American distance running is largely a suburban, white sport, much like American soccer. USTAF needs to focus more effort on diversifying distance running at the youth level if we ever hope to be a serious competitor on the world stage. (Please skip isolated examples of white American runners i.e. Jager, Rupp etc) - A country as diverse as the US should reflect that diversity in its distance running.
You could say the same thing about swimming. And jewelry store owners.
Boscovitch wrote:
You could say the same thing about swimming. And jewelry store owners.
I agree about swimming. That's why Bolt is infinitely more impressive than Phelps.
Hank Hill wrote:
Boscovitch wrote:
You could say the same thing about swimming. And jewelry store owners.
I agree about swimming. That's why Bolt is infinitely more impressive than Phelps.
LOL what's impressive about a 30-something doper hotter than Satan's housecat with times of an athlete a decade younger?
It reality TV.
Hank Hill wrote:
American distance running is largely a suburban, white sport...
Khalid Kannouchi, Bernard Lagat, Mebrahtom Keflezghi, Paul Chelimo, Leo Manzano, Matthew Centrowitz have all had success that compares well with Jager and Rupp.
If anything, there should be some type of program to help suburban, white males reach their athletic potential.
OP, maybe you'd like to support some diversity with real money. No? I thought so.
Pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:
OP, maybe you'd like to support some diversity with real money. No? I thought so.
Great idea. Let me just donate that extra $20 million I have sitting around, because as everyone knows, criticism can only be valid if one has the financial means to single handedly change the societal problem.
Hank Hill wrote:
Pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:
OP, maybe you'd like to support some diversity with real money. No? I thought so.
Great idea. Let me just donate that extra $20 million I have sitting around, because as everyone knows, criticism can only be valid if one has the financial means to single handedly change the societal problem.
You don't have to go that far, but it would be a good start to propose something other than "things aren't the way I want them to be and someone other than me needs to do something about it!"
Really Bro wrote:
Hank Hill wrote:
American distance running is largely a suburban, white sport...
Khalid Kannouchi, Bernard Lagat, Mebrahtom Keflezghi, Paul Chelimo, Leo Manzano, Matthew Centrowitz have all had success that compares well with Jager and Rupp.
If anything, there should be some type of program to help suburban, white males reach their athletic potential.
All of those, aside from Manzano and Centro, are not native born Americans, so they're irrelevant to the point at hand. As far as a program to help suburban white males reach their potential, it's called the current system in place.
The NBA needs more diversity.
weak so far wrote:
Hank Hill wrote:
Great idea. Let me just donate that extra $20 million I have sitting around, because as everyone knows, criticism can only be valid if one has the financial means to single handedly change the societal problem.
You don't have to go that far, but it would be a good start to propose something other than "things aren't the way I want them to be and someone other than me needs to do something about it!"
(bangs head against wall) - This is a societal issue, meaning, it extends beyond one person or even one generation. Sorry for not detailing my plan to resuscitate diversity in American distance running 15 mins after mentioning it as something that needs to be addressed by those in charge.
Hank Hill wrote:
This is a societal issue
Get a grip. We're talking about participation in a leisure activity that turns into a profession for a percentage of participants that is basically zero.
Different people from different backgrounds participate in different sports. This isn't some social issue that needs to be addressed. It's just a matter of preference.
matter of preference wrote:
Hank Hill wrote:
This is a societal issue
Get a grip. We're talking about participation in a leisure activity that turns into a profession for a percentage of participants that is basically zero.
Different people from different backgrounds participate in different sports. This isn't some social issue that needs to be addressed. It's just a matter of preference.
Yes of course. Economics have nothing to do with participation youth sports. There aren't a myriad of studies which contradict every part of that notion. Carry on.
Hank Hill wrote:
matter of preference wrote:
Get a grip. We're talking about participation in a leisure activity that turns into a profession for a percentage of participants that is basically zero.
Different people from different backgrounds participate in different sports. This isn't some social issue that needs to be addressed. It's just a matter of preference.
Yes of course. Economics have nothing to do with participation youth sports. There aren't a myriad of studies which contradict every part of that notion. Carry on.
I said that it is a matter of preference. Economics influences preferences. I did not deny this.
However, people of all social and economic backgrounds are free to act on their preferences. No one who would rather run is forced to play basketball instead against their will because they are members of a particular race.
Do you think that you are so much smarter than minority kids that their preferences for other sports must be wrong and your judgement should be substituted for their own?
Los Angeles super stars Deena Kastor is an Eastern European Jew, Brenda Martinez in Mexican, Mebrahtom Keflezighi s African, and so on.
matter of preference wrote:
Hank Hill wrote:
Yes of course. Economics have nothing to do with participation youth sports. There aren't a myriad of studies which contradict every part of that notion. Carry on.
I said that it is a matter of preference. Economics influences preferences. I did not deny this.
However, people of all social and economic backgrounds are free to act on their preferences. No one who would rather run is forced to play basketball instead against their will because they are members of a particular race.
Do you think that you are so much smarter than minority kids that their preferences for other sports must be wrong and your judgement should be substituted for their own?
..............
Hank Hill wrote:
Really Bro wrote:
Khalid Kannouchi, Bernard Lagat, Mebrahtom Keflezghi, Paul Chelimo, Leo Manzano, Matthew Centrowitz have all had success that compares well with Jager and Rupp.
If anything, there should be some type of program to help suburban, white males reach their athletic potential.
All of those, aside from Manzano and Centro, are not native born Americans, so they're irrelevant to the point at hand. As far as a program to help suburban white males reach their potential, it's called the current system in place.
What rot.
I live in Manhattan and when I get on a subway - operated by the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Association) - I often spot signs saying the MTA will help me secure MTA contracts - but only if I am the owner of a woman-owned or minority-owned business. These race- and sex-based "Affirmative Action" policies discriminate on the basis of race and sex regarding hiring, contracting and admissions policies. Strangely, women in the USA are outperforming men by some measures (more academic degrees, fewer incarcerated, greater life-expectancy), so why are they given an advantage? I think these policies have hurt black Americans especially as they shift the focus from the true pathologies (poor mores, broken or never-formed families, unemployment, bad primary and secondary schools, government disincentives to conceive in-wedlock, work or pay for food, etc.) and merely try to bandage the symptoms by offering lowered admission, hiring or contract-selection standards.
I also visited a charter school in NYC recently. A black administrator was wearing a top that read "I root for everyone black." Can you imagine the outrage were it a white administrator or teacher wearing a top that read "I root for everyone white?" If you want to stop racial and sexual discrimination, then please stop racial and sexual discrimination, including discrimination that blatantly favors minorities and women.
And of all the problems in the world today, the lack of minority participants in American distance running is rather small, wouldn't you agree?
Just off the top of my dome, some non- white Olympians: Elva Dwyer, Olga Appell, Brenda Martinez, Desi linden, Jorge Torres, Ruben Reina, Aaron Ramirez, Steve Holman, Tony Sandoval, Terrence Herrington, Regina Jacobs, Kim Gallagher, Albert Salazar , billy mills, Chuck Norris, practically 75 % of our 800 teams from the last 30 years.
Boilerplaterer wrote:
Hank Hill wrote:
All of those, aside from Manzano and Centro, are not native born Americans, so they're irrelevant to the point at hand. As far as a program to help suburban white males reach their potential, it's called the current system in place.
And of all the problems in the world today, the lack of minority participants in American distance running is rather small, wouldn't you agree?
You're right. I should have posted my concerns on a running website.
I think if more minorities lived in suburban or rural areas rather than the urban areas where they tend to reside, there would be more minority distance runners.