Alan Abrahamson's latest column calls out Wejo and any fans who worship Steve Prefontaine and/or Keira D'Amato

Ridiculous garbage by Alan Abrahmson. If he stopped and though about it for a moment without colored glasses he would knw what WeJo was getting at.

BTW, I think D'Amato's AR is suspicious for exactly all the reasons you (rojo) posted.

I read this earlier today. A few thoughts as I let it stew.

1) The Pre worship to me is way down the list of problems track and field has.

2) He poses a good question: why doesn't Houston or NJ have a Carl Lewis Meet? (I suspect I know some reasons.)

3) Eugene has this meet because it built a facility and had meets going back to the 70s that were famous. International athletes came to run there. The meet that is named for Pre was a meet first and named for him later. He also played a major role in getting the meet started. Has Carl Lewis started a meet? (Not a knock against Carl, but he is mentioned in the piece.)

I think it is less about racism than it is that Pre died young with so much potential. It is sort of like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. They all died tragic deaths and are forever young in my mind. That sort of thing lends itself to such idolizing. Add in that Nike has done a lot to promote the Pre image just like they did with...Michael Jordan! Both Pre and MJ did a lot to get Nike where it is today---a marketing company that sells shoes! But I kid (not much though).

I have been on these boards for a while. Some comments are certainly cringe-y about black runners. At the same time it seems like Meb is widely respected, admired, etc. Mu also. If anything the xenophobia on the boards is worse.

I think the part about calling D'Amato's performance the coolest thing of the century is a cheap shot. Does anyone actually think Wejo thinks that? It was a cool moment and people often say such things. I bet Alan has said "That is the best meal I have ever had" when (first) I doubt he has a ranking of meals and second, he says it to complement the host or chef in the moment. It is just one of those things people say in the glow or heat of the moment.

I have a certain level of admiration for Pre. I am an adult stopped "worshipping" athletes long ago. I have met far too many and seen their foibles to worship them. I can admire performances while thinking "I would not want to spend 5 minutes with that person".

The Pre thing is all Nike and Oregon. I think Abrahamson is reaching a bit on that aspect. Do I wish there were multiple big meets like a Jesse Owens Invite, Michael Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, Madeline Mims etc. yes. But the sample size is 1. Oregon did a good job with the Bowerman Tower putting in Raevyn Rogers, Otis Davis and Ashton Eaton. They could’ve gone for Jordan Hasay I’m sure…they’re trying evidently to celebrate athletes of color.

Weldon’s D’Amato thing is not an issue to me it’s just prisoner of the moment stuff we all do. Yes, Yego, Donald Thomas (screwing around in basketball practice to World HJ champ) are better stories. Heck Lopez Lomong is an amazing one. But this site links out and celebrates those too quite a bit. Neeraj Chopra a great one, too. I wouldn’t say there’s much bias besides a standard American bias and prisoner of the moment stuff.

I'd be okay with not reading anything more about Pre ever. On Facebook in particular, the idolatry is excessive. And not enlightening.

Thanks for linking the interesting article. I just did some reading about that Bolt fellow (is that is real name?! Rad!) He sounds like he was an amazing athlete. Can't imagine why he wasn't more prominently featured during the Olympics.

Loved the Yego story when it happened, but curious that Abrahamson would misspell his name (yugo, really?) twice. I don't think Yego is a household name, but pretty much everyone else he mentions in the article is. Not sure what the point is.

The D'Amato story still probably needs more exposure. i have a few colleagues at work who are nice enough to indulge me in noting when they see an interesting track related story, and nobody has asked me about this one yet. the 400H performances at the Olympics are still the largest track story of the year (on the field...off the field, it's probably the Richardson thing for the average lay person).

I skimmed Alan’s column while at the drive thru.

What does any of this have to do about George Floyd? His obsession with race has become truly bizarre .

Also I think I told him this to his face earlier this year as I do consider him a friend but essentially it’s ok to suggest someone is subconsciously a racist and not ask them for comment? He did the same thing in a column on Des Linden.

https://www.3wiresports.com/articles/2021/6/18/l2sb6di5ibavuk4ts0848a2iexzxvz

I think Pre is a bit overhyped but he was THE best American distance runner and killed in his prime. Probably 25 years before another male at his level right?

And I’ll just say I had no idea it was Pre’s birthday this week.

As for the Carl Lewis invitational there is one:

https://uhcougars.com/documents/2021/12/10/CARL_LEWIS_INVITATIONAL_MEET_SCHEDULE_95_.docx

. But it’s not hosted by Nike

The thing Pre has going for him is the biggest meet in the US is named after him and Nike loves to promote everything Pre.

As a white kid who grew up in Texas in the 1980s I’ll just say Carl Lewis was super super popular.

The chair of the Board and CEO of USATF are both black. Don’t they set the direction of much of track and field in this country?

It’s unfair to cite Pre which has the Nike anomalies and make a big deal out of it.

The D’Amato thing I posted as a fan in the immediate aftermath of her race but I stand by my main point . Cite a better rags to riches story (in terms of being so far way from elite to becoming elite). Keira is the only American record holder in the marathon who ran a marathon slower than my wife (who is the same age as her and isn’t even a runner). A super cool story. I have no problem making that comment.

His other examples are by and large about phenoms except for Yego which is pretty good.

***

If people want to cite unconscious bias I always felt Ajee’ Wilson didn’t get the attention she deserves from fans. But she is super quiet so it might be due to factors besides race and she never delivered at Olympics . And she’s mid d and I think a lot of people are distance fans vs sprint fans with the 800 stuck in the middle .

I still think Athing Mu will be the face of American track and field at the 2028 Olympics in LA.

Sorry for any typos. On my phone. Off to bed

samcallan wrote:

I think the part about calling D'Amato's performance the coolest thing of the century is a cheap shot. Does anyone actually think Wejo thinks that? It was a cool moment and people often say such things. I bet Alan has said "That is the best meal I have ever had" when (first) I doubt he has a ranking of meals and second, he says it to complement the host or chef in the moment. It is just one of those things people say in the glow or heat of the moment.

.

Exactly . He wrote a comment on a messageboard in the euphoria of the unexpected result. It wasn't like he wrote a detailed analysis of it on the editorial page of the NY TImes.

The guy is a moron.

Maybe the reason why people on LetsRun (emphasis on the running portion), celebrate D'Amato's story more than a javelin thrower is because the people on Lets Run are running enthusiasts and are not necessarily as interested in sprints or field events?

Maybe Pre is so popular not because he died young, but because of his talent and demeanor (which was, in a sport with not much in terms of personality, very attractive to fans)? Not to mention there is a pretty fundamental difference between distance running and the other sports he mentions (baseball, football, basketball, etc)-- the U.S. has maybe 5-10 true distance "stars" every decade. Losing one in the prime of their career is a lot different than losing a college star (Len Bias) or a prospect (Adenhardt) in a sea of other top talent.

I read the article and unlike the author, the problem I see is the author himself. Pre has been dead for over 45 years. What he doesn't understand is Pre's popularity put into proper context of the 1970's and the Oregon mentality at the time (I lived 40 miles from Eugene back then). For then, what he did was very rare and there was not media saturation like there is today. Yes, Nike, has done a lot to perpetuate this romantic image and people gravitate toward it. Kind of like Jim Morrison circa 1967-looks pretty cool even today. This article is attempting to resurrect a ghost and impale it at the same time. Maybe, some of these other athletes don't get the same level of recognition because many people in their locale just don't care!!! Been to an outdoor meet in Eugene? The atmosphere is like an NFL game. Elsewhere in the U.S., they are lucky to get half the turnout and the enthusiasm is usually flaccid. Sports go where the money is. The racism angle is totally absurd.

What a loser.

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