The really shocking thing about that book review is that the reviewer appears to take at face value everything that Cain says. I have no intention of buying the book, but I would like to hear what Cain says about her own parents' role in her life, her own decision to forego a serious college education to focus on her athletic career, her own attempt to return to Salazar's coaching after so many setbacks and so much alleged abuse, and so many other matters that might give an objective observer reason not to take everything she says at face value.
We are always hind sight 20/20 on these things. Do you recall being 16? I do. And if I was literally the fastest HS kid in the country and the pros came a knockin, I just don't know that i would have been able to say no. At 16 I liked girls, attention, sports and money. It's like saying an actor should say no to a movie role because they should go to college first? I agree with you, but I bet 95% of us would go pro. In this specific, best-ever circumstance.
You're describing a choice dozens of really good high school baseball players have to make every year; take a college scholarship or sign with the MLB team that drafted them. It's not that Cain necessarily made the wrong choice, though she might have. I think the question here is how valid her claims of being mistreated are.
She was a really young kid the first time she ran outdoor USAs. She showed up with a stuffed animal in the mixed zone. How soon after that was she living out in Portland? Even part time?
I’d have to look it up but the answer seems to be “too soon” .
A more general point about this thread: The main issue is I’m not sure we’re discussing the same set of “facts” because of the way the review is written.
Just read the review and this line stood out. “Despite her amazing early running success and the honors she helped the team win, the older girls on the team shunned and bullied her, and some of their parents were even worse. And the coach did nothing to stop the abuse.“
Look at the sleight of hand from the reviewer. First we have shunning (passive), then bullying (active) and then abuse (very severe) not being stopped by the coach.
But did Cain really allege “abuse” by her high school teammates not stopped by her coach? Prior to this book she is on the record saying “I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike” but now are we alleging “abuse” by her high school team? Have we heard that word before with her high school team or is the reviewer taking liberties?
That is a severe allegation unless you define abuse differently than I do . But maybe we need to wait until we see what specifically she is alleging.
I think you all are making too much out of what the "reviewer" said. This is not a critical analysis looking for the truth, rather it is a fan describing the book. In a way to make people read his review. Pretty much like when you guys are interviewing controversial athletes.
She was a really young kid the first time she ran outdoor USAs. She showed up with a stuffed animal in the mixed zone. How soon after that was she living out in Portland? Even part time?
I’d have to look it up but the answer seems to be “too soon” .
A more general point about this thread: The main issue is I’m not sure we’re discussing the same set of “facts” because of the way the review is written.
Just read the review and this line stood out. “Despite her amazing early running success and the honors she helped the team win, the older girls on the team shunned and bullied her, and some of their parents were even worse. And the coach did nothing to stop the abuse.“
Look at the sleight of hand from the reviewer. First we have shunning (passive), then bullying (active) and then abuse (very severe) not being stopped by the coach.
But did Cain really allege “abuse” by her high school teammates not stopped by her coach? Prior to this book she is on the record saying “I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike” but now are we alleging “abuse” by her high school team? Have we heard that word before with her high school team or is the reviewer taking liberties?
That is a severe allegation unless you define abuse differently than I do . But maybe we need to wait until we see what specifically she is alleging.
I think you all are making too much out of what the "reviewer" said. This is not a critical analysis looking for the truth, rather it is a fan describing the book. In a way to make people read his review. Pretty much like when you guys are interviewing controversial athletes.
The reviewer (I'm not sure why you chose to put quotation marks around that word) is Ed Fox, who is described as the "longest tenured employee of Track & Field News," who has been with the magazine since August 1965, and who was the magazine's publisher "for many years" and "now serves as Publisher Emeritus." Track & Field News has long been regarded as "the bible of the sport," as close to an objective, trustworthy, and authoritative publication as you will find in track and field. Your speculation that the review is merely a fan's description of the book "in a way to make people read his review" is silly. Rather, it is a sloppy and unprofessional article in a publication that has a well-earned reputation for careful reporting.
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LOL you cited fragments of Ed's description. Agenda much?
The full statement is:
"The longest tenured employee of Track & Field News, hardcore fan Ed Fox has been at it with the magazine and its tours since August of 1965. For many years the enterprise’s Publisher, he now serves as Publisher Emeritus."
---> He is described as "employee" and "fan", not as "reviewer".
LOL you cited fragments of Ed's description. Agenda much?
The full statement is:
"The longest tenured employee of Track & Field News, hardcore fan Ed Fox has been at it with the magazine and its tours since August of 1965. For many years the enterprise’s Publisher, he now serves as Publisher Emeritus."
---> He is described as "employee" and "fan", not as "reviewer".
No, that's incorrect. Fox is very specifically identified as the author of the review, as well as everything else that I have noted. The fact that he is further described as a "hardcore fan" of the sport doesn't undermine his credentials; in fact, it would be odd if the "longest tenured employee of Track & Field News," longtime publisher of the magazine, and current publisher emeritus of Track & Field News were not a hardcore fan of the sport. It would, in fact, be a pretty hellish way to spend one's entire adult life.
(In fairness, I should probably note that the magazine's description of Fox as a "hardcore fan" may be a way of distancing Track & Field News from Fox's review, because Fox is not the current publisher of the magazine and is likely not a current employee of the publication, so he likely does not speak as an agent for the magazine itself.)
This post was edited 14 minutes after it was posted.
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additional caveat
Which part of my post is incorrect? a) Clearly you left out that he is also described as fan, and b) clearly he is described as "employee" and "fan", not as "reviewer", as I wrote.
We are always hind sight 20/20 on these things. Do you recall being 16? I do. And if I was literally the fastest HS kid in the country and the pros came a knockin, I just don't know that i would have been able to say no. At 16 I liked girls, attention, sports and money. It's like saying an actor should say no to a movie role because they should go to college first? I agree with you, but I bet 95% of us would go pro. In this specific, best-ever circumstance.
You're describing a choice dozens of really good high school baseball players have to make every year; take a college scholarship or sign with the MLB team that drafted them. It's not that Cain necessarily made the wrong choice, though she might have. I think the question here is how valid her claims of being mistreated are.
Yeah. Going pro at 18 is the norm in most sports. I think people also seem to forget just how good she was, especially by 2012-13 standards. She was not just another high school phenom. She was already world class. She made the finals in the 1500 at worlds, ahead of people like Laura Weightman, Cory McGee, Gelete Burka, and Senbere Teferi.
The hardest thing with an athlete who is that good, that young, is getting them to be patient. They have to understand that they can't expect a continual linear progression in performance. Alan Webb had a similar issue at Michigan. He actually had a pretty solid freshman year, but he expected to dominate, and one little injury was enough to make that unrealistic.
I’m about as interested in this book as I am in sucking Donald Trump’s toes. Nada.
I was bullied by the volleyball team so I found my tribe in track/XC. I’m not saying bullying is ok; it’s not and I really wish parents did more about it. But I’m also firmly ensconced in middle age and I dunno, move on? Deal with it in therapy? I’m assuming assault wasn’t involved.
It’s just difficult for me to figure out why she’s beating this dead horse other than attention seeking or needs money from a book.