Dean - the fans would think there is something wrong if a qb didn't curse at himself after throwing 4 INTs.
In fact remember when Derek Anderson got ripped for apparently smiling on the sidelines while his team was losing?
Webb did nothing wrong and I respect him even more after this episode. The only thing that sucks is that he will give boring and routine interviews from this day forward.
Instead of Webb cursing his head-off in front of high school kids, maybe he should learn something; respect.
A journalist reporting facts about a sports star's behavior in a public arena, he had no reason to believe he had any privacy, is perfectly justified. Those of you that are against letsrun reporting on something like this are the reason that track is not popular in America. Would the press have reported a story like this in any other major sport? of course, and it would be big news. Webb is a professional and if he doesn't want something like this to be reported then he should do it somewhere else.
If you've been paying attention, most (including the OP) aren't taking issue with reporting what happened, it's the editorializing that is the problem.
In_Ithaca wrote:
Those of you that are against letsrun reporting on something like this are the reason that track is not popular in America.
Do you really believe this?
We need a poll on the front page:
Do you think the letsrun article on Webb is:
A) Good: professional, justified, and fair
b) Despicable: mean-spirited and tabloid worthy
c) Don't care either way
Based on this thread, I have the feeling that 85% of posters think b) while letsrun editors and a few friends think a).
I'm disappointed that the writers of this piece didn't acknowledge that they screwed up, rewrote it or took it down. The justifications and comments by Tom Davis especially made it worse in my opinion.
Letsrun.com is perfectly fine for publishing this. This stuff happens all the time in big-time sports.
One of the reasons why I don't go to flotrack as they are basically PR people for athletes.
Did anyone ever see this?
Or this on Tiger Woods?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/tiger-woods-f-bomb-britis_n_650281.html
It's not like letsrun is reporting something they saw at a bar or a hotel. This was at the meet.
Reall it's not a big deal. Webb was pissed, overreacted and got caught.
Letsrun were the only one's with the balls to report it. You think Runnersworld is going to jeopardize a few million in Nike advertising by reporting this?
Flotrack? No chance. They freaking run Ray Flynn's website.
Congrats letsrun for standing firm.
Admittedly, I haven't read the thread. Thats just my opinion. At this point in my life, I consider myself a pretty casual track fan. This is the first article I've read about track in a while. I'm more likely to follow webbs progress this year after reading the article. I don't think im that unique.
Some of you are not reading the comments you're responding to. NOBODY SAID THEY SHOULDN'T REPORT WHAT HAPPENED. People objected to the mocking, sensationalist tone.
Telling people about Webb's post-race frustration is fine. Using loaded terms like "tantrum" and "meltdown" and talking about his coach's "complete failure" at helping improve Webb's attitude, those are the things people have a problem with.
get real wrote:
Or this on Tiger Woods?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/tiger-woods-f-bomb-britis_n_650281.htmlIt's not like letsrun is reporting something they saw at a bar or a hotel. This was at the meet.
Reall it's not a big deal. Webb was pissed, overreacted and got caught.
Letsrun were the only one's with the balls to report it. You think Runnersworld is going to jeopardize a few million in Nike advertising by reporting this?
Flotrack? No chance. They freaking run Ray Flynn's website.
Congrats letsrun for standing firm.
Wow you have it all wrong. Flotrack did the interview where all the bad behavior was self evident. Go look for yourself. Letsrun was there but they got scooped. Still this didn't stop them from writing a really bad article and claiming that the incident needed to be reported.
get real wrote:
It's not like letsrun is reporting something they saw at a bar or a hotel. This was at the meet.
Reall it's not a big deal. Webb was pissed, overreacted and got caught.
Letsrun were the only one's with the balls to report it. You think Runnersworld is going to jeopardize a few million in Nike advertising by reporting this?
Flotrack? No chance. They freaking run Ray Flynn's website.
Congrats letsrun for standing firm.
Other websites DID report this, but to a lesser degree. I agree with you that I appreciate the Brojos et al in having enough spine to say more than just, "Alan Webb was upset after his race" because that wouldn't convey the severity of his actions. However, I agree with this board that the tone of the article is over the top. Defending the word tantrum is a losing argument. I am glad the Brojos threw out even worse substitutes, but most people know that words have both denotative and connotative meanings. Most people associate the word tantrum with a toddler screaming and causing a lot of emotional distress for people in their vicinity. Webb's actions: isolating himself from everyone but his agent while he vented, is something else.
I also think that the article is fine if it was more clearly labeled as an opinion piece because everyone is entitled to their opinion, and they can hope it changes others' opinions too, but this was a mixed bag of facts and judgments that clashed with the Letsrun audience.
Brojos, if you think what Webb did constitues a "meltdown," you should watch this:
While there is no doubt now that Webb might have been better off had he done differently, and I am also impressed by his post-race venting via running a workout of sorts, to me the saddest thing is the distraction from Russell Brown having a superb race and Dejen Gebremeskel running 99% of a 7:35 3000m with a great finishing kick in ONE SHOE! The latter was, to me, the performance of the meet. Wow. You could see he had better traction on the left foot in the broadcast. Set Alan Webb aside for now. I think he was upset. Fine. Wow! 7:35! Great kick!! ONE SHOE!!
wejo wrote:
On a lighter note, I was saying to her, imagine if Michael Phelps at some preseason swimming meet when ballistic afterwards and was throwing stuff around and yelling and going beyond what anyone had seen before. Do you think it would be reported?
It would be picked up by some classless tabloid reporter, not a professional sports page.
I wonder if Tom found Phelp's behavior 'unacceptable' when Michael was busted for smoking pot. Of course, that was illegal and can't be compared to Alan venting some frustration after a bad race.
The only thing worse than a pompous journalist is a wanna be pompous journalist. You guys are total losers and showed your true colors.
Letsrun sucks and I have been heading more towards other sites now.
get real wrote:
Flotrack? No chance. They freaking run Ray Flynn's website.
they host sites not run them. there are others...Flynn Sports (webb, hall), Pace Sports (bolt's agent), Charisma Sports, Doyle Management (asafa powell), Total Sports (symmonds)
Reality Bath wrote:
This is admittedly a tangent, but the "Big Three" are essentially all on a "down cycle" for the first time in ten years, and are approaching thirty years of age. They seem to be beginning to unravel. There may be a brief "bounce back" or two, but the tide seems to have turned.
Continuing down this road, I will say this: Of the "Big Three" you refer to - Webb, Ritz, and Hall, the only guy in that trio that I believe has the talent and drive to pull off a gold medal World performance is Alan Webb. Ritz can't do it and Hall can't do it in their events. At the end of the day - everyone knows this.
Extend the conversation beyond this trio: Rupp won't do it, Solinsky won't do it, Teg won't do it. I could go on. Silver and Bronze remain possible for these others, but not Gold.
Webb is the one American (who is not a naturalized African), in my opinion, that has the fire and drive and talent to pull something off like a gold medal in a distance race.
And that is why, for all of his many flaws and disfunction and setbacks, I am compelled to pull for Webb more than any other American.
I see a few other journalists have weighed in. Let me add two bits as one who actually covers the sport:
First, LetsRun has always been a mix of amateur journalism mixed with a fan site. I don't think either of the Johnsons have ever been accused of practicing real journalism.
That they often do a credible and decent job is a tribute to their hard work.
Second, the article was fine. Webb is a public figure by law. Anything he does is fair game. I think some of the word choices were an attempt at imagery, and while imperfect, they certainly accurately conveyed what happened.
I've interviewed Webb. I've interviewed Ray Flynn. They are both decent guys. But the underlying issue here is what is newsworthy to what news outlet.
The article fits well with what LetsRun does and I would have thought what its readers would want to read. Runners World, however, is more of a jogger site and publication and I can't see Amby Burfoot doing the same article.
That doesn't mean what LetsRun published was wrong. These are different audiences.
I am surprised at all the adverse reactions on the message board, but I think it is mainly Webb fans who are upset that he is portrayed in a negative light. I am sorry, but all of our heroes have foibles.