Race: what the Mary Cain NYT article is really about

There's another factor in all this that no one has mentioned yet. Although that factor is at least partly a consequence of a lot of the other issues being discussed.

The media (especially the general sports press) absolutely loves to pick their stars first and watch the races after. We can discuss or argue forever what the root causes of their choices are -- personality, looks, sponsor, coach, event, number of records, or even race. (Or maybe it's all decided out in Area 51 by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.)

But as track people, we've seen this over and over for years and years. How many feature stories have we watched on the media hero or darling, especially during the Olympics, that focus on the "wrong" person? How many times have we listened to Larry Rawson go on and on about Jordan Hasay while the camera shows her back in the pack and we wonder what's happening at the front of the race? How many times did we hear all about and watch the chosen American runner struggle, while a lesser known American was running better and the announcers didn't even know who he or she was?

No one is better at not letting the facts get in the way of a good story than the mainstream sports media. Regardless of the reason or reasons why, the media (not just the New York Times) has clearly chosen Mary Cain as the next big thing.

We all hope she rights the ship and has a great summer season, but if she doesn't don't expect to learn about it from the general sports press. They will be too busy running all the stories and features they already have in the can.

wejo wrote:

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If you had asked me what race Kim Gallagher was I'm not sure I would have known until you told me now so race wouldn't be a factor with a lot of people pointing to Salney. Slaney is a much more well known name so that is why I think most people leave Gallagher out of the equation. Now you can argue that is because people were racist in the 80s, or that Slaney was in the Zola Budd race, whatever. But as an 11 year old kid in 1984 I knew who Mary Slaney was. I don't think I knew Kim Gallagher.

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Perhaps LR should do a story on Kim Gallagher, then. Not only would be of interest to your readers, which include HS girls, it might lend support to LR's occasional claims of journalism.

Kim Gallagher is a good comparison and she went on to win two medals. In fact, in 1988, she won bronze behind two East German women who were 100% certain to have been on doping regimens, and so after those reports came out, she should have been moved up to gold (the European bias in the IAAF or IOC presumably keeps the 1980s Eastern Bloc runners in the medals and records presumably). She ran 2:00 and 4:16, and Cain broke the 2:00, but Gallagher didn't own the 1500m or mile records. Gallagher went on to run 52, 1:56.91 and 4:03, whereas Decker ran only 2:01.8 in high school in 1974 (Indoors!) at age 15 before her long string of injuries and I don't think she was allowed to run longer distances in that era. But Decker also ran 1:56.9 AR and 3:57 and 8:25 and 15:23(?) and was double gold medalist against the Eastern Bloc in 1983 at the first World Championships, so she was the bigger star. It is obvious that Cain's closer comp is with Decker, because both of them are/were marked by their range from 800m to 5000m, whereas Gallagher was great at 800m and quite good but not great at 1500m. And it is a key year for Mary Cain because when a few years go by with no improvement, then the prodigy part goes away and you are compared against the open runners. But this year she can still lower her junior records to insane marks and move up to that international elite class that Wilson has already reached, albeit at 20.

oab wrote:

This article should not have been about Mary Cain.

The most accomplished and promising female mid-D runner in the US is Ajee' WIlson, hands down. I'd love to see anyone here argue that fact.

The real question is why do we always obsess over Cain and not Wilson (even here to what I have seen).

I can only come up with one answer: Race. If Ajee' was white, she would be the darling prodigy.

While these stories in the NY Times give needed press to our sport, it would be radical if they (and we) were more objective in who we highlight as the future.

You are either yet another limp-wristed, femme voiced, skinny pants, latte drinking, brainwashed libtard coward looking for a pat approval from your soc professor (and a chance to bury your face in his wrinkled sack, again) or another hasbarat putting in his mandated net trolling time dedicated to attacking whites.

Cain is a great story. Period. Good student, nice kid, articulate, and the main reason she garners a lot of attention is because she is not one of these phenoms who had the physical maturity of a 22 year old at age 14.

Anyone who thinks that blacks in general suffer from discrimination in the US media is thoroughly disingenuous with ulterior motives or brainwashed like said types mentioned above. The US media, especially the news and Hollywood go out of their way to elevate blacks, coddle them, promote them.

It would almost be considered amazing Cain received a decent article in the NYT, but then again, she's not a white male. A white male would be ignored. A non-white male would be glorified beyond all proportion. And the cowardly OP knows this. lol

Take from someone who knows, Gallagher wasn't totally clean as you try to insinuate. You probably know this anyway.

What the Mary Cain is going on around here?

Can we just say this is about race...times? Get it, race times?!?! LOLZ LOLZ LOLZ

Yes, Gallagher was likely dirty as her coach, Chuck DeBus, was banned for life by The Athletics Congress in 1990 for inciting athletes to use banned substances and providing banned substances to an athlete.

Decker's 2:01.8 was a WORLD INDOOR RECORD at the time. In her first international competition against the Russians she won the race and beat the Olympic silver medalist. In 1973 she was ranked 4th in the world at 800 and 1st in the US at age 14. She also set a world indoor mile record.

Throw in the fact that Ajee is beautiful and Mary not, and it becomes clear that the disparity in coverage is due to race.

Need a hug, bruh?

Anyone who thinks that blacks in general suffer from discrimination in the US media is thoroughly disingenuous with ulterior motives or brainwashed like said types mentioned above

Just when you think you have seen the most deluded post possible, someone comes up with this one!

Effin amazing.

agip wrote:

I'll point out one more thing -

MC is just plain more popular than Ajee Wilson. Sort of a chicken or the egg problem, but look at twitter followers -

MC: 14,500

Ajee: 3,100

And MC is barely alive on twitter, while Ajee is active.

More people care about MC than Ajee - maybe it would even out if there were more articles about Ajee, I dunno.

The thing that matters is MC is attracting eyeballs. She has, for whatever reason, more interest and a media outlet responds to that because they want more eyeballs too. Those eyeballs fit the media outlet's demographic pretty well too! The federation responds to that too. More eyeballs on track and field brought to you by Nike. All these hangers-on want more eyeballs and MC delivers.

If Ajee were smart, she'd have someone working her social media stuff so it's not too much work or too personal and is "active."

There is a race argument to be made. But it's an almost endless discussion and worthless if it doesn't turn into action.

Lol...what the hell are you smoking. Cain's best years are behind her.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

I agree somewhat, but I think there is a big difference in being an 800m specialist (Ajee) and an 800/1500 phenom that seems to have a potential for range over 1500-10000m over 10+ years.

When I look at Ajee I see potential to medal in the next few years, but she is already at that top level. Maybe she runs 1:57 at some point, but the future for her is now.

Mary is eyeing 2016/2020, and there are possibly 3 events that should could medal in before all is said and done.

If an article is done on a white athlete it is racist for not doing it on a black one instead? People like the OP do more to keep racism going than the article.

How many records does Ajee hold?

The mile/1500 meters has always been the sexy event. She was a high phenom. Get over your bias!

I have met and spoke with Mary and found her to be refreshing as she comes accrosss as an ah shucks,who me, and I'm not really special type of person.

I remember seeing Kim Gallagher the over whelming favorite and the national leader and record holder being dqed for false starting in the PA State HS Meet in one of her events the 800 or 1600m and the crowd went nuts booing the dq and the officials,but their was nothing they could do,but dq her as she blatently jumped the gun!

I just find the BroJos views on race and athletics to be at times contradictory and naive. Remember, these are the guys who gave Lemaitre's first sub 10 the solo, black background front page as "the first white guys under ten seconds". It's all about race for them, until it isn't.

Ease off the racial angle please. First, the NYT is a business. You pander to your audience and advertisers, no matter what they say in journalism school. Again, Ms. Cain is from Westchester and her father is a physician in Manhattan. The Sunday NYT is: $8.60. Hence, your audience is rich, white, mostly suburban families. Mary is one of them. She's doing something exceptional. "People like to read about themselves," IS a quote from journalism school, and is also a truism, I'm sure, about the LRC audience. News organizations track the number of hits a story gets. If lots, expect more of the same.