Kate Murphy chooses NXN over FL, is this a sign of Footlocker's waning prestige?

The answers SON!!!!!!!!! wrote:

Kate put up times last year equivalent to Cain and Ephraimson's JR years, but rather than going pro, she is back to chase more national titles and PRs.

She competes on a very strong team, which could potentially qualify for NXN and place top-10, but for the past 10 years, the FL champ has widely been considered the best runner in the country, but I think this could be a sea change moment if she wins NXN, and more individual runners will make that choice.

http://va.milesplit.com/articles/191075-kate-murphy-ends-the-footlocker-vs-nxn-saga-and-is-ready-to-open-her-season-

People have been saying things like this for years, yet FL endures and is still doing well. We've reached somewhat of an equilibrium in recent years where neither race completely dominates the other for top talent year after year.

The fact that she has a competitive team is likely one of the major factors in her going the NXN route this year.

Oh it definitely the reason she decided to do it. But the current underclassmen are going to look at it as "which race did the top runner choose last year?"

FL is the better meet. NXN tries to be too inclusive.

Foot locker hasn't been doing well in some regions, number of participants is way down.

No. Just about every runner looks at it as can I run with my team?

If the answer is yes, they sign up for NXN and they think about running for second behind Murphy. If the answer is no, then they look at it as Murphy is running NXN, I can't win that. I should run Footlocker, I have a better chance there. The vast majority of talent has no chance to run with their team and they will pick Footlocker.

Desco wrote:

FL is the better meet. NXN tries to be too inclusive.

Not always true.

In 2012, NXN featured the most competitive girls in the nation: Sarah Baxter, Mary Cain, Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny

(Anna Rohrer is a fantastic athlete but Footlocker wasn't as competitive as NXN.)

In 2013, NXN featured arguably the fastest three girls in the nation: Sarah Baxter, Alexa Efraimson, and Elise Cranny.

For boys, Footlocker is consistently better. For girls, in the last few years, it's been both.

Nike propaganda machine at work!

Kate Murphy on choosing NXN over Foot Locker and announces her top 3 colleges @FloTrack

https://www.flotrack.org/video/992970-kate-murphy-on-choosing-nxn-over-foot-locker-and-announces-her-top-3-colleges#.V-v9PFaHrtA.twitter

I think footlocker is generally always deeper, Nike might sometimes have a few bigger names, but footlocker has the best runners, and most of the time the biggest name; I feel like most kids would rather go to footlocker to see someone like Andre Hunter, Grant Fisher, etc.. than the people that are at Nike not that the people at Nike are less person wise, but the footlockers guys still get the most attention easily.

Samuel DeChamplain wrote:

Kate Murphy on choosing NXN over Foot Locker and announces her top 3 colleges @FloTrack

https://www.flotrack.org/video/992970-kate-murphy-on-choosing-nxn-over-foot-locker-and-announces-her-top-3-colleges#.V-v9PFaHrtA.twitter

I think footlocker is generally always deeper, Nike might sometimes have a few bigger names, but footlocker has the best runners, and most of the time the biggest name; I feel like most kids would rather go to footlocker to see someone like Andre Hunter, Grant Fisher, etc.. than the people that are at Nike not that the people at Nike are less person wise, but the footlockers guys still get the most attention easily.

So you are accepting that the herd follows the best of the best. So if Andrew Hunter chose NXN, then most kids would want to go there.

Murphy is poised to be the "it" girl of the XC and track seasons. She will create a big pull to NXN.

Murphy doesn't want to go to college. She wants to go pro. This is a known thing. With this in mind, NXN seems like the obvious choice.

I suspect there is some regional variation in this answer. Nike offers more regional choices, so it is far more convenient and less expensive for athletes from certain states to go to Nike. For instance, Colorado's presence at FL Midwest has dropped precipitously because it is far easier and more attractive to go Arizona a week earlier than Wisconsin the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I suspect there has been a similar trend in the Pacific Northwest. Cost and convenience might not be a consideration for every athlete, particularly athletes like Murphy who are certain to qualify for Nationals, but many of the athletes on the bubble, so to speak, are likely to consider cost and convenience. FL would be smart to go to something like 6 Regions qualifying 7 athletes each rather than the 4 Regions qualifying 10 athletes each to protect the prestige of the event.

&YGBUY(*sdflih wrote:

Just about every runner looks at it as can I run with my team?

Most runners are quite average, and would have no chance at Footlocker Nationals where the top runners go.

That's the thing though, the best runners don't do nxn over footlocker, Kate is only doing it because she wants to do it with her team, if she didn't have a good team she'd be at footlocker.

nike shouldnt sign anymore hs girls

Who cares the rich kid from northern va who sets up a gofundme account to bring her family to trials? She better go to Oregon because Villanova and UVA can't fund her.

Coach wrote:

Foot locker hasn't been doing well in some regions, number of participants is way down.

This.

Most of the best in the areas furthest from the Footlocker Regions have been opting for NXN over FLN. Most of the areas where it is about the same travel have been pretty well split, probably slightly leaning towards FLN.

That means that many of the best in Texas and most of the West have been going to NXN for the last nearly decade now, while it has only been the athletes in the Midwest and East coast that have been split or leaning towards FLN. There have been years when NXN is just as strong as FLN up front, and years where NXN is better or FLN is better, but generally I don't think there has been that big of a difference.

I don't think that Murphy opting for NXN over FLN is either that surprising, or a sign of any significant change: she went to NXN last year, after all, and she is on a good team. There have only been a couple of instances when athletes from good teams have chosen FLN over NXN, and by and large all that did was cost their teammates the chance to compete at a national meet. Most kids, I would think, are team-driven enough and close enough with their team that, given the choice, they would probably choose to compete with their team (at NXR and NXN) rather than on their own (at FL regionals and nationals) at the expense of their teammates chances (at NXR and, if they are VERY lucky, NXN).

Samuel DeChamplain wrote:

That's the thing though, the best runners don't do nxn over footlocker, Kate is only doing it because she wants to do it with her team, if she didn't have a good team she'd be at footlocker.

The above quote is the answer to all the peoples mutterings.

One year to the next NXN may pull in a top couple of runners and it seems more prevalent on the girls side. Most every year FL has greater depth on the girls side. The boys, no question FL is the event to be at - top talent wise and depth of field wise.

You're an idiot. If she's on a nationally ranked team why wouldn't she go to NXN

Samuel DeChamplain wrote:

That's the thing though, the best runners don't do nxn over footlocker, Kate is only doing it because she wants to do it with her team, if she didn't have a good team she'd be at footlocker.

The above quote is FALSE. See Allie Ostrander. She didn't have a team that qualified for NXN, but still chose NXN over Footlocker. For many reasons, NXN has slowly but surely been eating into FL race quality over the past 10 years. I would guess that within 10 years FL will cease to sponsor the race.