thinker wrote:
Do you guys think that at least part of the reason for the declining popularity of professional track and field can be linked to the emergence of the east Africans? The popularity of the sport seems to be linked to how successful people are from certain countries: track was very popular in the US when Jim Ryun was on top of the world, track was very popular in the UK when Coe/Cram/Ovett dominated the middle distances, etc. Now the most successful distance athletes come from Ethiopia and Kenya which, even combined, are nowhere near the US in terms of population. Loosing first world countries like the US and the UK, both known for having sports-mad populations, was likely incredibly damaging to the sport. Both Ethiopia and Kenya are third world countries so any money to be gained from those fan bases is almost nothing.
Perhaps the emergence of East Africans wouldn't have been so damaging if they didn't seem so faceless. Tennis and golf may have foreign athletes at the top of the world but those foreigners are still somewhat relatable. Federer and other stars have decent fan followings in the US and other large first world countries. Compare that to track where the east Africans are quiet as corpses and seem to lack personality. New east Africans spring up so often that it's impossible for an average fan to keep up. Think of how many Kenyan runners have the last name "Kiplagat" yet aren't related. I'm not advocating for the banishment of east Africans or anything racist like that, but it's hard to deny that they haven't played a part in the decline of the sport.
The decline in track started earlier, in late 80's, before Africans entered the sport in big masses. I have already explained several times that performances in the 800 m/1500 m stagnated between 1986-1995, DESPITE increasing numbers of Africans. And in mid-90's, when EPO emerged in sport, there were virtually no white runners left. They vacated the sport almost completely.