Women's 1500m walk-off

Um Mary Cain was there idiots. This meant nothing.

A real protest means walking off the track and not racing. That would have made national headlines. This was nothing.

Watching the "walk off" left me with the following question: is it possible for an event involving only women to be the gayest thing I've ever seen?

impressed wrote:

Hats off for these girls! It shows that there's some decency left in track.

And f*ck NOP. I'm done with Nike apparel forever.

You people are so dumb. Nike had nothing to do with this. It was Salazar.

ummm.. wrote:

1. why is that more meaningful?

2. as pro runners don't they need to focus on doing their job 1st?

Truth! wrote:

A meaningful protest would have been doing that at the beginning of the race. Not after they all got smoked.

1. Because doing it first and then going about your business shows that you are expressing your true feelings separate from the outcome of your race. Not saying they should have walked off, but they could have bowed their head and not acknowledged when they were introduced or something like that. Then go race and let your legs speak for themselves.

Doing it after the race is disrespectful of the winner of the race, no matter who won. Would they have done the same if Cain and Moser had come in 4th and 5th?

2. As sponsored athletes, their job is to run their best and represent their brand. Tie score from this race? They got smoked in the race by a different group, 0-1. They did something that got people noticing them and talking about their brand in contrast to the winning brand. 1-1

mother clucker wrote:

Seems like there are a lot of new names/Nike trolls on the boards this weekend.

I\'d normally just dismiss that as a conspiracy theory, but it looks like someone has decided they want to go for the \"controversy\" line.

However, to anyone who has actually seen the race, and who knows the rules, there was nothing controversial about it. Grunewald won the 3000m fairly, and Nike / USATF need to head for a graceful exit and cut their losses, rather than burn the respect that they\'ve built up with the running community over the past years.

Someone has already pointed out the eerie similarity between Alberto Salazar\'s behavior on display at the trials, and that of one of his associates, another Nike-sponsored control freak who recently fell on hard times.

It doesn\'t bode well for Nike if people continue drawing this comparison.

I thought it was a good protest. None of these runners had any power as individuals (they're not huge names for the most part), they had their own obligations (i.e. racing) to worry about, etc. Considering that their act was noticed at all, I think they did what they could. Bravo.

This is why 99.9% of you aren't elite runners. You don't get it, and maybe I don't either. These posts I'm reading are a joke. Shame on you people. Who cares about Mary Cain winning again? Who cares about who placed where in a relatively meaningless indoor meet? There's a bigger problem here in track and field, and these girls recognize it. Who cares who was involved and who was not involved, the important thing is that a few athletes are willing to show that they are unified in a state of distress. There's a certain honor in competing in athletics the right way. Athletes need to be aware that the USATF and Nike are not bigger than this sport. The athletes, when unified, have all the power. I wish everyone reacted the way these runners did. While they didn't spew nonsense in post-race interviews, they were perhaps the catalysts in a small stand that fans needed to witness. These athletes are unified. When it comes down to it, all they truly have is themselves and their competitors. The USATF does not care about them because they don't have to, so why not give them a reason to?

What I think happened was not necessarily a protest, it was a display of unity. The groundwork is there, some day there will be a move to change the USATF and athletes will know at least these 1500 runners will have their backs.

The events that have taken place (at least alleged events) over the last 24-48 hours have completely outed what really goes on at these meets when Nike is involved and the USATF holds their hand. I, for one, am very surprised and wonder how these things will affect the future of the sport.

laame wrote:

If they really wanted to make a statement they would have walked off as soon as the gun went off. Not after getting smoked by the NOP.

+1000000000

I thought the hand holding walk-off was some kind of runner pusy riot gay rights stand.

Money money wrote:

I thought the hand holding walk-off was some kind of runner pusy riot gay rights stand.

Well then your brain must be about the size of a pea.

A gay rights stand would have been a lot more mature and effectual. But you go 20 year old white girls. Clearly you've lead difficult lives. One white girl runs into another white girl and suddenly all the white girls have lost their minds.

bam bam wrote:

Money money wrote:

I thought the hand holding walk-off was some kind of runner pusy riot gay rights stand.

Well then your brain must be about the size of a pea.

You know what have been even more of a statement?: If Gabe would have actually run the 1500, because she could have potentially beaten Mary. Dang, I would have been happy if just one of the other women in the race finished in the same straightaway as the two NOP women. Again, the NOP just annihilated everyone and peaced out to ABQ.

Nice shot of them walking off holding hands.

It's good to see competitors unified for a good cause.

dont be jelly mmm kay! wrote:

the cause = Hasay is prettier than us and we are jelly!

Hasay pretty? You must be either pedo, gay or both.

Look at those asses holding hands. That's what real men like.

v6 wrote:

Oh whatever. If she is going to race as an adult, she can answer questions like an adult.

lold

I hope these women realize that no one is going take anything they do seriously while they are walking around in their bra and panties. Sorry, but those are just the facts.

You know what irritates me about this whole situation? Sarah Brown. You know why? You didn't see her give up her spot after the USATF messed up a year ago and put her in the 1500 in worlds instead of asking Shannon Rowbury (A Nike athlete) first.

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/08/shannon-rowbury-has-some-strong-words-for-usatf-for-being-left-off-1500m-team-for-worlds/

I'm sorry but honey, if you're going to appreciate it when the USATF messes up in your favor, then don't act like you matter and protest when the USATF rules against someone who is not a Nike athlete.

Obviously the USATF made themselves look like idiots by making it look like they were jerked around by Nike, but realistically Gabe was an idiot and bumped into the back of people. She could have avoided all of this by simply not racing like an idiot. In Shannon Rowbury's case, a case could not have been made that the USATF was in the right, they were clearly in the wrong. You didn't see anyone tell Sarah Brown to give up her spot, or even make a huge deal about it at all.

You know what irritates me about this whole situation? Sarah Brown. You know why? You didn't see her give up her spot after the USATF messed up a year ago and put her in the 1500 in worlds instead of asking Shannon Rowbury (A Nike athlete) first.

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2013/08/shannon-rowbury-has-some-strong-words-for-usatf-for-being-left-off-1500m-team-for-worlds/

I'm sorry but honey, if you're going to appreciate it when the USATF messes up in your favor, then don't act like you matter and protest when the USATF rules against someone who is not a Nike athlete.

Obviously the USATF made themselves look like idiots by making it look like they were jerked around by Nike, but realistically Gabe was an idiot and bumped into the back of people. She could have avoided all of this by simply not racing like an idiot. In Shannon Rowbury's case, a case could not have been made that the USATF was in the right, they were clearly in the wrong. You didn't see anyone tell Sarah Brown to give up her spot, or even make a huge deal about it at all.