Observations from NCAA XC from someone who met most top finishers...

Fans pay the bills? What the f*%* are you talking about?

I think he was talking about football fans.

One thing I have learned with interacting with many east Africans in the United States is that most are very happy to have the opportunity to be in this country to have an education or a job, even if that job is very menial by most standards. In this country, people have the opportunity to bring themselves out of poverty and send their children to college, even though there are many factors along the way that interrupt that path. In the places that these folks come from, they do not see those possibilities.

VIP wrote:

I was very disappointed when I first saw that most of the top 20 men were all Africans. That was BEFORE I got to meet most of them. Because of who my best friend is, I got to meet almost everyone. The Africans were VERY polite and even asked me about my own running. I found most Americans to be quite rude with the exception of the two Colorado guys I met. Jordan Hasay was by far the most rude. I am hoping she was just disappointed in finishing 3rd. I have always been a fan and don't want to judge her just on today, but I was disappointed. Americans need to learn that fans pay the bills.

I would caution you not to judge someone when they've just finished racing. I'm sorry you thought they were rude, but this race was the culmination of years of hopes, dreams and training. It's an emotional time for these athletes. Pump your brakes a little.

d2rep wrote:

Fans pay the bills? What the f*%* are you talking about?

Shoe companies don't sponsor guys just for the hell of it. They sponsor the runners with the biggest FAN base to sell more shoes. Why do you think Webb still gets big pay days well past his prime. Same with meet promoters. They want runners with big FAN base to sell tickets and get more sponsors/commercials/etc.

Gabe Jennings wasn't amazing, but his personality got people in the stands which made promoters want him at their race. His days didn't last long, but they were there.

VIP wrote:

Shoe companies don't sponsor guys just for the hell of it.

Which of the runners you met today is sponsored by a shoe company?

Did the Africans teach you the words to "Kum-bay-ya"?

VIP Troll wrote:

The Africans were VERY polite and even asked me about my own running.

VIP wrote:

Shoe companies don't sponsor guys just for the hell of it. They sponsor the runners with the biggest FAN base to sell more shoes. Why do you think Webb still gets big pay days well past his prime. Same with meet promoters. They want runners with big FAN base to sell tickets and get more sponsors/commercials/etc. .

wrong

do you really think they get at the very least an equal return on their investment when they're paying the lowest payed athletes tens of thousands of dollars? they don't.

most people have no clue who so and so professional runner is

they pay professional athletes for the association with their brand, not because they think people will go out and buy so many shoes that they are making a profit from sponsoring a certain athlete

and you shouldn't be to quick to judge an athlete after a race of this caliber

many people were probably disappointed in their performance. jordan wanted to win so badly and she was nearly in tears after she crossed the finish line in 3rd. do you expect her to be puking sunshine and farting rainbows when some random person comes up and introduces himself so soon after her race?

hey! don't you go telling me about how these guys are such nice young men! i want to base my opinions of these foreigners on absolutely NO FACTS whatsoever!!! my opinions will be primarily based on the fact that they are fast & they look and talk different than me!

VIP wrote:

I was very disappointed when I first saw that most of the top 20 men were all Africans. That was BEFORE I got to meet most of them. Because of who my best friend is, I got to meet almost everyone. The Africans were VERY polite and even asked me about my own running. I found most Americans to be quite rude with the exception of the two Colorado guys I met. Jordan Hasay was by far the most rude. I am hoping she was just disappointed in finishing 3rd. I have always been a fan and don't want to judge her just on today, but I was disappointed. Americans need to learn that fans pay the bills.

Finally, someone gets it. I am not so much dogging the Americans as I am complimenting the much faster Africans. There was also a runner from EKU that was foreign but didn't sound African who was very nice, but told me he had his worst race of the season. So please don't blame it on poor racing. BTW, my friend is someone they should want to impress!

Swedish girls dig the brothers. Isn't Tiger Woods' ex a swede?

Your moniker tells me a lot about how you view yourself. And it's not flattering the way you mention that your friend is someone the athletes should want to impress. Maybe they're self-differentiated, centered people who don't feel the need to impress anyone. Sorry that Ms. Hasay contoverted your tidy little image of her and proved to be a normal human being.

This is total BS. Jordan Hasay was signing tons of autographs and posing for pics with lots of people after her race. I was there. There was just not enough time for all the people who wanted her autograph or a pic with her.

VIP wrote:

I was very disappointed when I first saw that most of the top 20 men were all Africans. That was BEFORE I got to meet most of them. Because of who my best friend is, I got to meet almost everyone. The Africans were VERY polite and even asked me about my own running. I found most Americans to be quite rude with the exception of the two Colorado guys I met. Jordan Hasay was by far the most rude. I am hoping she was just disappointed in finishing 3rd. I have always been a fan and don't want to judge her just on today, but I was disappointed. Americans need to learn that fans pay the bills.

The first two US-born runners were Darling (MI) and Connor (TX), both from Wisconsin. They certainly do not have a history of being stuck up.

Why do we care about your subjective observations of a moment in time 11/17/12...? There are many sides to a human being.

VIP wrote:

I was very disappointed when I first saw that most of the top 20 men were all Africans. That was BEFORE I got to meet most of them. Because of who my best friend is, I got to meet almost everyone. The Africans were VERY polite and even asked me about my own running. I found most Americans to be quite rude with the exception of the two Colorado guys I met. Jordan Hasay was by far the most rude. I am hoping she was just disappointed in finishing 3rd. I have always been a fan and don't want to judge her just on today, but I was disappointed. Americans need to learn that fans pay the bills.

VIP wrote:

Jordan Hasay was by far the most rude.

Well, come on. That's a big meaningless statement, isn't it?

Tell us something.

someone had to do it wrote:

they pay professional athletes for the association with their brand

Which exists in the eyes of whom? Think about it..think about it...I can hear the gears in your little head turning...

That's right, Jimmy! The fans!

Do you think Adidas would give an eff about Geb's "association with their brand" if nobody knew who he was? Of course not.

Hasay will be OK, though. She's decently fast on the US stage, a nobody on the world stage, and looks "right." As we all know, this is what it takes for an American runner to stay signed.

Sorry but VIP doesn't sound like anyone I'd care to spend time with either. He says "he met" nearly all the 20 Africans and the top Americans. Just what was he up to...rushing around after a difficult race, and "meeting" all these collegiate athletes? Sounds creepy to me.

Probably most telling is that he then takes the time to come to this board to gush how he met everyone, but was disappointed with Jordan. Too bad Jordan didn't live up to his perverted expectations.

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