The Toni & Matt Show #13
The future of running revealed. Tennis squabbles; is running listening? Haile hops back on the Olympic track. Tegenkamp responds to your questions. Listener comments. And from the Runner’s Digest archives, Fred Lebow, running’s greatest impresario, talks about the state of the sport . . . in 1982. That and more on the Toni & Matt Show.
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The Big Story - The future of the sport stakes their claim, all in one weekend. Chanelle Price runs 2:02:90. Next up? Running with the big girls at Pre Classic. Does she have a shot to make the Olympic team? German Fernandez with one of the most impressive doubles in high school history - a 4:07 followed two hours later by a 8:45. And Christine Babcock doesn’t just break the 4:40 barrier; she buries it with a 4:36. These three athletes - and the many other talented prepsters - got next.
Make your voice heard. Call the comment line at 206-888-0346 and join the podcast.
Listener Comments: We read and respond to your comments. First, Shannon Rowbury’s high school coach from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep responds to Toni’s Runnerville Weekly piece about Rowbury’s emergence on the world stage. He also shares with us this great article on Shannon. Second, regular commenter Felice sends us this article to make the point that running’s “in” with the media might be through print journalism. All athletes, race directors, and agents should read the article. And third, our guest from Episode #10, Nate Jenkins send us a Scientific American article about Game Theory as it relates to doping. An intellectual read for those looking for great cocktail chatter.
Quick News - Haile and Hengelo kick off the Golden League. Is Haile washed up? Paula pushes on with marathon plans.
From the Runner’s Digest Archive: 1982 with Fred Lebow - Running’s great impresario talks about the running movement - he calls it a boomlet, not a boom - and the rise of women’s running. Lebow predicts the boomlet not with stats, but with his subjective observation of running shoes worn in other countries. In 1982 - Korea ranked near the top. And he looks at the rise of running as a sport, not a fad. Sadly, that outlook was a little too rosy if you look at running today.
USTA vs ATP - Professional tennis finds itself in a situation familiar to running. The ATP wants to put their logo on the nets of their events. The only problem is that the ATP tour includes several USAT events and the USTA says no way to the logos. It’s similar to the NYRR or BAA hosting the Olympic Marathon Trials where they couldn’t use their existing race sponsors for the Trials because the USATF, beholden to the USOC, wouldn’t allow it. We should all pay attention to see how the situation plays out in tennis.
Matt Tegenkamp Responds to Joe - After Teg appeared on Episode #11, we received several comments, including an audio segment from Joe. Teg had mentioned sitting out events to get race organizers and the USATF to take notice. Joe said, “Why wait until 2010. Sit out the Olympics.” Teg’s response is played. He also puts forth some great ideas and even gives USATF and Wasserman Media Group the tagline - You don’t know who I am, but you will.
What do you think? Call us at 206-888-0346 or email to comments (at) runnerville (dot) com. And check out next week’s show with USATF President Bill Roe.
[Music is “Herculean” by The Good, The Bad, And The Queen.]
Last 5 posts by Toni Reavis- Pinkowski's 20 Yrs Heading Chicago - June 18th, 2009
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- KIDS NEED HEROES: A CALL TO INSPIRE - November 10th, 2008
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- Wanjiru Re-orders Marathon World - August 24th, 2008
June 4th, 2008 at 5:33 pm |
I started to think about the effect a “personality” would have on generating the interest of media outlets. I began to wonder if it was the fault of track as a sport, the failure of track to promote itself or a planned or unplanned bias on the part of media outlets.
Then Matt asked Toni who the last widely known track and field star. My first thought was Jim Ryun. I guess it was that my own interest in track and field was developing at the same time that he was making frequently the cover of SI. So I did some quick research. This may not be perfect, but its what I could find.
From 1964 to 1972 Jim Ryun graced the cover seven times. From 1983-1996 Carl Lewis made 6 covers. Mary Decker made 4 and Mary Decker Slaney another. Flo Jo and Frank Shorter each made 3. Then there are a smattering of 1’s and 2’s.
By sport, from 1954 to 2003 the order was.
#1 Pro Football over 500 covers
#2 Baseball
#3 Pro Basketball 302 covers
#4. College Basketball 200 covers
#5. Golf 155 covers
#6. College Football 153 covers
#7. Boxing 134 covers
#8 Track and Field 99 covers
#9. Hockey 83 covers
#10. Tennis 78 covers
99 covers! I found that encouraging - until I looked more closely.
Although SI is not the barometer by which the sport of track and field should be judged, there has been a tremendous drop off in track covers since the mid-90’s. From 2004 to now I could find exactly - NONE. What I did find was Soccer, Hockey, Snowboarding, Winter Olympics, multiple Lance Armstrong, Swimming, Danica, swimsuits, Golf plus the usual basketball, baseball and football. One of the last issues I found with a track athlete on the cover was Marion Jones and it focused on the fact that she would not be competing due to drug issues.
Has nothing happened in the last four years compelling enough to garner one cover out of the well over 200 that have been published? Or has SI turned a blind eye to the sport.
Most glaring omission of recent history - where is Ryan Hall!
Strangely, after years of going without an SI subscription I recently re-upped. Now I have to seriously reconsider. My dollars are better spent on Track and Field News, Runners World etc.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:30 pm |
Dwight,
Last SI cover on track was Oct. 2, 2000 - “Under the Gun”, The Amazing Marion Jones Presses on in Sydney after her husband’s drug bombshell.
Since then, none. Not even during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Thanx for the stats.
June 7th, 2008 at 9:21 pm |
I love Teg’s idea of a spring and fall track season. What other professional sport has two seasons in one year?