Are they going to replace that weird track? Like a true Philly sports fan, can I get drunk and chuck D cell batteries at athletes I don't like? Will there be a courtroom in stadium under the stands? Is there a Wawa nearby?
No way they can take that down Interstate 80 on a trailer. It's going to need to be floated on a barge. And it won't fit through the Panama Canal, either. Take the long trip around South America, I guess.
yeah that's the weird track with the second curb in lane 4 and it's only 400m in the outer lanes. no way.
penn sees franklin field as something to be conserved in a way oregon didn't with theirs. so they aren't redoing the stadium until it starts to fall over a la hawaii or olympic stadium montreal. otherwise my guess considering how many times they track has been resurfaced or whatever is they have some dimensions issue on doing it normally and aren't touching the structure to correct it. so weird it is. and i don't see DL doing weird on purpose.
No prob. Penn already plans to extend the track to 400m.
Penn can't just "extend the track". There isn't any room. They would have to tear down a bunch of seats and basically rebuild the lower level of the stadium. If Penn had wanted to do that, they could have done it years ago. I think that Penn will leave the track how it is.
East coast! You know.. where people actually live. Not northwest Eugene that isn't close to anything.
First of all, no matter where a Diamond League meet is held, way more people watch online or on TV then attend in person. So having the meet in a heavily populated area isn't the most important thing.
And second, they already had a Diamond League meet in New York City for a number of years, and very few people went to watch in person. Switching the location from New York City to Philadelphia isn't going to magically make 5 times more spectators show up.
First of all, no matter where a Diamond League meet is held, way more people watch online or on TV then attend in person. So having the meet in a heavily populated area isn't the most important thing.
And second, they already had a Diamond League meet in New York City for a number of years, and very few people went to watch in person. Switching the location from New York City to Philadelphia isn't going to magically make 5 times more spectators show up.
They still have that meet and it is Commonwealth Tour Gold. Last year was a sellout with both Athing Mu and Sydney running.
But it is a) a small stadium with only one side of seating b) on Randall’s Island (not easy to get to). So the ceiling for a Diamond League meet is plainly not high even if they add temporary seating. For one, they won’t be able to add too much seating, for two the location isn’t easy to get to. I think there is potential to have a sold out stadium of 15-20K people in the US, but where that exists I don’t know. Eugene isn’t it unless a lot of factors change. LA has been tough with their Commonwealth Tour Gold meet so far (sub-ideal locations/timing). There’re probably outdoor tracks and locations that could be better.
First of all, no matter where a Diamond League meet is held, way more people watch online or on TV then attend in person. So having the meet in a heavily populated area isn't the most important thing.
And second, they already had a Diamond League meet in New York City for a number of years, and very few people went to watch in person. Switching the location from New York City to Philadelphia isn't going to magically make 5 times more spectators show up.
They still have that meet and it is Commonwealth Tour Gold. Last year was a sellout with both Athing Mu and Sydney running.
But it is a) a small stadium with only one side of seating b) on Randall’s Island (not easy to get to). So the ceiling for a Diamond League meet is plainly not high even if they add temporary seating. For one, they won’t be able to add too much seating, for two the location isn’t easy to get to. I think there is potential to have a sold out stadium of 15-20K people in the US, but where that exists I don’t know.
Eugene isn’t it unless a lot of factors change. LA has been tough with their Commonwealth Tour Gold meet so far (sub-ideal locations/timing). There’re probably outdoor tracks and locations that could be better.
Lots of people here imagine that the US could have a huge track meet "somewhere". But the US already has track meets all over the country, and none of them attract a big crowd. Every place that could have a track meet already has one.
New York City - They couldn't fill Madison Square Garden for the Millrose Games, so it was moved to the small Armory.
LA - The Sound Running meets usually don't even get a thousand spectators.
Eugene - The locals used to pack that place, but not anymore.
The US doesn't have a city that has 15-20k fans begging for a big track meet.
Lots of people here imagine that the US could have a huge track meet "somewhere". But the US already has track meets all over the country, and none of them attract a big crowd. Every place that could have a track meet already has one.
New York City - They couldn't fill Madison Square Garden for the Millrose Games, so it was moved to the small Armory.
LA - The Sound Running meets usually don't even get a thousand spectators.
Eugene - The locals used to pack that place, but not anymore.
The US doesn't have a city that has 15-20k fans begging for a big track meet.
I’d tend to agree, but I’d say these 3 options as I’ve noted all had their own problems. Don’t some NCAAs draw big crowds? The OP obviously notes that Penn Relays gets a ton of attendance. We’ve noted the problems with the LA meets, Icahn Stadium (not really being in NYC), Eugene (hard to get to, pricey), Des Moines/Sacramento (small cities). I guess I just wonder IF there was a centrally-located facility in some of the bigger cities than those last 2 if you’d have a better shot. I’m talking just once a year (e.g. Diamond League or USAs).
This post was edited 20 seconds after it was posted.
Lots of people here imagine that the US could have a huge track meet "somewhere". But the US already has track meets all over the country, and none of them attract a big crowd. Every place that could have a track meet already has one.
New York City - They couldn't fill Madison Square Garden for the Millrose Games, so it was moved to the small Armory.
LA - The Sound Running meets usually don't even get a thousand spectators.
Eugene - The locals used to pack that place, but not anymore.
The US doesn't have a city that has 15-20k fans begging for a big track meet.
I’d tend to agree, but I’d say these 3 options as I’ve noted all had their own problems. Don’t some NCAAs draw big crowds? The OP obviously notes that Penn Relays gets a ton of attendance. We’ve noted the problems with the LA meets, Icahn Stadium (not really being in NYC), Eugene (hard to get to, pricey), Des Moines/Sacramento (small cities). I guess I just wonder IF there was a centrally-located facility in some of the bigger cities than those last 2 if you’d have a better shot. I’m talking just once a year (e.g. Diamond League or USAs).
Prefontaine at Stanford in 2019 attracted a pretty good crowd. But many of those people could have been from the Bay Area attending for the probably once in a lifetime event of having Prefontaine in the Bay Area. Not sure if the Bay Area would get a big crowd if it was an annual event.
The meets that get the biggest crowds have parents, siblings, and other relatives going to see a family member run. That's why meets like Penn Relays or the NCAA Championships get a decent number of spectators.
But those same relatives no longer go to see that runner after they turn pro.
I talked to a top 20 in the country pro runner at The TEN. She had no friends there, no relatives either, not even her husband. And her coach didn't go either.
That's why pro meets tend to get a lot less spectators than high school and college meets. The friends and relatives that used to go watch them, no longer go.
Definitely fair points. There is no rule against a US meet having a bunch of relays/pre-meet races to bring in that crowd. Millrose does that smartly. For a Diamond League broadcast, most of these just need to happen before or after the TV window. So to me, that is another solvable problem. The biggest issue remains whereas there seem to be a ton of well-located indoor track facilities, there are not the same range of options outdoors. But why would you build a random outdoor track facility with 10-15,000 seats? Again, part of the problem. In Europe it seems whether it be soccer stadiums or national stadiums that will get a lot of use, there are way more options.
How difficult would it be to install a temporary track in a modern MLS or NFL stadium--TQL Stadium (FC Cincinnati) or Paycor Stadium (Bengals), for instance?
The Ten was a huge success again this year. It was a sellout. Fans were sent to the ends to sit on the grassy areas. Fans had to stand on the rails and in the walkways.
Weightman Hall at the northwest end of Franklin Field is set back about 40 feet from the street. If you moved it so it was flush with the street, you could fit Hayward's 9-lane track inside Franklin Field - the stadium is actually slightly wider than Hayward.