I want to STRONGLY SUPPORT the below statement. i think this poster nailed the point. and if i can add a bit more...
Wejo -
I understand your point of view, there is interest and this is worth reporting. Yes. But there are two major problems
1) your recap of the meet was 90% focused on one athlete in one race. Even if this is the highlight in your eyes, it is not that strong to report on a whole meet and discount all the other performances.. including a tremendous win by Brown.
**** **** 2)The article is not SO horrible in topic/context. (It's pretty weak, but not horrible)
It is the tone that is really offensive.
The TONE comes across as rude, condescending, and belittling to Alan (comparing him to a fifth grader)... the authors come across as petty.
Your response here on this post is more balanced, more nuanced...
That article really does not read well and i do think an apology should be considered.
QUOTE FROM ABOVE POST
See, here you sound like a reasonable human being.
But in the article, you sound like a middle schooler jeering the kid who's having a bad day.
The approach you took was "omg i'm SO APPALLED" even if you didn't intend it that way, that's the way it came across.
What you could have and probably should have done was acknowledge that Webb is human. Ultra competitive and very hard on himself, but human.
You brushed past his humanity and focused on his "abhorrent behavior."
In summation, uncalled for.[/quote]
That Webb article is a breach of professional decorum.
Report Thread
-
-
Wejo...you are disgusting for posting gossip news on Webb. It needs to come off and with an apology.
Is this the first time that most people on this site can agree on something? That Wejo hit a new low by writing an unjustified tabloid on Webb? It appears that most people responding on this thread seem to agree....and that is that Wejo is downright wrong for doing something like this. -
I must admit wejo has done a fine job of defending and explaining his position.
-
Four thoughts here.
1. Whatever you think of the article, the way it slams Webb for his clearly heartfelt and honest reaction is exactly the reason why most professional athletes stick with safe cliches in their interviews: they've figured out that it's almost never in their interest to speak candidly to the media. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if Manzano's honest reaction to the race was much closer to Webb's ("I got beat by a high school kid? *$* me!"), but he was just media-savvy and controlled enough to hide it. Better for Manzano, more boring for us.
2. Kudos to Wejo for coming on the message boards to explain, clarify, and defend their thinking on the article (and for linking this thread to the main page). While I don't necessarily agree with his arguments, I think it is a classy move to discuss things openly and give attention to dissenting views, as they have done.
3. The problem with "tantrum" is that it implies that Webb lashed out at other people. Reading through the Let's Run article, and watching the subsequent interview on video, I was struck by the fact that Webb (apparently) never directly criticized anyone but himself, didn't take his anger out on anyone else, and didn't say anything negative about his competitors (or anyone else). Would that we all reacted that way to professional disappointments.
4. "A breach of professional decorum," implies to me something like intentionally spitting on a competitor or mocking them in an interview. What I think you meant is that it is very unusual to see a pro react that way, especially after an early season race, but that is a very different thing than "breaching decorum." -
Unfortunately for Webb, he didn't run into a locker room or club house to "vent" after a loss. There's probably untold millions of "tantrums" that occurred in sports after a losing effort but most of them happened behind closed doors.
How many times do we see a baseball player who got yanked out of a game, throw his glove or cap or knock over some equipment on the way to the clubhouse?
The "blow by blow" account was unnecessary. It could have been simply said he went on profanity laced tirade to only HIMSELF after the race, was consoled by Ray Flynn, collected himself and did a post race workout.
It's not like he wrecked a locker room, then got wasted at a club later that night like some pro athletes do. I agree he takes winning too seriously but that's been his MO forever. It's probably what "psyches him up". Maybe he was told as a youth this coaching cliche: "don't forget this feeling... you're going to work harder so you're never in this situation again" as opposed to "there there Alan, you'll get 'em next time".
The Oregon group barely races as it is. Something like this is definitely not going to encourage them to race more and bring more publicity to the sport. -
GI Cho is a product of suburban Virginia, the same place.
-
Weldon,
Would you agree that the headline stating that Web had a "tantrum", influences, or biases your audience before each person in this group gets the chance to arrive at that judgment independently, based on the details in the report or from the interview itself.
After reading the headline, I was expecting something more provocative than Alan's behavior actually revealed. I just saw a guy who was really down on the race and down on himself and nothing more.
It may have been difficult putting into words the essence you were trying to communicate in the headline and in the report, but I and I sense many others read it with a pejorative overtone even if this was not your intent.
Mike
"There is probably no athlete I root for more than Alan Webb. Having said that the point of LetsRun.com is not to just be a cheerleader for American runners and only report positive news. If Ben Roethlisberger smashed up the lockerroom after a game I hope it would be reported."
Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3905066&page=1#ixzz1DFYQ23L0
Buy your shoes from LetsRun and save 20% everday http://www.letsrun.com/save -
I disagree with the majority of the cheer leaders that have posted so far.
It is disrespectful to other competitors to carry on after the race. One of the things I miss about racing is the post race debrief with competitors. I have finished races on a high after a great performance (for me) and shut up whilst I sympathise with a disappointed mate or training partner. More frequently I have been disappointed in my performance but recognised that my coach, friends, family, training partners (I never had a manager) don't deserve me carrying on like a 3 year old.
As noted the other guys all cooled down together and enjoyed each others company. Webb missed the insights and perspective they could have provided because he was having a tanty.
Running is unique in that we can do a 1 mile TT under the same conditions on our own but we need the the opposition to lift. To suggest that he should have stayed home is to suggest the others are not worthy of his presence.
For me the second part of the article about his workouts after the race was interesting - it revealed how he let his emotions override common sense. Based on this (and I haven't followed Webb's career much) I don't have much faith in his ability to perform through heats and finals at World and Olympic Champs.
I like Nadal's assessment after the being beaten in the QF at the Australian Open: "It is a difficult day for me but I tried my best and couldn't do any more," stated Nadal. "In tennis you have highs and lows. In my career I have had almost always good moments.
"Last year I was very lucky, I was healthy for most of the year. This year I have done everything to start the season well. I played well in Abu Dhabi but after that the problems started.
"This is one of the negative moments. That's part of the sport. If I am ready to accept both things the same then I will be able to come back and play my best tennis another time. -
Sounds good, but not every occasion can be so well scrpted. I have yet to find anyone who has the right lines at the right moment, or who remains perfectly composed in every situation.
I learned a while ago if I had a hero, better keep him or her at a distance so as to keep the illusion alive. I mean for my own benefit, to remain inspired, cus no doubt one day I'd find out that that thing that shatters that image.
Any more, I just get inspired by actions, as I know people will inevitably let me down if I let them. By recognizing each person's warts and accepting my own, it just ain't no big thing anymore. I tend to see these imperfections as a great equalizer, and that these narratives of the "ideal" athlete, person or place only limit my ability to have true intimacy. No person should be placed in a category(good or bad). It's dehumanizing and misleading.
show some class wrote:
I disagree with the majority of the cheer leaders that have posted so far.
It is disrespectful to other competitors to carry on after the race. One of the things I miss about racing is the post race debrief with competitors. I have finished races on a high after a great performance (for me) and shut up whilst I sympathise with a disappointed mate or training partner. More frequently I have been disappointed in my performance but recognised that my coach, friends, family, training partners (I never had a manager) don't deserve me carrying on like a 3 year old.
As noted the other guys all cooled down together and enjoyed each others company. Webb missed the insights and perspective they could have provided because he was having a tanty.
Running is unique in that we can do a 1 mile TT under the same conditions on our own but we need the the opposition to lift. To suggest that he should have stayed home is to suggest the others are not worthy of his presence.
For me the second part of the article about his workouts after the race was interesting - it revealed how he let his emotions override common sense. Based on this (and I haven't followed Webb's career much) I don't have much faith in his ability to perform through heats and finals at World and Olympic Champs.
I like Nadal's assessment after the being beaten in the QF at the Australian Open: "It is a difficult day for me but I tried my best and couldn't do any more," stated Nadal. "In tennis you have highs and lows. In my career I have had almost always good moments.
"Last year I was very lucky, I was healthy for most of the year. This year I have done everything to start the season well. I played well in Abu Dhabi but after that the problems started.
"This is one of the negative moments. That's part of the sport. If I am ready to accept both things the same then I will be able to come back and play my best tennis another time. -
Everything else aside (and that's a lot of everything), why is Webb's post-race session of 200s made to seem like some big psychological episode? These are typical for Salazar athletes after short races, especially early in the season. Or was the widely viewed video of Kara Goucher doing 1200s after her recent indoor 5K evidence of her throwing a tantrum?
-
Who was the coward taking the video of Webb talking Ray? At lease be a man and stand there and let them know that you are infact filming them and not pretend that you are just scanning around the venue.
After that poor bit of tabloid trash, I hope Webb stays well clear of anyone representing Letsrun.com again. The Brojo's may need to learn not to bite the hand that feeds them. Just admit it was a poor error in judgement and delete the article. -
go back to Russia
-
well, was thinking it was time to break LTC habit, break loose of the haters, and become an occasional browser of the WOW and interviews on Flotrak. And so good bye message board, good bye obnoxious wejo-rojo headlines, goodbye up to date results.
-
Just adding on wrote:
I don't usually comment too much on the Brojos and they're running of the site, but I'm just adding another comment to this thread in the hopes that it gets big enough to get their attention. They must have been laughing at themselves in typing
"(why we didn't turn the camera on, we're not sure ... actually, on second thought, we were just in shock and our goal is not to embarrass anyone)."
Seriously? I watched the interview and everyone here has reacted poorly after a bad race. He wasn't cursing at anyone or yelling at the people working the meet. Also, somehow all the other reporters their, by the Brojos own admission, had managed to go and interview other athletes, and Webb's "tantrum" clearly didn't interrupt their interviews.
No speak Engrish? -
show some class wrote:
I like Nadal's assessment after the being beaten in the QF at the Australian Open: "It is a difficult day for me but I tried my best and couldn't do any more," stated Nadal. "In tennis you have highs and lows. In my career I have had almost always good moments.
"This is one of the negative moments. That's part of the sport. If I am ready to accept both things the same then I will be able to come back and play my best tennis another time.
Except Nadal's statement tells us absolutely nothing. He just strung together some well-used sports cliches. The statement could be from any tennis player, or if you switch the word "tennis" for a different sport, it could be from almost any athlete who lost.
Most pro athletes have figured out that, regardless of what you really feel or think, it's safer and more profitable to just trot out the cliches and not really say anything. Then nobody gets offended or posts a piece about your "tantrum." At the same time, we also get basically no insight into what they really think or feel, which pretty much defeats the purpose of them being interviewed in the first place.
But hey, if you liked the Nadal answer, there's a lot more where that came from here: http://www.sportscliche.com/ -
not only was it vicious it sounded personal, sad day for letsrun journalist
-
show some class wrote:
It is disrespectful to other competitors to carry on after the race. One of the things I miss about racing is the post race debrief with competitors.
As noted the other guys all cooled down together and enjoyed each others company. Webb missed the insights and perspective they could have provided because he was having a tanty.
Running is unique in that we can do a 1 mile TT under the same conditions on our own but we need the the opposition to lift. To suggest that he should have stayed home is to suggest the others are not worthy of his presence.
You got it backwards. Webb was quite clearly saying that he wasn't worthy of being there since, as it turns out, he was only in about 4-flat shape.
And if you miss "the post race debrief with competitors" (ahem) that is your business. But really, you're going to fault a guy for not singing kumbaya with his competitors after a professional race? At any level, I'd never even think of faulting someone for not hanging out or cooling down with me afterward. (And not all the guys did so after this race - Manzano got the hell out of there as well.)
And of course you overlook that Webb flew to Chicago to give Lucas V an award just last month, so as far as socializing and hanging out goes, there you are. -
I couldn't agree more. Additionally, I find it amusing and discouraging that "we" (fans) bash a runner for being nonchalant about losing than "we" turn around to bash another runner for failing to put a loss into perspective. Clearly the article is rooted in the authors' personal distaste for Webb (oh by the way, the greatest American miler ever). Let's not fuel the intense scrutiny of our athletes with soap opera-like gossip. Just report the facts fellas.
-
+1. I'm glad to see all the Webb-supportive comments on this thread. When I read the article, I thought "what 'tantrum'?"
Given the amount of frustration he was feeling, I think Webb handled it very well. He didn't lash out at anyone else. He threw himself into a hard training workout to burn off his frustration - I've done the same thing in the same situation after a tough loss.
I am not on Webb's level in any sport/event I competed in, but I totally relate to what he did, and how he handled it.
What you saw was 'The Eye of the Tiger', not a tantrum. It was all directed inward not outward -- and believe me when I predict, he'll take all that anger/frustration (and misplaced journalistic 'shaming') and he'll internalize it and use it to push himself, and he'll be one badass competitor later in the year. -
I was so worried after reading the article. The interview seems so human and relatively sane for someone who destroyed so many records so young and now has real-life hurdles. Disappointment tho he did 3/4 of the race well after being spanked by flu.
So I agree. While churning interest in running, the article is among my least favorite on my favorite running website. Gets the tone wrong. Let's let Alan recover and run well another day, and go spend time on the new emerging contenders like Vaughn and, in this case, Russell Brown and Garrett Heath (who? we might know more if proper attention were being paid to them and not to someone who had a disappointing race--by the way, let he or she who has never had a disappointing race and a grumpy moment afterwards cast the first stone).
