Shut Up with all the "Team Values" Crap Already

Listen, all this talk about how wrong the kid is... Bottom line is he's 18-19 years old and is entitled to change his mind. And honestly speaking as a Collegiate Coach, regardless of how talented a kid is, if he/she doesn't have the will to WANT to run at heart then I don't want that person on my team. You people want him to run because you want him to run, not because his heart is in it. quit tripping... LIFE GOES ON!!!!!

Listen, all this talk about how wrong the kid is... Bottom line is he's 18-19 years old and is entitled to change his mind. And honestly speaking as a Collegiate Coach, regardless of how talented a kid is, if he/she doesn't have the will to WANT to run at heart then I don't want that person on my team. You people want him to run because you want him to run, not because his heart is in it. quit tripping... LIFE GOES ON!!!!!

Irritating Values wrote:

The most irritating thing about this forum in the last week has been all the bumbling idiots spewing nonsense about how Verzbicas shouldn't have left because it "hurt his team" and goes against his "moral obligations" and what not.

News Flash.

The kid isn't required in the SLIGHTEST to put ANY weight or base ANY of his decisions on what you people call "Team Values".

He's not a runner. He's a triathlete.

Expecting him to put ANY value in the Team Aspect of running defies all precedents set by his Triathlon-oriented upbringing. He doesn't have a runner's values. He has a triathlete's values. Get. That. Through. Your. Head.

Obviously you have never been part of a team. When Lukas was looking at colleges he said he had to make a tough decision aka his decision to pursue running or triathalons. when he signed his scholarship papers to U of O he committed to running and bettering his cross country team. When he decided to leave his team without warning 4 days before an important meet then it shows his poor morale values.

You are an idiot.

You're allowed to be shitty wrote:

Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean its all good.

Are you allowed to cheat on your girlfriend? Yeah. Are people going to judge you for it? Probably.

Is Lukas allowed to leave oregon? yup. Is it kind of a dick move? yup.

That's America. You're allowed to be a douche. But you're still a douche.

Nicely put!

He can make a lot more money at Tri's and better at it when compared to the world stage. There are just more sponsorship opportunities and general public support (from entry fees like Marathons).

Here's a quote from a Sports Business article from 2007.

"About two dozen U.S.-based pro triathletes earn a modest living by pro sports standards, generating between $300,000 and $500,000 annually between prize winnings, endorsements, appearances and coaching."

I don't think there are two dozen US distance runners making that kind of income.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2007/10/20071008/This-Weeks-News/Triathlons-In-It-For-Long-Run.aspx

Lukas Verzbickas in an INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR. His name unexpectedly has spread like wildfire across the sports world after he snubbed Chinese eunuch Phil Knight the Stanford MBA graduate. The whole world loves Lukas. He's taken the spotlight away from Usain Bolt and his PED habit. Who'd a thunk-ed-ed it ? My prediction is he'll be exiting Colorado Springs soon for New York City or Hollywood. Fame can be a fleeting moment and Lukas knows it.

My criticism about Lukas isn't centered around team values.

As a talented youngster, I was always inundated with demands from coaches and teammates to make increasing sacrifices and tame my lifestyle to serve them. They insisted that being talented meant I was indebted to them, the untalented. I found that the same drive that made me study late into the night was that same unwavering drive with which I broke my equally talented, increasingly sacrificing competitors on the track. The key point here is that I came in from the outset with a take it or leave it offering of my abilities (I was recruited off the soccer team after breaking our school 3200 record in the preseason 'fitness test'. 9:46 if you're curious).

Lukas signed a letter of intent, accepted a scholarship, and committed to competing for the University of Oregon. There are reasonable ways to breach this commitment. His defenders must answer the question: what is the threshold at which his desertion becomes unreasonable? In the middle of a race? Right before nationals? Immediately after a poor showing?

He deliberately acted in a way to justify certain expectations of him and then pulled a 180 and punished those who thought he was an honest actor when he established those expectations.

Lukas owed his team advance notice, especially since by recruiting him, Oregon sacrificed recruiting several other talented runners. He screwed over not only his team by betraying the expectations he created, but he spit in the face of every kid who he beat to get that spot.