Here's how to end the stupidity of identical singlets in DL/pro races

Les wrote:

They can, but the problem is this: the IAAF and the national federations are beholden to the shoe companies who sponsor them with millions of dollars. The IAAF is not going to tell their sponsor (is it adidas?) how to brand their athletes. USATF is not going to tell Nike you MUST do x, y and z with their uniforms. The shoe companies are running the sport, not the world and national federations.

What are you even talking about? The national federations and IAAF don't even need to enter into it.

The show companies just need to put the Kenyans in red/black, the Ethiopians in green, the Canadians in red, the Americans in red/white/blue, etc etc etc, rather than every damn person in purple. How hard is that?

I showed this thread to my wife, who will hang out with me while I watch a race but like any sensible person finds the broadcasts to be dead boring. She was amazed that there are actually people arguing for every runner to wear the same color in a race.

Like 99% of "fans," I used to compete and take a nerd's close interest, but to the rest of the world this sport is dying due to lack of creativity. It's pathetic. Even though almost everyone on earth has run and tens of millions have participated in organized events (I won't call that racing), outside of those who have competed seriously there are probably less than 1000 people on earth who closely follow the sport. And that's a very generous ceiling. Yet millions people follow NASCAR in spite of never having raced a car.

Watching 10 guys line up in identical singlets, it's like the shoe companies are actively trying to make the sport unappealing. Then the same fans who cry track is never on TV say 'I know my Kipchoge from my Kiplagat and you should, too, and gee that purple wall of swooshes sure is pretty"? Thankfully that view is the minority, and yet the show companies remain uninspired on this.

I wrote:

- Yellow for current DL leader. (Obviously borrowing from cycling a bit here.)

Les wrote:

OP said nothing about DL points leader -- that is your inference.

Are you even trying? Did you have a stroke there? "YELLOW FOR CURRENT DL LEADER."

I hope she isn't picking out the women's shotput uniforms.

Looby wrote:

Regardless of the details, having some variety to the outfits is a welcome idea. It always amazes me how bland/uniform running outfits are. Even local dork cyclists have colorful (even gaudy) outfits that rarely look alike unless it is a team training together.

I want Maggie Vessey to be in charge of the women's uniform selection.

LetsHelp wrote:

There are probably less than 1000 people on earth who closely follow the sport. And that's a very generous ceiling.

No, just no.

Athletics doesn't make money for the athletes because of the amateur attitude of the IAAF. It's simple. The judge in the Nick Symmonds case even called athletics an amateur sport.

Metric Miler wrote:

LetsHelp wrote:

There are probably less than 1000 people on earth who closely follow the sport. And that's a very generous ceiling.

No, just no.

Athletics doesn't make money for the athletes because of the amateur attitude of the IAAF. It's simple. The judge in the Nick Symmonds case even called athletics an amateur sport.

"No. Just no." You sound like a teenage girl, and say nothing useful. What are you disagreeing with? You think there is a large fan base of people who closely follow track? Laughable.

It's beyond obvious that the IAAF is bad for the sport, and nobody on this thread is arguing against that. The grownups are talking about the brain trust running the sport (IAAF, sponsors, etc) putting their little heads together to make it more watchable. Not having 10 identical kits in one race is just one very, very, very obvious idea.

Literally if you showed a ten year-old the Doha 1500 and asked him how to help people follow the race and identify athletes, he would say put them in different freaking colors. Yet that's beyond the capabilities of this sport, apparently.

Chill out.

I agree with you on everything except for the fact that you think there are only 1000 track fans in the world. I know you want to be part of an elite little group but look at the diamond league viewing figures. The fact that I am here, a Brit, talking with an American about a meeting containing all different nationalities that happened in China, shows you are way off the mark. 1000 is extremely low. There were more than that in the stadium.

"who follow the sport"

For a start, there isn't a sport to follow. If you watch the diamond leagues you are following the sport enough. The people racing at each DL changes all the time, nothing to follow. Millions watch the DL worldwide.

You are delusional. I bet more than 1000 unique individuals are posters on sites like this. And that number will only be a tiny proportion of the total die hard fans.

I know you want to be special, but you aren't.

KBXC wrote:

I like the idea, but what would happen with runners who overlap in some of your categories? For example, let's say Kiprop theoretically gets the WR in the 1500 and is the Diamond League leader. Now he is a WR holder, Diamond League leader, and the reigning World Champ. How would that work? Would you give him a black singlet with gold and yellow accents? Just curious about the logistics of this plan.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the posts on this thread.

At the Oslo DL I noticed that some runners had red or yellow boxes around the names on their bibs, which I gathered were for reigning champions or DL leaders.

So the organizers are getting it, and it can be done. It just has to be translated from bib color to singlet color. And I still think national colors for people without a specific accolade would help a lot.

Metric Miler wrote:

Millions watch the DL worldwide.

You are delusional.

Sir, if you think that millions of people "watch the DL," you are delusional.

Sure, it is possible (although unlikely), that millions of people will see some of a DL meet on TV (before changing that channel). But that has nothing to do with actually watching meets on an ongoing basis, much less following the sport (which occurs in every real sport on earth). Just because I didn't change the channel for five minutes when darts came on after a track meet on ESPN3 doesn't mean I "watch darts." I don't run from the bar if they put on soccer; that doesn't mean I "watch soccer."

If you were to actually measure legitimate engagement with the sport, which real sports actually do, no there are not 1,000,000 people on earth who could name the current DL leader in a single event, or even who have watched all of multiple meets.

Each athlete should have their own distinctive uniform that they wear throughout the season and allow a big sponsor logo on the back.