Track & Field Used To Be Big…

Track and field was mainstream now it’s….soccer.

It’s a reminder.

As the old school hip hop lyrics go…”back in the days when I was young, I’m not a kid anymore. But some days I sit and wish I was a kid again.” No less than a decade ago, track was still a big deal in this country. In fact, I think back to the days when soccer and track were pretty much at very similar levels.

Recently fans draped themselves in U.S. flags, congregated at bars and have pretty much toasted the national team’s efforts. Sports fans of any persuasion including yours truly watched the matches with great anticipation.

It was a nerve racking affair.  Would Team USA win the match and move on past Algeria? Athletes delivering gut-wrenching performing, making sick moves in the nick of time.

Does it make track fans miss 1996?

Track and field once commanded the sort of attention that I could talk to most anyone and they knew would held the world’s fastest man title. Back in the day when Michael Johnson was flaunting his gold shoes on Jay Leno.  Carl Lewis earning his ninth Olympic gold with signs of gray in his whiskers. People came to the water cooler to talk about Gail Devers hitting the track just inches before the finish line.

The fact is however that I can not think of scenario that track and field captures the nation’s attention again.  In 2008, Olympic television coverage shifted to swimming and gymnastics while track failed to dominant headlines for even a week.  That is despite Boltmania sweeping the 400 meter oval.  Everthing went right. All of the ingredients for a perfect story. An athlete little known outside of the die-hards moved from the background just in time for track, Jamaican and quite honestly the United States. Boltmania provided a temporary energy boost but I can’t see a track event that draws millions to Twitter like has been seen during the World Cup.

Track was once mainstream at least every four years and as soccer is now.

What happens if Bolt is not in a race or even gasp he retires?  It will happen at some point.

Another thought is that maybe the answer does not lie in winning over more bandwagon mainstream fans that are track fans every four years. And instead catering more to existing die-hards.  We have niche fans that follow track and field regardless of the headlines. Track remains one of the world’s most popular sports because of it’s accessibility.

Is this real talk? In an age when colleges are slashing budgets and shuttering track and field programs faster than Usain Bolt can dance hall the 100 meters. Most everyone grows up running. It’s built into the country’s dna.

Track is the old school hip hop joint that you love. You want everyone to know about the cut. But in reality if million immediately flocked to the group you probably wouldn’t like the group quite the same if they

Related posts:

1. PreRaceJitters Exclusive Q&A: Ahmad Rashad quickly making a name for himself in track