Why Was A Man With A 10-Year Doping Ban Enjoying The 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials From The Nike Sky Box?

I think those are all good points, Rojo.

Please include me among those who think Nike's Block in the Box (catchy, huh?) is a worthwhile pursuit.

We could have another discussion on journalism and the use of anonymous sources -- but that's reporting 101 stuff we could save for another time.

I will say -- and this should not amaze you -- for a lot of people the message board is the main part of the site and the feature with which most people associate with letsrun.com. Anybody who knows about letsrun knows about the forum. On the other hand, who knew ESPN and CNN had forums?

As an example, I have the forum bookmarked under favorites and there are days when I never even look at the front page. I learned about your Block story here and followed the link to the front page.

The forum community is the best part about the site. And the worst. What is frustrating is there seems to be no effort to improve on what is worst.

Sorry to take the Block in the Box off on a tangent. Keep up the good work.

dd wrote:

Honestly people, do you need one of the site owners to come spell out the difference between the main page and the message boards? Are you that dense?

Go to the NY times-- you will find articles, followed by comments. Many just as strange as those found on LR.

Ditto for the Washington post.

Ditto for pretty much any major newspaper that exists.

If we only get to trust media outlets without (sometimes idiotic) comment sections, there is no media to trust. Many of the conspiracy-minded will say "exactly!", but the rational people among us can tell the difference between a story with a byline and an anonymous post. It really isn't hard.

To be fair, The NY Times doesn't have in bold on their main navigation menu a link to their "World Famous Commenf System"

[quote]rojo wrote:

2) It amazes me that people can't separate the messageboard from the main part of our site. CNN and ESPN have boards/comment sections and people don't slam them for that.

Is it just because ours is more prominently highlighted? Well we think the community is the best (and worse) part of LRC and unless everyone in America wants to pay $5 per month to use LetsRun like they do ESPN, we do need the advertising.

We do not control what people write.

3) Will we require registration? No we will not as lots of valuable posts come from the anonymity. Just as people in the Nike suite with BLock didn't want their names used here, people have legitimate reasons not to post under their names.

[quote]

Rojo,

I think the thing most of us have a problem with is the lack of consistency in monitoring the boards. Often little to no reason or consistency with what is deleted or allowed to stand. Often it seems to us that depends on personal preferences for you or Wejo or who is monitoring the board if any. Vile thinsg are left to stand about others but truthful things about a friend or associate of yours is immediately deleted.

We also know that you both see alot of what is posted as you are both frequent posters as well, so when you let slander and smearing and false accusations to occour and we know you have seen it and let it stand it reflect not just on the site but on you as well.

Despite the inconsistent monitoring and often personal attacks that hurt in the sport, you still promote the message board very prominately as a major part of the website. CNN and ESPN do not do so and most feel they probably don;t know what is even said on their message board, but we know that you do by your regular posting and comments. You have linked yourself very heavily with your message baord.

As to point #3, as a previous poster pointed, anonymous posting is still possible if registration is required.

If you run the message boards as you do you will be forever linked to them, like it or not and many athletes and coaches and agents will treat you accordingly.

While it isn't you posting the things we hate and are unfair, you enable that anonymous hatred to florish and be unchecked (for the most part). Since this sport is what we do for a living, we hate it when rivals or haters can cowardly hide and attack us while being hidden. Since you defend and enable that we don't want to have much to do with you.

When I talk about attacks I am not talking about opinions or differences in opinions or similar things but cowardly attacks by rivals meant to tarnish our image, make us less marketable and thus enhance their position. Your message board handling puts many good people in a position to either have to suffer silently at the hand of cowards and scum or lower ourselves to their level and fight back (which is bad for the sport).

What I and many others ask for is either consistent and active monitoring of the boards or to require registration. Without either, many will continue to cringe when you ask a question at a press conference or request a interview and not go out of their way to be forthcoming with answers because you enable the cowardly attacks that plague them and their public image.

Listen, calling for accountability when you have a history of allowing public figure athletes to be lied about and called gay...doesn't garner you a legit reputation in the adult world.

rojo wrote:

5) Before we published this, I said to Weldon, "How much would it take for you not to publish it?" And sadly, there was a figure we agreed to.

Everyone has a price.

So... what was the price?

basically the rojo's uncovered some of the dirty truth of just how dirty tnf is. As another guy said, business as usual.

Nothing will come of this. Nike, Armstrong, and the rest have an army of lawyers for when this stuff hapens.

I'm thrilled by the response so far. Over a hundred responses and 90% of them must be in support

Your goons are busy deleting the rest.

lol.

this is the last guy anyone in sports wants to see.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2009/02/ipt/1233712535.jpg

Again, agree.

The brojo's once gave me, via email, the excuse that they tolerated Rupp being called gay and worse on this board, because they understood that "fans" out there were jealous of the support Rupp has gotten his entire career .

How are those two the same thing?

Criticize...if you are jealous and immature, one example, probably the only example in the world of an athlete being discovered so young by a former would class marathoner and athletics apparel executive etc., is one thing.

Allowing anonymous immature people to call a public figure (as all of these athletes are) just because they are of average looks) is a Different thing.

Showing a lack of sensitivity about our sports stars being called gay, or ugly (in the case of some of the women)...I mean come on...how can this not be considered a Gutter site?

take the complaints about the boards to a different thread.

this block/jeter thing is a legit red flag that needs to be looked into further.

Sooo....back to this whole convicted drug cheat topic.

If he were just a suspected drug cheat, then this would be speculation.

But this guy has 10 year ban and is hanging out with Nike, having dinner with the athletes, and going down to where players walk by.

He is not the problem. The fact that Nike and the athletes can associate with him without any repercussions is the problem.

ROJO!

Way to go! Where was ESPN or NBC or SI? Beat them all to the second biggest story of the games.... the first being USATF being caught with their heads in the sand over the "tie."

ps I would rather laugh, groan, and ignore loser message board posters than spend 5 minutes filling out a registration form!

pps thanks for being honest that everyone has a price.....however that probably is the truth behind this story....everyone has a price.

who gives a fcuk who is watching a Track meet and from where? Just make sure the competitors are clean, what's next piss tests for spectators? Booo Hisss LetsRun.com This is not a scoop. Bad move.

who gives a fcuk who is watching a Track meet and from where? Just make sure the competitors are clean, what's next piss tests for spectators? Booo Hisss LetsRun.com This is not a scoop. Bad move.

why the heck would jeter and richardson publicly be seen with Block? Richardson put this on twitter? Have they no shame?

agip wrote:

why the heck would jeter and richardson publicly be seen with Block? Richardson put this on twitter? Have they no shame?

stupid and carless.

The complaints are clearly people that are sympathetic to block and his crew and want to shift the focus. This is a huge story that needs to be followed up on. Why aren't you guts that are complaining asking for simple clarifications from Nike usatf, Jeter, etc? That would solve all of this.

Hayduke wrote:

ps I would rather laugh, groan, and ignore loser message board posters than spend 5 minutes filling out a registration form!

with OAuth affiliation, you wouldn't have to. you could assert your facebook or other social media credentials and login with that.

I have absolutely no idea why people are trying to shift focus to the quality of the messageboard when we have A MAN BANNED FROM THE SPORT FOR A DECADE sitting in the VIP Nike section at the sports biggest meet.

This guy was a major player in the biggest scandal in our sport.