Ashton Eaton ignored on American Ninja Warrior

Yes. He was ignored because he made a complete farce of the course and ANW has a brand to protect.

It doesn't make for good TV to have the world's best athlete demolish your brand.

In reality, the course is hard...for regular people, even "good" athletes. It goes without saying that it for Ashton it's child's play.

I've said this many times: Ashton would absolutely kill the regular course. He'd be the best competitor the show has ever seen by a long way. There will be of course people who dispute this, but they really don't understand the level of talent.

The only element I'd wonder about would be grip strength. While I don't doubt that Eaton is more athletic that any of the regular performers don't some of the obstacles require skills that favor climbers? It seems to me that the courses aren't really designed to allow him to play to his extraordinary abilities--they're generally short and almost always designed for people to fail in drops from overhanging climbing structures, no?

JRRJRJ wrote:

I've said this many times: Ashton would absolutely kill the regular course. He'd be the best competitor the show has ever seen by a long way. There will be of course people who dispute this, but they really don't understand the level of talent.

JRRJRJ wrote:

Yes. He was ignored because he made a complete farce of the course and ANW has a brand to protect.

It doesn't make for good TV to have the world's best athlete demolish your brand.

In reality, the course is hard...for regular people, even "good" athletes. It goes without saying that it for Ashton it's child's play.

I've said this many times: Ashton would absolutely kill the regular course. He'd be the best competitor the show has ever seen by a long way. There will be of course people who dispute this, but they really don't understand the level of talent.

A couple of things.

1) He made a farce of the course, that was nothing like the real course - including the warped wall, that is now higher. Did you also see the actor complete all the obstacles?

2) They repeatedly referred to him as the world's greatest athlete. So why don't you dial back your distance running butthurt a notch.

3) The entire show was clearly "in good fun" to raise money for charity. They let the celebrities tag in and out when the obstacles were too hard, and even let them skip and/or try obstacles twice.

Lighten up. If Ashton could win the real Ninja Warrior - and with grip training maybe he could - he should go for it.

Who are you?

Who do you think you are?

"So why don't you dial back your distance running butthurt a notch."

I was a multieventer. Take a hike, you zero of a nobody.

Pretty sure pole vaulting would have his grip just fine.

What a waste of his huge talent. Someone needs to convince him to come back to track and run 400 hurdles for a few years to take a break from the decathlon. Then, go for deca gold in Tokyo.

Eaton some pole wrote:

Pretty sure pole vaulting would have his grip just fine.

As a pole vaulter, there is a bug difference. Maybe Eaton could kill at the course. But the fact that he has vaulted 17+ isn't a good indication, it just shows that he is very fast and explosive and has moderately good vault technique to capitalize on that.

It really doesn't take much grip strength endurance to vault. Most people who aren't fat should have enough inherent grip strength to vault. If you can do a few pull ups, grip strength is not a limiting factor in vault. On ANW, they are doing the equivalent of 100s of pullups over the full course.

If you've ever seen the japenese version, you would know that the course their is much, much harder than the american one. ANW is a joke.

JRRJRJ wrote:

Who are you?

Who do you think you are?

"So why don't you dial back your distance running butthurt a notch."

I was a multieventer. Take a hike, you zero of a nobody.

Nah, you don't sound butthurt...

When do they show him performing the course?? At what time in the show?

exthrower wrote:

Eaton doesn't have NEAR the strength/weight ratio to complete a regular course.

And you know this...how? Have you been in the gym with him?

anw mad wrote:

The show spent tons of time highlighting celebrities who sucked at the obstacles, but then didnt even show Ashton do all the obstacles, which he completed no problem... I'd like to see him compete in the real show, not the celebrity edition.

seems like he had to swing back and forth on the rope. most legit ninja warriors get that in one swing

Basically, the way the real course is designed, no athlete over 165 lbs will complete it. The top guys can do one-arm pullups like they are nothing.

Alpenrunner wrote:

Basically, the way the real course is designed, no athlete over 165 lbs will complete it. The top guys can do one-arm pullups like they are nothing.

+1 to this comment.

Eaton's a phenomenal athlete, but these courses seem heavily geared towards people with backgrounds in gymnastics rather than power/speed events.

anw mad wrote:

The show spent tons of time highlighting celebrities who sucked at the obstacles, but then didnt even show Ashton do all the obstacles, which he completed no problem... I'd like to see him compete in the real show, not the celebrity edition.

Remember ABC's Superstars? They should bring it back and invite Eaton. That would be a better competition and great for TV.

Funghs wrote:

If you've ever seen the japenese version, you would know that the course their is much, much harder than the american one. ANW is a joke.

Yeah I've seen the Japanese version, and it is no where near as hard as the American version has been for at least the past 5 years. There's a reason whenever they have the international competition the Japanese team finishes last.

anw mad wrote:

The show spent tons of time highlighting celebrities who sucked at the obstacles, but then didnt even show Ashton do all the obstacles, which he completed no problem... I'd like to see him compete in the real show, not the celebrity edition.

I have reservations about the great Ashton Eaton stooping to the level of TV obstacle course reality competition show-dom. Even if he can win... But I agree, if there is more coverage and hype it would be interesting. Not as interesting as Conor McGregor boxing Floyd Mayweather, but in the same category of interesting-ness.

Jim McKay wrote:

Remember ABC's Superstars? They should bring it back and invite Eaton. That would be a better competition and great for TV.

Remember BBC's Superstars?

Brian Jacks on dips and squat thrusts. I'd love to see him versus Eaton.

Funghs wrote:

If you've ever seen the japenese version, you would know that the course their is much, much harder than the american one. ANW is a joke.

Are you blind? The ANW course is wayyy harder than the Japanese. Have you ever watched when the Japanese compete on it? They get their balls kicked in.