Trayvon Bromell DQd for false start in Birmingham- should they have just let him run?

Of course i want to see them race...honestly.

In the 80s and 90s and even early 2000s, many meets had false starts by a favorite or someone who was sure to place 7th or 8th.

And to be truthful, no name to me is more important than another when a race starts; hence, the disqualification of a favorite in the sport means just a different winner...even when it was Usain Bolt.

The one and done keeps the START from being tactical and makes racing about the two main factors: reaction time and speed.

By arguing against the rule going forward with Bromell as the example, you've made it an argument about who a false start will rattle moving into the restart and who won't.

The rule as it is puts equal apprehension on all...including the favorite.

It is plenty fair.

Def fair as it is. If they where allowed to race but not be eligible for placement/prizes then that’d be confusing for the fans. And where does it stop? Would times be record eligible/official? If not, I’d imagine an elite sprinter would chose not to run anyway to avoid injury risk, esp if they get an appearance fee.

Sure, destroy all the rules of competition and the validity of any results by saying anything goes for the best ones, a rotating cast determinable by whom?

The current rule is absolutely fair, but is it better than the old rule? I’m not sure and am interested in hearing informed input about the relative merits. As a fan, I don’t like it.

Interview with Ato Bolden:

Q:If you could change one thing in the world of athletics what would it be and why?
A: That’s easy, the false start rule. I would go back to the way it was before. One false start to the field and then eliminating people. I wouldn’t go back to letting people have one individual false start though.

Not practical to give multiple start opportunities. If we want to see pure speed and not worry about sprinters trying to guess when sprint event will start, have sprinters sprint 200m dash on straightaway. Currently a challenge due to design of many multi-use stadiums. Two-hundred-twenty yard dash on straightaway was a high school and college event through mid-1960's in U.S. Mostly guys didn't have to worry about coming out of starting blocks 1st. Mostly guys didn't have to worry about stride length on the turn and sprinting out of lane. Two-hundred twenty yard dash was the only pure sprinting event. Start and first 15m were not that important and concern about drifting out of lane was not much of an issue. If we want to see pure speed for entertainment, 200m dash on straightaway.

Rules have to make sense.

Yeah I get that there is a broadcast schedule, integration with other things, etc, so this might be the best rule all-around.

But as a sprinter, it sucks. Absolutely. A workable compromise IMO was one to the field—BUT EVEN THEN, it should be on a case-by-case basis. Shxt, remember when someone threw a bottle behind Dolt in the set position in that huge race? He didn’t jump, but if he had, no way should he have been out.

One freebie to the field, with legitimate exceptions decided by on-site officials WHO HAVE ACTUALLY EVER RACED SPRINTS.

And most importantly, starters WHO HAVE ACTUALLY EVER RACED SPRINTS.

Sounds good to me. I’ll go with you and Ato on this question. Let’s change the rule back and give the best sprinters the best chance to actually run the race.

No. There is a 2016 fox sports article (i don't post links but it's online) that has my same sentiment.

One of the key parts addressed the one to the field and then a DQ. Basically, it said by doing this, you're not changing much once there is a false start. It then addressed the exact nerves and different strategy of someone who might be affected more by the false start than others.

Taking this into account, yes this could very well mean that the favorite gets knocked out with a one and done, plus the case by case officials WHO KNOW SPRINTS...will also know the sprinters. This allows possible favoritism and nationalism to factor into the judgment in your system.

Therefore, in order to ensure completely objective racing, regardless of the fans, an absolutely definitive system has to be in place...without question.

That is why one and done is best for racing integrity.

We can't just play favorites for the favorites.

That's exactly what you want to see for your entertainment.

You can use Ato to increase your credibility in your mind, but Ato wasn't racing under any of those rules in his era.

Evidence in the Olympics following the 2011 decision showed false starts declined by over 60% in 2012.

If the new young generation has focus issues, coaches need to train them to focus.

The rule is sound in integrity.

Correction: 2011 World Championships, not 2012 Olympics

(10 false starts instead of 33)

What is an unintentional false start? I don't believe there is any such thing. Have you ever been in a friendly fist fight? Neither have I, because there is no such thing as a friendly fist fight or an unintentional false start.

Rules are rules. If someone doesn't like the rules, lobby to change them. But in the mean time stop with the whining and crying. It's a p!ss poor example some of you are setting for kids.

P.S. I hope some of you posters don't have kids.

I'd rather be old and dumb, then to be young and smug.

Your last line, if you were smart you'd know it's, "Go back off in your own Jack yard." Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

"Live Free Or Die"

we need a "false start line" for DLs.

basically, if you false start you aren't dq'd, but you've now got to start 5 meters behind everyone else.

Why would you change for DL?

It's a competition for money.

A false start and requisite DQ means no purse today.

That's basically saying that...while rules are rules, my man needs money.

No. That is not ethical

yeah, there shouldn't be DQs in exhibition meets

Diamond League is an exhibition?

Would they agree in Brussels? Oslo? Doha? Lausanne?

Or are you just being American again?

No, for many reasons.

One extra is that imagine technically winning a race but finishing 2nd to a DQ'd athlete.

It is actually an interesting question/predicament. You don't want to remove your stars from the meets 1) you have fans who paid money to come and watch the best athletes run and not just get introduced and 2) it's a terrible return on your investment as I'm sure Bromell was paid around 15k in travel and appearance money to be there.

At the same time you can't have no regulation of false for obvious reasons. Because if you did it won't be long before races become farcical with guys trying to anticipate the gun and just be legal the way they did back before the new rules.

I would definitely separate one day meets and championships. I think the rules in championship meets are fine - reacting to the gun fairly is part of championship running, but in these meets I would go back to the old system of allowing 2 false starts per race but not by the same person. So in this case Bromell could false start but he can't do it again and then there is one more false start allowed (by someone else if it happened) before instant DQ. Before anyone jumps up and down about that, remember that the majority of block start races are horribly affected by timing glitches these days anyway which bring the fields back multiple times anyway. Sorting out this issue would also be top of priority (ie. moving away from pressure sensors and maybe going to some kind of lazer technology across the start line in the same way that they do the horizontal jumps now).

He shouldn't be allowed to run in the race after a false start DQ as it could impact those other runners. Have him run separately later on to appease the fans.

For races in blocks, let them run. If there was a false start, DQ that runner/s at the finish line. It hurts the runners who didn't false start to have to recover and recompose before trying it again.

Sprints are hard races because they're so short. Every false start takes a little bit out of your legs. Sprinters don't train their bodies for false starts. If you false start, you should get a red card at the finish line. Not one and done at the starting line. Like other posters have said, but I want to see X, Y, or Z run. Well with the red card rule you'd still get to see X, Y, and Z run. But their time/place wouldn't count if they were DQ'd.