Comments on: A call to action for USA Track and Field http://www.willmusto.com/a-call-to-action-for-usatf Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:58:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Will Musto http://www.willmusto.com/a-call-to-action-for-usatf#comment-6 Will Musto Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:46:58 +0000 http://www.willmusto.com/?p=37#comment-6 Hunter, you've brought up some good points. I had planned a "Call to the Sponsoring Companies," discussing making the athletes more accessible to the masses, as well as a more detailed discussion of a USA bid for an IAAF World Championship, and you touched on portions of both of those. One thing to remember (with regard to the Oly Trials comment) is that track and field probably isn't ever going to be on par with the "Big Four" sports in the United States, in terms of numbers of fans, and that's okay. However, I believe that it has the potential to be as popular as soccer presently is, with the masses having a general idea of what's going on, yet still maintaining the hardcore LetsRun, Dyestat (RIP), RunnerSpace, Flotrack crowd, while the masses get ridiculously excited during World Championships and Olympics. It's possible for those two to coexist. The whole country gets excited during The Master's golf tournament...an event that doesn't include team scoring but rather wherein individual athletes are sponsored, and a sport that *most* don't follow very closely, but everyone knows the names, and, during The Master's, everyone knows everything. Why can't track function similarly? It's all about the proper marketing, advertising, promoting, and presentation. I'll touch on these in more depth in a new piece, hopefully tomorrow. Hunter, you’ve brought up some good points. I had planned a “Call to the Sponsoring Companies,” discussing making the athletes more accessible to the masses, as well as a more detailed discussion of a USA bid for an IAAF World Championship, and you touched on portions of both of those.

One thing to remember (with regard to the Oly Trials comment) is that track and field probably isn’t ever going to be on par with the “Big Four” sports in the United States, in terms of numbers of fans, and that’s okay. However, I believe that it has the potential to be as popular as soccer presently is, with the masses having a general idea of what’s going on, yet still maintaining the hardcore LetsRun, Dyestat (RIP), RunnerSpace, Flotrack crowd, while the masses get ridiculously excited during World Championships and Olympics. It’s possible for those two to coexist. The whole country gets excited during The Master’s golf tournament…an event that doesn’t include team scoring but rather wherein individual athletes are sponsored, and a sport that *most* don’t follow very closely, but everyone knows the names, and, during The Master’s, everyone knows everything. Why can’t track function similarly? It’s all about the proper marketing, advertising, promoting, and presentation. I’ll touch on these in more depth in a new piece, hopefully tomorrow.

]]> By: Hunter Hall http://www.willmusto.com/a-call-to-action-for-usatf#comment-5 Hunter Hall Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:43:13 +0000 http://www.willmusto.com/?p=37#comment-5 I like the idea here, but I think that there should be a corollary and I have a question or two. First of all, I do believe that there is not currently a track and field facility which meets all the regulations to host a World Championships, but of course if we were to get a bid in we could for sure build a track suitable for them. Second of all, I have this fear that even if we were to have the World Champs here, the USATF/NBC or whoever would be sponsoring/hosting this event would do a terrible job of promoting it and half the population or even more would have no idea that we were hosting the event here. It astounds me how little the population knows about events like the Olympic Trials and such. (I know this is a tangent, but it pisses me off to no end watching Asics and Nike commercials that feature slow guys with terrible running form clicking off 9 min miles in Nikes instead of using guys like Ryan Hall, Lagat, Solinsky, etc in their commercials. They have professional athletes for a reason! As a kid, it was because of ads just showing Michael Jordan highlights that made me want to wear Nikes. I was thinking how easy a 30 second ad of Solinksy's last 100 meters with the crowd going nuts and the words "Chis Solinsky- New American Record Holder- 26:59" and then the black screen with the Nike swoosh. How simple is that? It would be a great promoter as well as people knowing one of their elite athletes. You would think that they could at least show a "best of" video after World Champs/Olympics or even meets like Pre where Nike has the rights with the names and accomplishments of athletes wearing their stuff!) Anyway! If the USATF/Nike were to get a bid, it would be a disgrace if they were to just promote it in the region where it was being held. I'm thinking billboards in every major city, huge TV ads/promos, etc. You think of how great a job the World Cup has been doing. Not a soul is oblivious as to what is going on. Oh well, maybe just some ramblings from one over-zealous track fan to another, but I think you get my point. It's just rather simple things like this that I think track in general could do a better job of. I like the idea here, but I think that there should be a corollary and I have a question or two. First of all, I do believe that there is not currently a track and field facility which meets all the regulations to host a World Championships, but of course if we were to get a bid in we could for sure build a track suitable for them. Second of all, I have this fear that even if we were to have the World Champs here, the USATF/NBC or whoever would be sponsoring/hosting this event would do a terrible job of promoting it and half the population or even more would have no idea that we were hosting the event here. It astounds me how little the population knows about events like the Olympic Trials and such. (I know this is a tangent, but it pisses me off to no end watching Asics and Nike commercials that feature slow guys with terrible running form clicking off 9 min miles in Nikes instead of using guys like Ryan Hall, Lagat, Solinsky, etc in their commercials. They have professional athletes for a reason! As a kid, it was because of ads just showing Michael Jordan highlights that made me want to wear Nikes. I was thinking how easy a 30 second ad of Solinksy’s last 100 meters with the crowd going nuts and the words “Chis Solinsky- New American Record Holder- 26:59″ and then the black screen with the Nike swoosh. How simple is that? It would be a great promoter as well as people knowing one of their elite athletes. You would think that they could at least show a “best of” video after World Champs/Olympics or even meets like Pre where Nike has the rights with the names and accomplishments of athletes wearing their stuff!) Anyway! If the USATF/Nike were to get a bid, it would be a disgrace if they were to just promote it in the region where it was being held. I’m thinking billboards in every major city, huge TV ads/promos, etc. You think of how great a job the World Cup has been doing. Not a soul is oblivious as to what is going on. Oh well, maybe just some ramblings from one over-zealous track fan to another, but I think you get my point. It’s just rather simple things like this that I think track in general could do a better job of.

]]>