Symmonds barred from London DL?

Cristal Palace wrote:

A Duck wrote:

Ian Stewart is a pig, plain and simple. The gall to tell Nick and Lolo they are "liabilities," the man ought to know better the sacrifices these people make to make it in a niche sport with few chances to make a living.

Did you forget that Stewart's best years were in the amateur era? He received no monetary awards for his Olympic medal or his Commonwealth and World Cross Country titles.

Did you forget that this pig has been making a living off athletes backs ever since? He's gained a sense of entitlement and superiority and he is using it now to serve in judgment over the little athletes of the day.

Barring Lolo Jones, for what? Virginity?

For chrissakes, if you support Stewart you are pathetic.

Stewart probably took money under the table in his day, and now that he's got his, he chooses to fck the individual athletes of the day. It's pathetic that a sour old shthead in his 60's should be allowed to lord over these athletes.

I hope he gets his and is brought down.

Symmonds, and Lolo, and anyone else that this prick has told they were "liabilities" ought to go after him in the British press and legally by every means they can.

Dwain Chambers is not a liability, and these two are?

Crazy.

I understand that there are many Americans that think like you do. But that doesn't make it right. You think that sideshows are good for the sport. Ian Stewart disagrees with you. You are both entitled to your opinions. However, his opinion carries a little more weight.

The whole idea that our sport needs people like Lolo and Nick, is hogwash. The Meet will go on as planned and no one outside of the US will notice their absence. Lolo and Nick need these Meets more than the Meets need them.

For the record, I am an American.But I understand where the term THE UGLY AMERICAN comes from. It is pretty understandable that non Anericans would not want to reward UGLY AMERICANS.

It's simple.

SH & IS are trying to bust

http://trackandfieldathletesassociation.org/

daddy big bucks wrote:

I understand that there are many Americans that think like you do. But that doesn't make it right. You think that sideshows are good for the sport. Ian Stewart disagrees with you. You are both entitled to your opinions. However, his opinion carries a little more weight.

The whole idea that our sport needs people like Lolo and Nick, is hogwash. The Meet will go on as planned and no one outside of the US will notice their absence. Lolo and Nick need these Meets more than the Meets need them.

For the record, I am an American.But I understand where the term THE UGLY AMERICAN comes from. It is pretty understandable that non Anericans would not want to reward UGLY AMERICANS.

Another person who doesn't seem to understand that if you take the personalities out of the sport you eventually kill the popularity of the sport. Sideshows bring interest and attention to a sport which doesn't get much normally. Maybe next year when the Olympics are gone and Ian has smaller ratings and attendance for his meet(s), he'll catch on, it will be too late be he never was a quick learner.

daddy big bucks wrote:

I understand that there are many Americans that think like you do. But that doesn't make it right. You think that sideshows are good for the sport. Ian Stewart disagrees with you. You are both entitled to your opinions. However, his opinion carries a little more weight.

The whole idea that our sport needs people like Lolo and Nick, is hogwash. The Meet will go on as planned and no one outside of the US will notice their absence. Lolo and Nick need these Meets more than the Meets need them.

For the record, I am an American.But I understand where the term THE UGLY AMERICAN comes from. It is pretty understandable that non Anericans would not want to reward UGLY AMERICANS.

You are the Ugly American. Because you are an intolerant a$$hole. And you're stupid as well. Light on the thinking.

The point these athletes run for a living, penalizing them for having personalities, or self promoting, would be like penalizing the meets for having personality.

You don't address the obvious issue that they are being penalized out of Stewart's greed and control freak ways. Not to mention his acting like an intolerant old fart. His way or the high way. F-him, he'll be dead soon enough.

These young athletes are au currant, they are of the times, and they are not bad people, nothing they have done is illegal or horrible.

The fact that you agree with this hateful old fart puts you in bad company.

Your attitude is ugly.

It is a shame that you think so little of Track and Field that you think there needs to be sideshows. I guess I just enjoy the sport more than most.

daddy big bucks wrote:

It is a shame that you think so little of Track and Field that you think there needs to be sideshows. I guess I just enjoy the sport more than most.

What a load of crap.

You are judging them as "sideshows," so it has nothing to do with enjoying the sport.

As for Ian Stewart, does he really think, or, how could any intelligent adult think that with the run up to the OG's that Lolo and Symmonds could actually cause any distraction from the British Press covering the British Athletes and other stars with more of a lock on a medal than these two.

This was clearly an act of some sort of prejudice.

Why isn't you are not intelligent or classy enough to realize that painting these athletes with a stigma like "liabilities" is a load of sht?

Usain Bolt, by the same standards, would then be a major liability, with his showboating and partying and car accidents etc.

You are just afraid to look yourself in the mirror and realize what an intolerant and unimaginative boring person you are.

Lolo Jones's story of survival and accomplishment, is an amazing story.

Nick Symmonds is a well spoken and well thought out guy.

You and Stewart are guilty of being judgmental old farts.

You want to carp, carp about hip hop starts and light weight celebrities and truly vapid people.

IF you intelligently enjoy the sport, then you ought to be rooting for the Symmonds and Jone's of the sport who are trying to marketing themselves and survive and bring vitality to the sport.

What? You just want a bunch of nameless, faceless, automatons our there running for your pleasure?

You probably thought Dave Wottle was an ahole for wearing a golf hat while he ran...

Money under the table isn't going to be a £100,000 bonus for an Olympic medal.

He doesn't like Lolo for whatever reason. Everyone here can disagree with it, but when you talk about legal action, what process do you suggest? A McDonald's doesn't have to sell me a hamburger of they don't want to. The only provision I know of in the Diamond League to guarantee entry is to have won a previous Diamond competition. That not having standing here, on what basis would you recommend persuing legal action?

has to be said wrote:

Why isn't you are not intelligent or classy ....

Priceless.

They'd have to find some legal action under British Law.

These kind of athletic meetings are something of a public trust, as they take place on public facilities.

Of course legal action in the UK is much more difficult.

What goes around certainly comes around, and Ian Stewart will be made to pay his.

This action on his part...he could have just told them "no, we're full." He went the extra mile to tell them they were "liabilities." Pure horseshit.

daddy big bucks wrote:

has to be said wrote:

Why isn't you are not intelligent or classy ....

Priceless.

What I don't get about the internet is that people compose, and recompose all the time, we all have laptops all over the house, and ipads/tablets, get interrupted and "mis-recompose." BFD, you can certainly figure out that the person thinks you are a boring and hateful old fart (your original post).

+1

You can't escape that.

Why would the Schumacher group be on the list? Makes no sense. They are the low profile opposites of Nick/Lolo. If you're qualified you should run. I've always enjoyed Lolo's twitter feed.

suburbanxcore wrote:

Lolo tweeted saying she has been shut out of the London DL as well, and Solinsky said his whole group is on their blocked list.

The whole issue all boils down to drugs.

First of all both nick and Lola are bona fidel medal threats, so in no way, shape or form can we characterize them as "sideshows.".

Secondly, there is no doubt ths is Ian Stewart in cohoots with usatf to try to send some sort of misguided sponsorship message to two athletes who are working outside the box to try to make a living.

I loathe our governing body.

Sorry but you're comparing apples and oranges when you compare Symmonds to Bolt.

Bolt can get away with the off track antics because he is the best 100/200 sprinter ever. Symmonds is just another guy who will place in the top 3-5 at even a DL meet as small as this one.

I'm sure this will go over your head, but Stewart's job isn't to provide a venue for Symmonds to promote himself. His duty is to put on a track and field meeting. He obviously doesn't like Symmonds and therefore does not invite him to his meet. Symmonds is not very important in the grand scheme of the Diamond League and his not being there won't hurt the meet in the slightest.

Those calling for legal action are pathetic. Running should be settled on the track. Since Symmonds is not a superstar in the sport, he can't dictate terms to meet directors. When he reaches the level of Bolt, he can run his mouth all day long and they will put him in the meet.

I've got nothing against Symmonds, Jones, etc, and I like to see a good meeting on the track, but I do think they believe they are bigger stars than they actually are. They seem to think that by doing unusual things to market themselves they can make up for their lack of ability. Unfortunately, they just aren't good enough to attract major sponsorship or to change anything with the sport. If Symmonds had some brains he would stop making it about him and work behind the scenes among the actual top flight athletes to effect change (e.g. convince people to boycott meets or to form a union). In the end, you will see that he is powerless to do anything because nobody really cares if Symmonds misses a meet. The big stars aren't going to miss a paycheck to help Symmonds and his cause.

Some of Symmonds ideas are not bad but stuff like the Paris Hilton thing are pathetic and he lost me when he came up with that idea. I don't understand why people cannot see the narcissism there and think he is some innovative genius. Track is ultimately a sport and not a reality TV show. If you cannot see the difference then it is you who is not an intelligent fan.

Has any of Ian's supporters ever met the "man"? He is a small prick in the Simon Cowell mold. An elitist @sshole who supports only agents who think like he does. Check who is in the meet and draw your own conclusions.

For a former athlete to try to hurt today's athletes who stand out is just as repulsive as when Mark Nenow did the same thing with athletes when he was with Nike.

Brojos are probably not covering it for fear of backlash from sponsors and Ian Stewart's cronies. Plus they'll get banned from covering that shite of a meet @ Crystal palace.

All very interesting and one wonders indeed what IS was paid by Birmingham City Councill as a reward for bringing his Mrs and the team to base in the city ..... all seems very incestuous ...shame for Symonds in this day of free speech he is being unfairly treated

Why aren't the Brojos covering this? I am a big fan of this site because it is not afraid to confront the issues that hold our sport back. For the athletes, sponsorship issues and governing bodies that step between them and potential earnings have been longstanding roadblocks to financial success and career sustainability.

What's the deal guys?