I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

So, what is the plan?

A really good rant here by Mac Adam - but underneath it all he/she makes some good points.

How is it that fishing shows, X games, NASCAR etc, can dominate sports TV (after the holy trinity of Baslketball, Baseball and Football) and running gets barely any coverage?

I agree our sport is in danger - it's imploding. Drug use is being exposed (at least they are subtle enough to hide their drug use in the Tour de France).

Over-saturation of races by one nationality (it doesn't matter which nationality, and it's not a racist comment) it's just not interesting with that level of saturation. Let's have some balanced international elite fields. It makes tennis and golf more interesting.

While I don't agree with everything that Mac Adam has to say, there are some points worth debating, and acting upon before it's too late.

Because with the good ole' boys "sports" like huntin, fishin and Nascar you basically sit around and drink beer while doing them. Running/track takes a long term commitment, a commitment most of the spectators of these sports don't even have in their marriages. You can't swing a dead cat at one of these events without hitting someone missing teeth named Bubba.

Yikes!!! wrote:

You can't swing a dead cat at one of these events without hitting someone missing teeth named Bubba.

What a coincidence! I once knew a guy whose teeth were named "Bubba".

How ironic! The Head Coach of the US Track & Field Team for the 2003 IAAF World Championships is called Bubba. Bubba Thornton is also a lifetime member of the "Friends of John Chaplin Secret Society" (otherwise known as the "Craig Masback is our Puppet Show").

USATF needs a full time developmental staff that isn't affiliated with the Big 12, PAC 10, Big 10/11, SEC, etc. These coaches are compensated with major bonuses for conference and/or NCAA Championships, not for the long term development of world-class athletes. For them, doing so is a by-product.

Mac Eve wrote:

So, what is the plan?

US Soccer developed a long-range (ten to twenty year) plan with the ultimate goal of wiing the World Cup. this plan encompasses youth development, to scholastic, to professional levels. Where's USATF's plan?

That should be the plan. Where is the youth development? How can this organization have so many employees and be virtually unknown to the world? I say the future is in youth programs given funds to develop an interest in the sport and to run youth programs all across the nation that are grassroot level and are exciting as heck to kids.

I mean, what are really producing at Mammmouth Lakes California and how much money is being spent there on folks who don't produce? How much of the funds go to assist people who bypass World Championships for a U.S. road race. I say, put the money into the kids....

You wanr to save the sport?

Here's what you do.

1. Overhaul the USATF and throw out the idiots who have run the sport into the ground and replace them with people who know how to market the sport.

2. Mandate that any race that wants USATF certification...Boston, New York, Chicago, Bay to Breakers, Falmouth, Cherry Blosssom, Boilermaker, Rock n Roll...all of them...you mandadte that all entrants become paying members of USATF. $15 of their entry fee goes to USATF dues good for a year.

Right there the USATF goes from a nickel and dime operation to a well financed organization.

3. Return Track and Field to its amateur roots. It doesn't work as a professional sport and never will.

In addition, the USATF and Athletics Canada should combine forces to launch a summer track circuit open to Americans and Canadians only. This circuit will also feature the toughest doping controls ever as they will be personally overseen by Dick Pound and the WADA.

"But PR, the distance times will be slow!" Sure but, the new circuit can certify itself as completely clean. It will market itself as "Honest...and for the fans." Hell, throw down the gauntlet and challenge the IAAF to meet or exceed our standards. That might just force the Golden League to clean up its act.

The biggest advantage is that you just created a developmental series for post collegiate athletes. They get to race and win some money without being crushed by druggies. Who knows, perhaps more fans, sponsors, and TV networks would be attracted by meets featuring homegrown heroes with that can speak English.

Craig - think about it. Seriously.

If you read your history carefully, T&F was rarely amateur. There were "pro's" aeons ago.

Even the 'Chariot's of Fire' and Baron De Courbertin' gang were rich folks pursuing a hobby.

There's nothing wrong with a sport being professional.

We just have inept people running the sport.

Dude -You make so much sense, its scary. How do we forward this to Masback?

There are two basic problems in Running, why it is not say as big as Marathoning in Japan.

(1) Drugs.

(2) Greed.

Great work Jason, really constructive words there, this thread was moving along so nicely as well. A lot of people were making some real sense.

There are a LOT of hurdles standing in the way of track thriving in the USA. There are a couple of prerequisites:

1. We MUST be the best in the world. The general American public expects to have the best athletes, and will not care to watch Meb get killed by Bekele in a 10k. So...realistically the only events that stand a chance of being popular are those under 1500m.

2. There needs to be world class events that take place on American soil. Out of sight, out of mind. There is no real reason why they all need to occur in Europe.

3. Eliminate rabbits. They create the most boring, anti-climatic situations. I am/was an avid distance runner, but I'm already bored out of my skull 400m into any 1500m with Hicham involved. Christ, Crossfire is more exciting than this. Chasing times will NEVER fly in the US.

4. Develop and market personalities. Hell, if Tiger Woods can be marketed successfully, then anyone can. In fact, the only thing more boring than a Hicham 1500m may be a Tiger Woods interview. And the athlete doesn't even have to be particularly dominant....just look at David Beckham. American track needs a larger-than-life celebrity. The problem is, that no one at USATF seems to have an idea on how to do this. Which leads me to #5...

5. The USATF needs to develop/hire some marketing creativity. The organization is completely uninspired and seems content with the status-quo.

6. The IAAF and IOC need to be 100% supportive. In fact, they have substantial financial incentive to do so. The US should be seen as an untapped market, and the sport would receive a tremendous boost on a worldwide level with a gaining a strong American following.

Really, what USATF needs to figure out is what the NFL figured out a while ago....that their primary job is not administrative, but rather marketing a form of entertainment. This doesn't mean creating a spectacle (as the XFL wrongly thought), but creating exciting matchups where anyone (any team) can win on any given day.

there is greed in japan too, dont kid yourself. schiebler didnt go to japan just to run, he was paid a lot of cash by nec to run. so are a lot of other athletes.

better planning by the WNBA?? the NBA is wasting millions a year keeping that sinking ship afloat. that is the only reason you see those games on tv.

It never was popular except in the eastern European countries where the only other form of excitement was watching Stalin's purges....I like it the way it is and was back in the 50's and 60's......

If fame ans applause is what you want dribble a ball...

Ron Clarke called us "The Lonely Breed".......that's what we are.

And don't you think that Naoko Takahashi and her greedy coach are making a few yen out of her fame!

RE: the WNBA

NO ONE I have ever talked to -female or male - not one person has ever mentioned the WNBA in passing, has ever said they have ever watched a game on TV, or could name more than 2 players. Does anyone know anyone who watches the WNBA? Can someone in the media please ask this question?

The WNBA scene for 99% of Americans consists of casually flipping by ESPN, hearing a bunch of little girls in the stands screaming and waving styrofoam sticks midst a half empty mega-arena, and 1.2 seconds later moving on to another channel--usually for some real sports like the Xtreme Games, NASCAR tonite show or drag racing.

Maybe track needs more people in the stands doing the wave or waving styrofoam sticks. God I hope not.

As Charlton Heston and his NRA gang would say:

"Styrofoam sticks don't kill people. People kill people."