Why are sports like track and cycling so big in other countries?

yes, cycling and track are big in other countries because baseball, basketball, and football are big here. They just wanted to be different.

The US is ignorant...

I've had this told to me by a number of Europeans (Western mostly). They say it's for the same reason Europeans like house music and a cup of tea. The reason alot of them would rather sit down to have a cup of coffee rather than get a large dunkin donuts to go. The same reason they enjoy soccer (or football). The reason is they are more patient with life in general. Americans are hell bent on instant satisfaction. They want their music to have a catchy hook that repeats a silly number of times and maybe some cheaply written rap lyrics. A buddy of mine was really into artists like Nick Warren, Danny Tenaglia, and other house/progressive electronic music. I honestly could not understand it. He's like you don't like it because you have to wait for the song to unfold. You don't want to be patient with it. You dont want to wait until 4 minutes into the song to hear the climax. I then began to appreciate it more. I'm not heavy into it, but I can at least appreciate it.

It's this whole idea of instant satisfaction. Thats the reason we drink coffee by the gallon with expresso. We want to be satisfied immidiately. The reason we watch the sports that we do and soccer will never be poplular.

They enjoy track and cycling because it's intricate and even though you invest alot of time in paying attention to it you will be rewarded in the end. I think people who are into cycling in Europe are comprable to American basaball fans. They have the ability to be patient. This is something us Americans will never be good at.

You make some good points there...another piece of evidence might be the highlight shows that have become so popular.

But I love track. I mean I love the sport, all aspects of it. I used to love cycling (before all the doping stuff - OK track has it too, blah blah blah). I also like good electronic music. But I HATE baseball. Good god i hate baseball! How do I fit into your explanation?

the patience thing is true for a large portion of our population. but it would be better to say it in a more positive, or at least neutral, light. part of the reason our country has done so well in so many areas after such a short history is due to this drive for results. i totally agree that people should slow down and times and enjoy the music, but there is something to be said for the results we produce with our long work weeks compared to our French friends' big 35 hours with months of vacation.

also, i love participating in endurance events, including running of course. but most track meets i see on TV bore me out of my mind. i played soccer through high school, but I couldn't stand watching the last world cup. All the flopping and boring stretches of the games were too much. I have all the patience in the world to go on a 2+ hour run or a 5+ hour bike ride, but I am not going to sit around for hours watching people pass a ball back and forth. i don't think the rest of the world is crazy for liking it though. to each his own.

Tony wrote:

You make some good points there...another piece of evidence might be the highlight shows that have become so popular.

But I love track. I mean I love the sport, all aspects of it. I used to love cycling (before all the doping stuff - OK track has it too, blah blah blah). I also like good electronic music. But I HATE baseball. Good god i hate baseball! How do I fit into your explanation?

I can understand your not liking baseball. My point was to touch on the notion that patience and American sports rarely go hand in hand, but baseball is unique. Take for example say an avid baseball fan and an avid American football fan. Baseball fan's are usually appreciate the game more and will be more willing to sit through fairly boring stretches of play because they love the game. For the true baseball fan, it is usually a part of their lives and invest more of themselves into the sport than simply watching the game everynight. They love the intricacies that are involved. They keep a box score at the game and know the rules regarding balks or ground rule doubles. Your average football fan simply loves being entertained. again I am generalizing here. Big hits, big passes...etc...that is not to say that people can not be true fans of football...the nature of the sport simply attracts mostly the people I described above.

It's actually funny because I was in the car the other day driving a few friends down to the bar. We kind of packed it in but someone in the back seat commented that he really liked the music we were listening to. I had a Nick Warren cd in which is considered ambient house music. Steady beats with a gradual crecendo (sp?). It kind of builds throughout the song. Everyone else in the car claimed it was boring and to put on the hit rap station. "It's putting me to sleep, they claimed." Long story short, the only kid who said he liked it happened to be born and raised in France.

Im not saying you are superior to anyone for liking a particular type of music, but you can notice a distinction between Americans and everyone else.

sorry i meant to post under this name

You make some excellent points. Also, think about his: How many Americans really understand sport at all? Go to a Super Bowl Party, there are people there who really don't care who's playing and barely understand the game.

Many Americans actually like the big 3 simply because they are supposed to- the media tells them to.

Think about a football game: 5 seconds of action with a 30 second break to figure out what to do next. Soccer- you're thinking on the go.

Americans say soccer doesn't have enought scoring: If every goal was worth 7 points would it be enough?

Take away the biggest joke in football- the field goal- and what kind of scoring would you have? a 21-14 game would be 3-2 in soccer.

Track is complete action- there is always something happening. The average American "sports" fan needs a break-total concetration would be way too difficult.

It is important for the young posters to realize that track was popular in this country. Look at pictures of hte old US vs SU dual meets. Even at the invitationals. Sports illustrated covered it, local newspapers covered it, the NY Times always covered it. I remember when HBO had the Millrose Games on- from early Friday for the HS/College races to the Wannamaker Mile- NO COMMERCIALS. Marty Glickman announced and he was like the Tour de France or Formula 1 guys now- knowledgeable and he educated and brought his audience up a level.

I think most Sports Fans enjoy the sports that they were raised with because to really enjoy it you need that emotional attachment - otherwise its just a bunch of guys running around in a park. Living in the UK I am a soccer fan but also enjoy cricket and international rugby but when I lived in Germany we could recieve AFN and so I eventually got into NFL & Basketball (just to see the Celtics get beat) but my favourite is Baseball because of the element of tension. However, now that my son is competing well at track I have really got into that in a big way.

USATF is the main reason.

At one time track stadiums were filled. Track was on TV. Marathons were broadcast live or tape delayed start to finish and without the stupid human interest stories. Road races were about running fast and drinking beer, whle fatties and kids did the 1 and 2 mile or 5k fun runs.

golf??

Golf is dull but the last day of the Ryder Cup is normally quite entertaining

Please give examples to support that statement. I see this thrown around a ton but I've never seen it backed up. I think you’re talking out your ass.

One reason not mentioned here is simple but true.

TV.

We have Hollywood and 8 billion tv shows. TV in Europe sucks except for sports coverage so they cover every sport and the sports grow.

OK, I mentioned the Millrose Games. Most of the Indoor meets were on.

I remember the NY, Chicago, Rotterdam Marathons all on Network TV.

I saw Bayi win the Commonwealth 1500 and set the WR on American TV- this was before sports channels.

5th Ave Mile, Rio Mile, ROme Mile, Paris Mile, London Mile- all these road miles on TV- so popular it scared the IAAF thinking the road mile would take over track os they passed some silly rules about them.

I remember a 10K road race from Florida. It was great. I was with my wife's family- totally unathletic in all ways. I was sitting in a crowded living room and the race just happened to be on. They were all talking and I was just watching.

No one else was paying attention to the race. As the races progressed, the room hot quieter and quieter. Until there was total silence as (if I remember correctly) Mark Curp and an African (maybe Zak Barie) had a great finish.

Everyone was captivated by the race on network TV. Then, to break the silence as if we were on a situation comedy, one of my wife's uncles asked, "Is this the Olympics?" I sat there in stunned silence while the others ansered him like it wasn't a stupid question.

There are many other examples of road races in the 80's on TV.

I remember when, in my area, the Boston Marathon was pre-empted by religious cult burning a building. I called the cable company to complain and the girl almost started crying as she told me that she got more complaints about that and most of hte people were pissed.

I can go on, but you got the idea.

The sport was on TV, it was popular, people cared. I think it may be USATF's fault.

Letsrun should start and promote a MASSIVE email campaign to USATF, CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, VS... to breing this back.

cbs used to show a number of road races live, one i remember was the continental homes 10k from phoenix

they also broadcast the track 10k live when al sal raced rono in eugene

Europeans understand that there is a world beyond its borders and thus care about international sport. Additionally, they have not been raised to have such short attention spans. This is one reason by soccer has had a hard time catching on as a televised spectator sport and why ESPN's track broadcasts are sliced and diced and times to the second: they don't expect Americans to sit down and pay attention to something for more than 8 minutes without needing a break.

because other countries are full of a bunch a queers.

You are correct sir. I love football AND "football," and I can't for the life of me understand how my friends can declare a 6-3 Alabama vs. Tennessee football game "a great defensive battle," and in the same breath tell me how boring the 2-1 match between Arsenal-Chelsea was.

It's the same exact thing! Your teams kicked the ball through the uprights 3 times in 4 hours, my teams kicked the ball into the net 3 times in 90 minutes.

I think it's an unwillingness to open up and understand new things.