totally gone about it differently.
New Gen is not groundbreaking. They haven't done anything to really change the dynamic of the sport. Part of it is outside their control but running camps, blogs, videos exist. They haven't changed the game to a point where I can give them props.
No one is blaming the campers except that Ryder kid. Jackson and the girl was probably told/came up with the idea with guidance from leadership and that is the main focus.
Emma Gee is right to call this out. She's a pretty good runner and a part of the community and New Gen has influence over how the community acts.
I mean yeah the LGBTQ+ community has been marginalized for years. Why shouldn't they use their voices to speak out
The Gay son thot daughter besides the obvious is so stupid, played out and no one talks about that anymore. Its not innovative or unique at all since its been done 20,000 times
Dominic now that ppl know who you really are, your need to be deplatformed before you get caught up.
The coolest running camp ever to exist. Special thanks to On for making this a reality for the second year in a row. -New Generation Track and Field Camp, Sp...
This is highly misleading, they played background music that said the n word. No one in the video from New Gen, or the campers said the word. Your phrasing made me think someone from New Gen would have said the n word.
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