The BTC bias is way too strong on these boards. They are everything people claim to hate about NOP.
Of course they are. They are basically NOP 2.0, or rather, AW 3.0. Just look at all the overlap between the teams.
What do they hate -- athletic success?
After 7+ years of investigations (recall "more than 2,000 exhibits, which ... included 30 witnesses and 5,780 pages of transcripts"), it looks like the NOP haters were pretty much completely wrong about NOP and doping. Why should we believe any of them now about BTC?
Exactly. Why can't they be like Flanagan and say something like:
I look at all dopers, and I don’t even look at the money. Yes, they steal money. But they’re stealers of dreams and stealers of moments.
Or demand tougher punishment for dopers:
Let’s say someone is working at a bank and they embezzle a bunch of money. The bank says, hey, you embezzled a bunch of money, so we’re going to fire you. You can’t work here anymore. But in, like, five years you can come back. We’re not going to get the money from you. You can keep the money. So you get, like, a five-year vacation. To me, these athletes need to give back the money that they stole from the other athletes and I believe that all the accolades should be erased from that day forward. They should not have any accolades to go with that.
I guess no athlete or coach, BTC or otherwise, finds it accurate to call an unknowing one time ingestion in the off-season which stole nothing from no one doping.
Looking at just Fisher's results from 2021, I'd say 5 of the 13 races were basically BTC time trials, and two others were heats (at US champs and Olympics). So we're down to 6 races of any substance
During Covid dude. Jeez, what does it take? Turn that frown upside down.
These athletes wanted to race, they wanted to train like normal, they wanted to travel but 2021 wasn’t normal times.
I applauded BTC when they set up time trials with team mates whom they new didn’t have Covid due to frequently being tested. They could have not done that.
Damed if you do damed if you don’t by a few posters on Letsrun that continue their agenda to put down those that do while they sit back do nothing but criticize.
There was a full DL schedule in 2021 despite covid where we saw 3 great races between Hassan and Kipyegon in addition to the Olympics. As a fan I want to see top athletes competing against each and not just in WC or the Olympics.
Covid didn't stop Clayton Murphy or other Americans from running in DL meets in 2021, which is the closest thing we have to a pro circuit.
I wont give them too much flack for the racing in the recent years due to COVID - but perhaps they should get some other "testing" done. Biggest issue for me is the defense and continued support of Houlihan. Admit the fault, do time and if you can come back and no issue. I apologize but I find it more difficult to root for their performances because of this.
Those things - records and championships - are part of entertaining. They are in the business of 'sports entertainment'. Seriously, if you look up the NBA, MLB, NFL, etc. on any business database, the industry in which they compete is 'Sports Entertainment'. If they weren't being paid to entertain, there'd be no reason for them to do any of it in front of anyone and/or publish the results. Cranny could just run a 10,000 on a random high school track and time it on her own stopwatch and no one needs to know about it if she's only doing it for herself. There's a difference between her and someone like me (and most LRC visitors) - I, in fact, do it for myself... I sometimes run my own time trials, just for the satisfaction, and I don't feel any need to tell anyone or publish any results and it's not broadcast. No one would be interested because I'm a hobby jogger running hobby jogger times. Cranny could do the same thing (albeit at a much higher level). But she chooses to sell her talent to Nike for a paycheck and in exchange she agrees to entertain.
This. If they expect to be compensated they have to perform to earn that compensation.
If these people raced more and were in the public eye more, more people would watch and they would earn more.
I'm old enough to remember talking to the top runners in the food tent after a major road race. They were accessible and they raced more often and people watched them on TV.
Some of the top road races- 10k's, 15k's marathons- were on network TV.
If only there were some type of league where the track athletes could compete weekly - that’s genius. Maybe it could be on TV and they could have prize money and a championship meet based on who scored the most points in their events? And have it take place in cities all over the world! Yeah, that’s the ticket. They would need to have a cool name for it though. Golden league maybe? Or what’s better than gold - diamonds! They should call it Diamond League.
Maybe we could add our own, Domestic Diamond League type thing.
I watch the DL but, for the average American to become a track fan, I think we need a domestic version.
My point is that I think the athletes have to be in the public eye more often- like NBA, MLB, NFL- is continuous during their seasons.
The fact these performers are on a podcast (I’m not on a podcast) likely checking off a contract requirement to try and remain relevant to the public tells me they are doing this not just for themselves. They might like to think they are running for themselves but that paycheck doesn’t come from within, it is given by a corporation or organization that expects something in return for their performance.
If only there were some type of league where the track athletes could compete weekly - that’s genius. Maybe it could be on TV and they could have prize money and a championship meet based on who scored the most points in their events? And have it take place in cities all over the world! Yeah, that’s the ticket. They would need to have a cool name for it though. Golden league maybe? Or what’s better than gold - diamonds! They should call it Diamond League.
Maybe we could add our own, Domestic Diamond League type thing.
I watch the DL but, for the average American to become a track fan, I think we need a domestic version.
My point is that I think the athletes have to be in the public eye more often- like NBA, MLB, NFL- is continuous during their seasons.
They've tried this with the American Track League, Sound Running etc. Ultimately, athletes looking to dodge each other, shoe company tiffs, control freak coaches etc. mean that outside of Pre and Millrose the American meets leave something to be desired. There're more than enough athletes based in the US for a loaded meet.
Not sure about Grant and Rojo/Gault, but I know Elise and Dominic are friends so it's natural she would go on his podcast. Athletes use podcasts as a way to expand their fanbase/update their fans in a unique way so not quite sure what you're saying.
Ill also add that right before the comments about the Misconceptions she stated that "watching Shelby, ... being surrounded by people that keep elevating the bar" Lots of people doing things there but to name her first doesn't work for me.
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