Absolutely the #1 problem with running as a spectator sport

The #1 problem with running as a spectator sport is that it is exceptionally boring to watch. I say this as a person who loves the sport, but it’s NASCAR on legs.

Wavelight is a step in the right direction, at least from a spectator perspective.

Track and field in general has limited appeal as a spectator sport. Long distance running on the road and track only attracts runners as fans, and most of the casual participants in your local 5K to marathon (if you call them "runners") aren't interested in watching either of them. There's nothing to fix here and this isn't going to change, it's never going to be a big time spectator sport.

Stoppit Smith wrote:

The reality is that...we want a better time without respect nor deference to those who paved the way.

In Golf, Eldrick "Tiger" Woods still respects Jack and Greg before him.

In hockey, the names Wayne, Gordie and Bobby are common...they represent tje sport.

MLB has Carew, Yazstremski, McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, Mantle, Maris, Aaron, Ripken, Jr., Etc....mad respect.

Also, the Unit, Rocket, Doc, etc.

(Disclaimer: i am aware of some of the legal tribulations of some I mentioned)

The NFL has many...

Wait, what?

Do you really think baseball players and fans respect McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, or the Rocket?

NONE of them will EVER be allowed into the HOF.

Bonds' own teammates hated him. Sosa wasn't just juicin', he was used corked bats.

I really, really, really hate to agree with Grand Wizard known as Nick Symmonds, but, I truly believe alcohol and betting are the two things that the sport needs most.

Hate To Say It wrote:

I really, really, really hate to agree with Grand Wizard known as Nick Symmonds, but, I truly believe alcohol and betting are the two things that the sport needs most.

Came here to write this. Alcohol and gambling is the way.

umm. no wrote:

The #1 problem with running as a spectator sport is that it is exceptionally boring to watch.

Bingo. Running is boring to watch. And that's okay. Running isn't about spectating...it's about doing.

Go for a run. Train for a race. Then go run that race. Then go train for another one. That's what running is all about, not spectating.

Doing > watching.

umm. no wrote:

The #1 problem with running as a spectator sport is that it is exceptionally boring to watch. I say this as a person who loves the sport, but it’s NASCAR on legs.

Wavelight is a step in the right direction, at least from a spectator perspective.

No, it's not boring. Just about anyone I know that was a serious runner in school, enjoys watching the meets. If someone has no experience in running then it is boring, but that's true for any sport. I've had many people tell me how boring baseball is but that's that's not the case for people that at least played in LL. Golf is unwatchable for someone that's never played the game themselves.

Wavelight makes races more interesting? It doesn't seem like you know much about the sport. The lap splits tell you everything you need to know about the pace.

The number one problem with some people on this site is the they claim to be fans if track and field but are not. Most individual sports have limited appeal, But the tend to appeal they most to people have participated, because they understand how incredible elite performances are.

I'm s big tennis fan and a big fan of track and field, but I only got into both sports from playing them.

I think that because track and field is an individual sport is the reason it is not the most popular sport. Team sports have two advantages, there are more things going on some its easier to pay attention and fans feel included. Whenever I heard a passionate conversation about football or basket ball its just two people arguing about whose team is better.

I ran track in college and have competed in dozens of marathons and hundreds of other races.

It's boring to watch. And that's fine. It doesn't need to be a spectator sport. It's a great participation sport. And that's far better.

Doing > watching.

The problem with running is, that it is incredible boring to watch. Even for runners.

I "watched" the London Marathon last week but that meant that I had the screen running while I was browsing other stuff at the internet.

Running is not a spectator sport.

Running does not translate well on television. The only place that I've been to, where the crowd would get into the race at hand, was Hayward Field in Eugene. The participants had more of a relationship with the crowd and that makes a huge difference. UO meets in the 70's were very unique.

umm. no wrote:

The #1 problem with running as a spectator sport is that it is exceptionally boring to watch. I say this as a person who loves the sport, but it’s NASCAR on legs.

Wavelight is a step in the right direction, at least from a spectator perspective.

It's only boring when someone from another country wins. Football is popular because fans support one team or the other. Nobody from the general public in USA or UK for example cares which East African wins a race.

I don't think that has one bit to do with the issues surrounding a lack of interest in running as a spectator sport.

wait what the wrote:

Stoppit Smith wrote:

The reality is that...we want a better time without respect nor deference to those who paved the way.

In Golf, Eldrick "Tiger" Woods still respects Jack and Greg before him.

In hockey, the names Wayne, Gordie and Bobby are common...they represent tje sport.

MLB has Carew, Yazstremski, McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, Mantle, Maris, Aaron, Ripken, Jr., Etc....mad respect.

Also, the Unit, Rocket, Doc, etc.

(Disclaimer: i am aware of some of the legal tribulations of some I mentioned)

The NFL has many...

Wait, what?

Do you really think baseball players and fans respect McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, or the Rocket?

NONE of them will EVER be allowed into the HOF.

Bonds' own teammates hated him. Sosa wasn't just juicin', he was used corked bats.

I would say baseball players respect what they did on the field. Baseball players do not vote on who gets into the HOF (except the veteran's committee).

BTW, no one who considers himself a track fan should be pointing to other sports' dopers. Your hero runners might also have violated the doping rules as well.

Also, not sure there is actual evidence a corked batter confers any advantage. The bigger reason to ban them is a safety reason (a potential increased risk in the bat shattering). This article about a study (link to the study is in the story) shows no benefit in terms of hitting the ball farther (drove me nuts that they use "further" in an article from MIT) except that a lighter bat allows for a faster swing that means a player could wait a few milliseconds longer to swing.

You're stating your opinion as a fact but not everyone feels the same way as you. I can't stand gymnastics or figure skating but they're among the most popular Olympic sports.

Hate To Say It wrote:

I really, really, really hate to agree with Grand Wizard known as Nick Symmonds, but, I truly believe alcohol and betting are the two things that the sport needs most.

Could not hurt!

A kind of fast 200m sprinter wrote:

The number one problem with some people on this site is the they claim to be fans if track and field but are not. Most individual sports have limited appeal, But the tend to appeal they most to people have participated, because they understand how incredible elite performances are.

I'm s big tennis fan and a big fan of track and field, but I only got into both sports from playing them.

I think that because track and field is an individual sport is the reason it is not the most popular sport. Team sports have two advantages, there are more things going on some its easier to pay attention and fans feel included. Whenever I heard a passionate conversation about football or basket ball its just two people arguing about whose team is better.

I am an outlier because I have watched all sorts of sports that I never did (hockey, XC skiing, Nordic Combined, biathlon) but I had exposure to them for other reason.

As you mentioned many get interested in a sport because they played it at some point. Then what happens with track and field? It has more HS participants than any other sport. So are the millions of kids who participated not interested when they enter adulthood?

And yet porn is incredibly popular.

One big problem is that the screen can’t convey the sense of how incredibly fast these athletes are running. And watching people jog is boring. But unfortunately, watching people run fast is boring too.