C'mon, Emma! More class!

So we can't voice our opinions anymore? This is what US political parties try to achieve, just so that they can be the winners. Drown out someones's voice because it hurts your own cause.

Her choice of business attire is fair game!

Delete inappropriate posts only.

Has the LRC staff ever made a conscious effort to do an all staff training on race and/or gender? This is the overzealous attempt to solve a real problem about how women are mistreated. It becomes mind control.

This is total nonsense. What this training does is have a few individuals tell you how to act or think!

Try going to church, or read the Bible. This will give you good morals.

So, a sponsored company representative shows up to a national event wearing ratty cutoffs with holes in them, and this is somehow sexist or racist to get highlighted? Have you lost your minds?

I agree people have no right to comment/complain about a person's (male female trans) attire. I'm guessing the OP and some commenters are from the Midwest where people have strict dress codes due to cultural differences (ive seen topless on Pearl st in boulder and it's wonderful)

Thanks WeJo for showing some common sense

I'm glad this thread was reopened. These sexism allegations are... Well let me first say to this anonymous individual, I sympathize with you. The world is a cruel place and not just to the cause of women, either, remember that. Other camps and constituencies face adversity. But let me allieve your fears.

Here is what I saw happening early on. The beginning of the thread had nothing to do with sexism, and was simply a prompt for a larger recurrent cultural debate, indeed the polarity, in our society. So the prompt could have been male, it could have been something else too. Look at our society! Competition and hatred prevails everywhere in excess. To the distraction of many important issues. People keep moving along in their confines, unquestioning, but this manner undermines all they think is still preserved. We have intense partisan hatred and divide in this country. Many hot button issues gravitate around this polarity... Hatred and contempt for our fellow citizens. Notions of hard work, blue collar, notions of class, notions of legitimacy, it goes on and on. "millennial" hatred and blame, old versus new, professional versus sloppy, hippie vs what not. So I saw this thread, at the beginning, as being precisely about this. It wasn't sexist, it was a spark for the same old powder keg.

Now, cutoff jeans is actually Emma Coburn's trademark style. Anyone familiar with her social media and with the coverage she gets on these boards would concur. I don't think there is another runner more associated with those fashionably faded and worn, lighter wash cut off jeans and her display of her uniquely muscular legs.

This polarity and hatred was so profound, I'm sure some posters early on were wearied by it and tried to steer the debate back to sane ground, things some folks can agree on. Emma is attractive, etc and in polite terms, I'd say. This would be the first three or four pages. I stopped keeping up with it after that. Now in my opinion this is pretty common at xc meets. Since the competitors are dressed skimpy, you see former athletes, veritable celebrities in the xc context, Also wearing this style. I personally think it's acceptable, but I understand the opposing viewpoint for marketing. Notice early on the debate wasn't even about appropriateness in terms of sexuality, decency, etc but about professionalism, marketing, etc. Like I said, some working folk were venting their rage that had nothing to do with sex or gender but everything to do with the political and cultural longtime charged landscape and their own misgivings about money, class, professionalism, etc. Anyone who has been on these boards the past three or so years see how much volcanic hatred just spews over such social powder keg angst and class consciousness.

Now I'm sure later on as the thread was getting huge the segment of the visitorship that is immature, lacking eloquence and infantile, teenage and young adult started to pour out their comments. The moderators should be responsible for culling some of those comments.

But, to the original anonymous complainant, I hope these alleviates some of your worry. I don't think it's as bad as you think.

9/10

Epic troll thread, but you don't come back and post on your own troll thread.

Why does it matter to you what she wears to an event? She is wearing a New Balance shirt and shoes to represent them. She wore New Balance shorts and pants the rest of the weekend. It was 80 degrees out in San Diego that weekend. She probably just wanted to be comfortable. Does it really make you feel better about yourself to bring a woman down for what she wears? You hating on her outfit choice really just says more about you than her. She's an extremely talented runner and honestly no one cares if she is wearing jean shorts. On another note, if this was a man wearing jeans to the meet, you most likely wouldn't have made any comments about it. Think about that. Women are constantly getting told what to wear and what not to wear, and I do not appreciate it.

TiredofYourHate wrote:

Why does it matter to you what she wears to an event? She is wearing a New Balance shirt and shoes to represent them. She wore New Balance shorts and pants the rest of the weekend. It was 80 degrees out in San Diego that weekend. She probably just wanted to be comfortable. Does it really make you feel better about yourself to bring a woman down for what she wears? You hating on her outfit choice really just says more about you than her. She's an extremely talented runner and honestly no one cares if she is wearing jean shorts. On another note, if this was a man wearing jeans to the meet, you most likely wouldn't have made any comments about it. Think about that. Women are constantly getting told what to wear and what not to wear, and I do not appreciate it.

I basically agree to the above. The worst offenders are the number of Women based sports wear company's that frame , what is appropriate, what is cool, what look you should have , what look you should avoid ..... all in the name of empowerment . It's a shame women can't treat other women with respect.

TiredofYourHate wrote:

Why does it matter to you what she wears to an event? She is wearing a New Balance shirt and shoes to represent them. She wore New Balance shorts and pants the rest of the weekend. It was 80 degrees out in San Diego that weekend. She probably just wanted to be comfortable. Does it really make you feel better about yourself to bring a woman down for what she wears? You hating on her outfit choice really just says more about you than her. She's an extremely talented runner and honestly no one cares if she is wearing jean shorts. On another note, if this was a man wearing jeans to the meet, you most likely wouldn't have made any comments about it. Think about that. Women are constantly getting told what to wear and what not to wear, and I do not appreciate it.

No offense, but grow a pair!

If someone says something about how I should look, act, dress, think . . . it warrants from me a raised eyebrow with the unmistakable message that I despise their opinion. That is at best. Most times it warrants nothing at all.

The whole notion of being "shamed" can't get thrown into the dustbin of pathetic fads soon enough as far as I am concerned. Learn to stand on your own two feet without the need for the approval of others.

TiredofYourHate wrote:

Why does it matter to you what she wears to an event? She is wearing a New Balance shirt and shoes to represent them. She wore New Balance shorts and pants the rest of the weekend. It was 80 degrees out in San Diego that weekend. She probably just wanted to be comfortable. Does it really make you feel better about yourself to bring a woman down for what she wears? You hating on her outfit choice really just says more about you than her. She's an extremely talented runner and honestly no one cares if she is wearing jean shorts. On another note, if this was a man wearing jeans to the meet, you most likely wouldn't have made any comments about it. Think about that. Women are constantly getting told what to wear and what not to wear, and I do not appreciate it.

We're not hating her for what she's wearing. We're commenting on what's suitable attire when representing your sponsor (New Balance in this case) at the finish of a race which is going to be photographed. A pair of smart NB branded shorts would be comfortable in 80 degree temperatures but more appropriate for the occasion. If a male professional New Balance runner was invited to do the same job and turned up wearing ripped board shorts and barefoot he'd attract the same criticism.

Another giver of +1 wrote:

We're not hating her for what she's wearing. We're commenting on what's suitable attire when representing your sponsor (New Balance in this case) at the finish of a race which is going to be photographed.

I really don't understand how a sport in which the athletes run around in bun huggers is somehow poorly represented by an athlete in Daisy Dukes....

4runner wrote:

Another giver of +1 wrote:

We're not hating her for what she's wearing. We're commenting on what's suitable attire when representing your sponsor (New Balance in this case) at the finish of a race which is going to be photographed.

I really don't understand how a sport in which the athletes run around in bun huggers is somehow poorly represented by an athlete in Daisy Dukes....

Because one is an athlete running a race and the other is an individual representing her sponsor.

On a side note, everyone was destroying Lukas V based on his looks too - I saw at least 5 "Lukas is obese" comments on the FL Discussion thread so it isn't like this is a one gender thing.

The OP is probably a 76 year old track official from the Midwest. Perhaps he's demanding Emma dress like the Amish, the 12 tribes in Yellow Deli on Pearl St Boulder, or the Orthodox Jews in Kiryas Joel, NY, where sleeves and legs must be covered in public at all times

Amish paradise? wrote:

The OP is probably a 76 year old track official from the Midwest. Perhaps he's demanding Emma dress like the Amish, the 12 tribes in Yellow Deli on Pearl St Boulder, or the Orthodox Jews in Kiryas Joel, NY, where sleeves and legs must be covered in public at all times

Too bad she's not Nike sponsored so she could rock this and cover up every square inch of skin

Does Emma deserve this in San Diego?

Dr. Ruth W wrote:

Those that think that this thread has anything to do with sex hasn't followed the ball very well. Those that want this thread deleted because it is talking about a woman's attractivene is also missing the point.

This thread is about how a branded athlete should represent themselves and whether or not that should effect how we view this athlete or the brand.

If 15% of the people think she was not dressed properly then they are right. There is no company that is willing to turn off 15% of their potential customers. This is not a majority wins argument. It's merchandising.

Her shorts made no difference to me but that is not the point.

^^^Spot on

Fact: exactly zero boys are buying a brand of shoe or gear based on a momentary erection.

runn wrote:

14-18 year old boys have no $$$, so he wins?

I coached until this past season- 14-18 year kids have parents and smart phones:

1. Text mom- mom, I need a pair of shoes

2. log on to New Balance.com where your parent's credit card is in the website

3. Pick your shoes (and some shorts and a top while you're at it)

4. Choose next day delivery, it's not MY money

Boom- Emma and NB win, so you lose.

Is Emma shorts update? What did she wear this year, did she go more conservative?

PLayed it safe with NB tights this year