The 110m hurdles live at a top class athletics meet is something else - running over hurdles as high as your kitchen counter top as if they are not there. In all the events on TV you miss how fast they are travelling.
I don’t think it was drugs - I just think they needed somebody to come on like Ecclestone in F1, Hearn in snooker, darts, what the MMA people do etc who understood how to market a sport properly.
I think another part of it is that very few people ever competed in athletics and most runners are fun runners so they have no idea the levels that these guys operate at. Farah running a last 400m in 50 odd seconds in a 10km means nothing to people as they have not being told how fast that actually is and how amazing it is
Any sport that is not capitalising on an icon like Bolt, Farah etc or on a talent like Rudisha will never do it though
[QUOTE=“TheUlteriorMotive, post: 999130, member: 2272”]The 110m hurdles live at a top class athletics meet is something else - running over hurdles as high as your kitchen counter top as if they are not there. In all the events on TV you miss how fast they are travelling.
I don’t think it was drugs - I just think they needed somebody to come on like Ecclestone in F1, Hearn in snooker, darts, what the MMA people do etc who understood how to market a sport properly.
I think another part of it is that very few people ever competed in athletics and most runners are fun runners so they have no idea the levels that these guys operate at. Farah running a last 400m in 50 odd seconds in a 10km means nothing to people as they have not being told how fast that actually is and how amazing it is
Any sport that is not capitalising on an icon like Bolt, Farah etc or on a talent like Rudisha will never do it though[/QUOTE]
There used to be much more coverage and interest though. Coe v Ovett and Cram. The era of the 100m battles involving Carl Lewis. Obviously more interest here when Sonia and Coughlan were running.
I think drugs were a big thing. That and the fact that Sky didn’t really pick it up. You had to try to access athletics rather than it being spoon-fed to you in your armchair.
[QUOTE=“Juhniallio, post: 999133, member: 53”]There used to be much more coverage and interest though. Coe v Ovett and Cram. The era of the 100m battles involving Carl Lewis. Obviously more interest here when Sonia and Coughlan were running.
I think drugs were a big thing. That and the fact that Sky didn’t really pick it up. You had to try to access athletics rather than it being spoon-fed to you in your armchair.[/QUOTE]
yeah that was it - Sky didn’t pick it up. ITV used to show all the Grand Prix races but even then it wasn’t getting the ratings I think. It also was traditionally not very popular in the USA so perhaps money was not there for endorsements. The NFL lads will argue that the real athletic stars go to NFL and not track and field
I thought after London Olympics it might take off but it hasn’t.
No reason the Grand Prix races should not be on every Friday for the entire summer - doesn’t clash with TV schedules of other sports either
Anyway English will hopefully medal and maybe with a bit of luck get a gold
Mark English was very impressive there. I see a good few athletes at the games are with UCD A.C. Where do they train now since they took the bulldozer to the track?
[QUOTE=“TheUlteriorMotive, post: 999130, member: 2272”]The 110m hurdles live at a top class athletics meet is something else - running over hurdles as high as your kitchen counter top as if they are not there. In all the events on TV you miss how fast they are travelling.
I don’t think it was drugs - I just think they needed somebody to come on like Ecclestone in F1, Hearn in snooker, darts, what the MMA people do etc who understood how to market a sport properly.
I think another part of it is that very few people ever competed in athletics and most runners are fun runners so they have no idea the levels that these guys operate at. Farah running a last 400m in 50 odd seconds in a 10km means nothing to people as they have not being told how fast that actually is and how amazing it is
Any sport that is not capitalising on an icon like Bolt, Farah etc or on a talent like Rudisha will never do it though[/QUOTE]
English was 2nd coming up to the last 50M and has been run out of it into 4th. Depending on a fastest loser now. It was an incredibly fast heat, so heres hoping.
