Allie O posted on Instagram a mini "rant" about ESPN's commentators making statements about her appearance for the past two years. She makes a good point on unnecessary commentary on appearance, something some posters here love to do.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByrTibPg17k/?igshid=11ni45111w1xw
Well she does look like a child. Also, every other sport talks about the height and weight of their athletes. Why is this so taboo in running?
She has a point, but the commentators are just saying what everyone is thinking at home. Anyone tuning in who doesn't follow the sport is going to notice and wonder why this middle school looking athlete is running in the NCAAs (and crushing everyone).
Maybe not a fair comparison, but height and weight are regularly talked about when commenting NBA and NFL games.
Well she does look like a child wrote:
Well she does look like a child. Also, every other sport talks about the height and weight of their athletes. Why is this so taboo in running?
Emma Coburns response is the best, a commentator calling her "120 pounds tall". Gee. I wonder who that was...
Everytime there is a road race or track and field meet on TV, letsrun blows up with anger over the coverage. Allie has a right to point out her criticism. There is no need to call her a baby faced assassin or say she looks like she should be playing with Barbies.
Well she does look like a child wrote:
Well she does look like a child. Also, every other sport talks about the height and weight of their athletes. Why is this so taboo in running?
But what does that matter? That information gives nothing to me as a viewer. I also don't see much need for height and weight (but I can see why some would prefer to hear it) to be discussed. Her appearance doesn't matter, the focus should be on the race and her talent. Saying she looks like she plays with barbies is incredibly uncalled for, especially given that she's 20-21 (?) years old.
no mo baby face wrote:
She has a point, but the commentators are just saying what everyone is thinking at home. Anyone tuning in who doesn't follow the sport is going to notice and wonder why this middle school looking athlete is running in the NCAAs (and crushing everyone).
Maybe not a fair comparison, but height and weight are regularly talked about when commenting NBA and NFL games.
It's talked about more in those sports because each position has "standards" for height and weight.
Hobby Yogging wrote:
Well she does look like a child wrote:
Well she does look like a child. Also, every other sport talks about the height and weight of their athletes. Why is this so taboo in running?
But what does that matter? That information gives nothing to me as a viewer. I also don't see much need for height and weight (but I can see why some would prefer to hear it) to be discussed. Her appearance doesn't matter, the focus should be on the race and her talent. Saying she looks like she plays with barbies is incredibly uncalled for, especially given that she's 20-21 (?) years old.
I don't know, maybe if it was more public on how much these athletes weigh. More could be done in helping get to a healthier weight and get a healthier relationship with food. Would not be surprised if she has bone problems latter on in life. As far as looks, someone looks 10 years younger than her competitors. I'm supposed not to say anything?
Hobby Yogging wrote:
no mo baby face wrote:
She has a point, but the commentators are just saying what everyone is thinking at home. Anyone tuning in who doesn't follow the sport is going to notice and wonder why this middle school looking athlete is running in the NCAAs (and crushing everyone).
Maybe not a fair comparison, but height and weight are regularly talked about when commenting NBA and NFL games.
It's talked about more in those sports because each position has "standards" for height and weight.
There is probably just as much correlation of height and weight to performance in running as in basketball and football. When Solinsky stepped on the track you better bet the commentators were talking about it.
Hobby Yogging wrote:
no mo baby face wrote:
She has a point, but the commentators are just saying what everyone is thinking at home. Anyone tuning in who doesn't follow the sport is going to notice and wonder why this middle school looking athlete is running in the NCAAs (and crushing everyone).
Maybe not a fair comparison, but height and weight are regularly talked about when commenting NBA and NFL games.
It's talked about more in those sports because each position has "standards" for height and weight.
It's talked about because your height and weight affects how you play.
One female Olympian I know always felt uncomfortable about their height/weight being listed. They didn't want kids growing up seeing that she was x ft tall and x lbs heavy and think "right, I just need to get down to her weight and I'll be faster." Cause everyone is different. They'd been beaten before by someone who was probably 10lbs heavier than her yet similar height. She had also beaten leaner girls.
It's tough cause while other sports always have this info, most of them don't prize being lighter, and so avoid a lot of issues with eating disorders. You do get the opposite, but less so, with men in big contact sports obsessed with getting to certain benchmarks of weight, but since this is about putting on muscle (which requires getting nutrition) I don't think it is as physically harmful as young women starving themselves, missing periods, all to get to an arbitrary number. Not to say however that the mental harm of guys struggling to get bigger can't be brutal.
Before watching this video, guess how much Mohammed Ahmed weighs.
no mo baby face wrote:
Hobby Yogging wrote:
It's talked about more in those sports because each position has "standards" for height and weight.
There is probably just as much correlation of height and weight to performance in running as in basketball and football. When Solinsky stepped on the track you better bet the commentators were talking about it.
Chris Solinsky wasn't the first taller and heavier runner to have success. There is no set height or weight for success in the sport. In football and basketball, those factors come into play. I've never heard of a good 7'0 quarterback or 250-pound point guard.
Hobby Yogging wrote:
no mo baby face wrote:
There is probably just as much correlation of height and weight to performance in running as in basketball and football. When Solinsky stepped on the track you better bet the commentators were talking about it.
Chris Solinsky wasn't the first taller and heavier runner to have success. There is no set height or weight for success in the sport. In football and basketball, those factors come into play. I've never heard of a good 7'0 quarterback or 250-pound point guard.
Anytime someone doesn't fit the look of everyone else they are competing against it gets commented on. How often did they talk about Usain Bolt's height? If you had a 7' quarterback it would be non-stop discussion about it. As it is you get a lot of discussion around Brady being 6'4 or Roethlisberger being 6'5.
no mo baby face wrote:
Hobby Yogging wrote:
Chris Solinsky wasn't the first taller and heavier runner to have success. There is no set height or weight for success in the sport. In football and basketball, those factors come into play. I've never heard of a good 7'0 quarterback or 250-pound point guard.
Anytime someone doesn't fit the look of everyone else they are competing against it gets commented on. How often did they talk about Usain Bolt's height? If you had a 7' quarterback it would be non-stop discussion about it. As it is you get a lot of discussion around Brady being 6'4 or Roethlisberger being 6'5.
Brady's height is rarely talked about because it's a very normal quarterback height. Kyler Murray had his height discussed heavily because he's shorter than the average. Big Ben's discussion has never been about height, rather his weight being more than the standard. Allie O even stated in her post that they were incorrect with her height and weight, making it worse.
Anyone criticizing her post obviously didn't read it.
I've never heard of a good 7'0 or 250 pound long distance runner either.
Guess what Robert De Castella nick name was:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Castellahttps://pictures.abebooks.com/1LACEYLANE/5893693205.jpghttps://media.gettyimages.com/photos/robert-de-castella-of-australia-and-kunimitsu-ito-of-japan-compete-picture-id1082331002?s=612x612Australian public, and "Tree" to his competitors due to his thick legs
no mo baby face wrote:
Anytime someone doesn't fit the look of everyone else they are competing against it gets commented on. How often did they talk about Usain Bolt's height? If you had a 7' quarterback it would be non-stop discussion about it. As it is you get a lot of discussion around Brady being 6'4 or Roethlisberger being 6'5.
Ah yes, this is all height.
Let's not discuss how old Emma Coburn may have been when she got her first period (seriously, WTF. Nobody is asking you how old you were when your voice changed).
No need to discuss female runner's weight. They don't want us to, either. End of story. How about just saying somebody "looks fit".
just no wrote:
no mo baby face wrote:
Anytime someone doesn't fit the look of everyone else they are competing against it gets commented on. How often did they talk about Usain Bolt's height? If you had a 7' quarterback it would be non-stop discussion about it. As it is you get a lot of discussion around Brady being 6'4 or Roethlisberger being 6'5.
Ah yes, this is all height.
Let's not discuss how old Emma Coburn may have been when she got her first period (seriously, WTF. Nobody is asking you how old you were when your voice changed).
No need to discuss female runner's weight. They don't want us to, either. End of story. How about just saying somebody "looks fit".
Yes, let's ignore this problem in running:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amenorrhea/symptoms-causes/syc-20369299Because you know being infertile and having bone problems later on in life is a much better option than being transparent about the health of student athletes. Awesome idea.
RIP: D3 All-American Frank Csorba - who ran 13:56 in March - dead
RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
Running for Bowerman Track Club used to be cool now its embarrassing
Great interview with Steve Cram - says Jakob has no chance of WRs this year
Hats off to my dad. He just ran a 1:42 Half Marathon and turns 75 in 2 months!
2017 World 800 champ Pierre-Ambroise Bosse banned 1 year for whereabouts failures
